Also called: Veterinary Assistants
Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers build service orientation, social perceptiveness and time management skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Animal Caretakers (89%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Animal Caretakers | 89% | $35,360 | −7% | None |
| 2 | Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | 86% | $47,380 | +24% | Certificate or associate |
| 3 | Paramedics | 75% | $60,600 | +59% | Certificate or associate |
| 4 | Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | 75% | $64,400 | +69% | Certificate or associate |
| 5 | Surgical Assistants | 75% | $66,800 | +75% | Certificate or associate |
| 6 | Physical Therapist Aides | 73% | $35,240 | −8% | None |
| 7 | Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians | 72% | $74,310 | +95% | Certificate or associate |
| 8 | Ophthalmic Medical Technologists | 72% | $50,290Pay for the broader BLS group “Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other” | Not compared | Certificate or associate |
| 9 | Nursing Assistants | 71% | $42,260 | +11% | Certificate or associate |
| 10 | Ophthalmic Medical Technicians | 70% | $45,570 | +19% | Certificate or associate |
Compared with Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, median $38,150. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
89% skill match · $35,360 · −7% pay
86% skill match · $47,380 · +24% pay
Persuasion · Operations Monitoring · Systems Analysis
75% skill match · $60,600 · +59% pay
Operation and Control · Persuasion · Service Orientation
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Animal Caretakers (89% skill match, median $35,360), Veterinary Technologists and Technicians (86% skill match, median $47,380) and Paramedics (75% skill match, median $60,600), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 17 pay more than veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers at the median. The biggest increases: Nuclear Medicine Technologists (+166%, $101,370), Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (+153%, $96,590) and Respiratory Therapists (+116%, $82,280).
9 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.