Veterinary technician to animal handler
A veterinary technician already meets 67% of what the animal handler role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
41.9/ 100
1 How much of what an animal handler is expected to do is already part of a veterinary technician’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the animal handler role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An animal handler role treats 17 of its required skills as things a veterinary technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- anatomy of animals
- animal behaviour
- animal welfare
- animal welfare legislation
- apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting
- assess animal behaviour
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 24 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An animal handler role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a veterinary technician background worth leading with.
- already held calculate rates per hours information skills
- already held interview animal owners on animals' conditions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held take advantage of learning opportunities in veterinary science information skills
- already held treat animals ethically assisting and caring
- already held animal production science agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
- already held understand the animal's situation handling and moving
All 24 carried skills, including the 17 the animal handler role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 14 missing skills fall into 2 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn handle working animals required
- still to learn apply animal hygiene practices required
- still to learn implement exercise activities for animals required
- still to learn manage animal welfare required
- still to learn provide an enriching environment for animals required
- still to learn provide animal training required
- still to learn provide nutrition to animals required
- optional, not held handle animals for semen collection optional
- optional, not held groom animals optional
- optional, not held maintain animal accommodation hygienic optional
- optional, not held maintain welfare of animals during transportation optional
- optional, not held load animals for transportation optional
- optional, not held assess animal's condition optional
- optional, not held apply numeracy skills optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an animal handler role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 handle working animals practise this
- 02 apply animal hygiene practices practise this
- 03 implement exercise activities for animals practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 24 skills that carry over
- already held anatomy of animals knowledge
- already held animal behaviour knowledge
- already held animal welfare knowledge
- already held animal welfare legislation knowledge
- already held apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting skill
- already held assess animal behaviour skill
- already held biosecurity related to animals knowledge
- already held control animal movement skill
- already held environmental enrichment for animals knowledge
- already held handle veterinary emergencies skill
- already held manage animal biosecurity skill
- already held monitor the welfare of animals skill
- already held physiology of animals knowledge
- already held provide first aid to animals skill
- already held safe work practices in a veterinary setting knowledge
- already held signs of animal illness knowledge
- already held treat animals ethically skill
- already held animal production science knowledge
- already held calculate rates per hours skill
- already held cope with challenging circumstances in the veterinary sector skill
- already held interview animal owners on animals' conditions skill
- already held make decisions regarding the animal's welfare skill
- already held take advantage of learning opportunities in veterinary science skill
- already held understand the animal's situation skill
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held handle animals for semen collection optional
- optional, not held assess animal's condition optional
- optional, not held groom animals optional
- optional, not held maintain animal accommodation hygienic optional
- optional, not held maintain welfare of animals during transportation optional
- optional, not held apply numeracy skills optional
- optional, not held load animals for transportation optional
31 held skills the animal handler role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assist in administering veterinary anaesthetics skill
- not needed by the target role assist in general veterinary medical procedures skill
- not needed by the target role assist in the administration of fluids to animals skill
- not needed by the target role assist the veterinary surgeon as a scrub nurse skill
- not needed by the target role collaborate with animal related professionals skill
- not needed by the target role communicate by telephone skill
- not needed by the target role deal with challenging people skill
- not needed by the target role execute working instructions skill
- not needed by the target role follow work procedures skill
- not needed by the target role follow work schedule skill
- not needed by the target role follow written instructions skill
- not needed by the target role maintain administrative records in the veterinary office skill
- not needed by the target role maintain professional records skill
- not needed by the target role maintain stocks of veterinary materials skill
- not needed by the target role maintain veterinary clinical records skill
- not needed by the target role maintain work environments in a veterinary practice skill
- not needed by the target role manage infection control in the facility skill
- not needed by the target role manage personal professional development skill
- not needed by the target role manage veterinary practice waiting area skill
- not needed by the target role monitor condition of hospitalised animals skill
- not needed by the target role plan schedule skill
- not needed by the target role practise veterinary professional codes of conduct skill
- not needed by the target role prepare animals for anaesthesia skill
- not needed by the target role prepare animals for veterinary surgery skill
- not needed by the target role prepare environment for veterinary surgery skill
- not needed by the target role prepare veterinary anaesthetic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role process payments skill
- not needed by the target role provide support to veterinary clients skill
- not needed by the target role support veterinary diagnostic imaging procedures skill
- not needed by the target role support veterinary diagnostic procedures skill
- not needed by the target role veterinary terminology knowledge
Common questions about this move
Can a veterinary technician become an animal handler?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A veterinary technician already covers 67% of what an animal handler is expected to do: 24 skills carry over, 17 of which the animal handler role treats as required.
What skills does a veterinary technician need to become an animal handler?
7 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 2 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is handle working animals.
How hard is the move from veterinary technician to animal handler?
Its learning distance is 41.9 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.