Hiring guideRead at source, 29 September 2026

How to Recruit Veterinary Technicians: Where to Find Credentialed Techs and How to Win Them

To recruit veterinary technicians, recruit employed techs away from other practices: BLS projects about 13,400 openings a year nationally, so the pool is small and mostly working. Win them on what they compare: full use of the credential, the technician-to-doctor ratio, schedule and pay, stated in the first lines of a social ad. Build a pipeline with veterinary technology programs, grow your own assistants into technicians, keep the application short, and call back the same day.

Who you are recruiting

BLS counted 131,400 veterinary technologists and technicians in 2025 and projects 143,800 by 2035, a 9.4 percent increase, with about 13,400 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections 2025-35). The typical entry-level education is an associate’s degree, and the May 2025 median annual wage was $47,380 (BLS, May 2025 median annual wage).

BLS notes that technicians usually have a two-year associate’s degree in veterinary technology and that they typically must pass a credentialing exam to become registered, licensed or certified, depending on the state (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). The exam most states and provinces use is the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE), administered by the AAVSB (AAVSB). The title, the credential and what a technician may do all vary by state, so write your requirement in your state’s terms (RVT, LVT or CVT). Our veterinary technician job description has the full template and pay section.

Where to find veterinary technicians

• Credentialed techs at other practices. This is most of the market. They will not see a job board post, but they will see a social ad that describes a better ratio, a better schedule or better use of their skills.
• Veterinary technology programs. Offer externship and clinical placements. Students who train with you know your team and your protocols before day one.
• Your own veterinary assistants. Paying for an assistant to finish a veterinary technology program is a dependable way to add a technician you already know. Advertise that path in your assistant ads too; see how to recruit veterinary assistants.
• Techs who left the field or went part-time. A fixed, no-overnight schedule or relief shifts can bring them back.
• Techs in shelters, research and industry. Some want to return to clinical work; others are your competitors for the same people.
• Referrals. Technicians know each other from school and past practices. Pay a referral bonus that reflects what a hire is worth to you.

Meta employment ads run in a special ad category with no age, gender or ZIP code targeting and a 15-mile minimum radius (details). With a small local pool, run a steady campaign across your commuting radius rather than a short, heavy burst.

What to pay veterinary technicians

The BLS median is $47,380. Check local practices and emergency hospitals, then compete on the terms technicians compare beyond the hourly rate: full use of the credential (anesthesia, dentals, catheters, radiographs), a workable technician-to-doctor ratio, paid continuing education and license renewal, and a schedule they can plan around. Put the pay range and those terms in the ad. The job description page breaks pay down by industry.

How to write the veterinary technician ad

A credentialed tech checks three things first: will I use my skills, what is the schedule and on-call, and what does it pay. Sample headlines:

• “Credentialed Vet Tech: run anesthesia and dentals, not just restraint. Four 10s.”
• “RVT, small-animal practice, two techs per doctor, no overnights, CE paid.”
• “Emergency vet tech, three 12s with night differential stated up front.”

Name the caseload, surgery days and equipment. If you hire VTNE-eligible graduates, say so and say how long they have to earn the credential.

Screening questions for a mobile application

• Are you credentialed as a veterinary technician in this state, or eligible (graduated and passed or scheduled to take the VTNE)? (knockout if the role requires it)
• Which skills do you perform independently: anesthesia monitoring, IV catheters, dental cleaning and radiographs, lab work? (multiple choice; not a knockout)
• Which schedule can you work, including any on-call or overnight rotation? (knockout only if the schedule is fixed)

Stop there. Credentialed candidates abandon long forms, and in Boostpoint’s benchmark the apply experience explains 70 percent of the variation in cost per applicant.

Speed and follow-up

A tech who applies is often weighing more than one practice. Have the lead technician or practice manager call or text the same day, and offer a paid shadow shift so the candidate can see your team and ratio. Text recruiting reaches someone who is mid-surgery and cannot answer the phone.

Keeping the techs you hire

Recruiting a credentialed tech is slow, so losing one in the first year hurts. Deliver the skill use the ad promised from the first weeks, keep the ratio you described, pay the continuing education and renewal you offered, and check in at 30, 60 and 90 days. Ask directly what would make them leave, and fix what you can.

What a veterinary technician applicant costs on Meta

Veterinary roles do not have their own role family in Boostpoint’s 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, so there is no vet tech figure. Across all roles, the median campaign cost $13.88 per applicant and the middle half ran $6.48 to $29.74. Two patterns matter for a small credentialed pool. Apply rate: campaigns converting under 5 percent of clickers paid $53.77 per applicant, those converting 20 to 35 percent paid $4.41. Frequency: above a monthly frequency of 3.0 the median rose to $18.76, and above 4.0 to $26.78. Cost per applicant is not cost per hire. See the full benchmark and our look at the veterinary staffing shortage.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 and May 2025 median annual wage (veterinary technologists and technicians, SOC 29-2056); BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Veterinary Technologists and Technicians; AAVSB, VTNE overview; Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark. Read at source 29 September 2026.