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Veterinary Assistants vs Nursing Assistants

Median pay is about $4k higher for Nursing Assistants. The usual entry education is high school for Veterinary Assistants and postsecondary cert for Nursing Assistants.

marks the higher pay or growth. Education, difficulty and the AI rows depend on what you want, so they are not marked.

Veterinary Assistants compared with Nursing Assistants: pay, outlook, entry and AI exposure
MeasureVeterinary AssistantsNursing Assistants
Pay
Median pay$38,150$42,260, higher
Entry pay 25th percentile$35,660$37,260, higher
Experienced pay 75th percentile$45,710$47,220, higher
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Projected growth+9.1% Growing fast, higher+2.6% Growing
Openings a year23,200196,200
Getting in
Typical educationHigh schoolPostsecondary cert
Difficulty modeled1.8 / 52.2 / 5
AI
Displacement risk modeledLowVery low
AI exposure modeled, percentile13th pct7th pct

Where the skills differ

Only Veterinary Assistants

  • Writing

Only Nursing Assistants

  • Active Learning

Both lean on active listening, critical thinking, reading comprehension, monitoring, speaking.

More comparisons

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Pay and outlook: BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills: O*NET 30.3. Difficulty, displacement risk and AI exposure are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.