Animal Care Worker & Supervisor
| Median wages (2013) | $20.90 hourly, $43,480 annual |
| Employment (2012) | 46,000 employees |
| Projected job openings (2012-2022) | 9,700 |
Tasks
- Observe animals for signs of illness, injury, or unusual behavior, notifying veterinarians or managers as warranted.
- Monitor animal care, maintenance, breeding, or packing and transfer activities to ensure work is done correctly.
- Train workers in animal care procedures, maintenance duties, and safety precautions.
- Treat animal illnesses or injuries, following experience or instructions of veterinarians.
- Assign tasks such as feeding and treatment of animals, and cleaning and maintenance of animal quarters.
- Perform the same animal care duties as subordinates.
- Prepare reports concerning facility activities, employees' time records, and animal treatment.
- Confer with managers to determine production requirements, conditions of equipment and supplies, and work schedules.
- Study feed, weight, health, genetic, production records to determine feed formulas, rations and breeding schedules.
- Direct and assist workers in maintenance and repair of facilities.
Types of Tools & Technology
| Animal husbandry equipment — Debeakers; Dehorners; Feed wagons; Tail dockers |
| Egg inspection or collecting equipment — Egg candlers; Egg grading machines; Egg washing machines |
| Milking machines — Milk separators; Milking equipment |
| Veterinary injection or suction units or accessories: Animal injection syringes; Animal vaccination syringes; Balling guns; Veterinary intravenous IV sets |
| Veterinary nail trimmers or cutters — Hoof trimmers; Nail trimmers |
| Calendar and scheduling software — Employee scheduling software |
| Data base user interface and query software — Cattlesoft CattleMax; Data entry software; Lion Edge Technologies Ranch Manager software; Valley Agricultural Software DairyCOMP 305 |
| Enterprise resource planning ERP software — Midwest MicroSystems Cow Sense |
| Expert system software — Valley Agricultural Software Feed Watch |
| Spreadsheet software |
Knowledge
| Biology — Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment. |
| Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources. |
| Mechanical — Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance. |
| Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects. |
| Food Production — Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques. |
Skills
| Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. |
| Management of Personnel Resources — Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job. |
| Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively. |
| Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions. |
| Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. |
| Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others. |
| Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. |
| Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. |
| Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making. |
| Learning Strategies — Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things. |
Abilities
| Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. |
| Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. |
| Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. |
| Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). |
| Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. |
| Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. |
| Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. |
| Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). |
Work Activities
| Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. |
| Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates — Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance. |
| Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. |
| Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. |
| Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others — Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks. |
| Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. |
| Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. |
| Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others. |
| Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others — Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others. |
| Scheduling Work and Activities — Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others. |
Animal Breeder
- Feed and water animals, and clean and disinfect pens, cages, yards, and hutches.
- Examine animals to detect symptoms of illness or injury.
- Place vaccines in drinking water, inject vaccines, or dust air with vaccine powder to protect animals from diseases.
- Select animals to be bred, and semen specimens to be used, according to knowledge of animals, genealogies, traits, and desired offspring characteristics.
- Treat minor injuries and ailments and contact veterinarians to obtain treatment for animals with serious illnesses or injuries.
- Observe animals in heat to detect approach of estrus and exercise animals to induce or hasten estrus, if necessary.
- Record animal characteristics such as weights, growth patterns, and diets.
- Exhibit animals at shows.
- Build hutches, pens, and fenced yards.
- Clip or shear hair on animals.
Tools & Technology
| Animal husbandry equipment — Animal pregnancy testing kits; Dehorners; Ovulation prediction monitors; Semen collection kits | |||
| Artificial inseminating machine — Horse breeding chutes | |||
| Hydrometers — Densimeters; Sperm counters | |||
| Livestock identification equipment — Branding equipment; Ear tagging equipment; Microchip scanners; Tattoo equipment | |||
| Veterinary injection or suction units or accessories — Animal blood collection syringes; Animal vaccination syringes; Artificial insemination syringes; Lethal injection equipment |
| Analytical or scientific software — Questionmark Perception; Respondus software; VSN International GenStat | ||
| Data base user interface and query software — Breedtrak *; KinTraks; Reudink Software ZooEasy; Winners Programs BirdStud | ||
| Electronic mail software — Email software | ||
| Internet browser software — Microsoft Internet Explorer * | ||
| Spreadsheet software — Microsoft Excel |
| Median wages (2013) | $18.24 hourly, $37,950 annual |
| Employment (2012) | 1,000 employees |
| Projected job openings (2012-2022) | 400 |
OTHER STEM CAREERS
Animal Scientist
| Median wages (2013) | $30.89 hourly, $64,260 annual |
| Employment (2012) | 3,000 employees |
| Projected growth (2012-2022) | 
Average (8% to 14%)
|
| Projected job openings (2012-2022) | 1,200 |
| Median wages (2013) | $22.29 hourly, $46,370 annual |
| Employment (2012) | 14,000 employees |
| Projected growth (2012-2022) |
Average (8% to 14%)
|
| Projected job openings (2012-2022) | 2,500 |
| Median wages (2013) | $33.71 hourly, $70,110 annual |
| Employment (2012) | 931,000 employees |
| Projected job openings (2012-2022) | 150,200 |
Zoologist
| Median wages (2013) | $27.61 hourly, $57,430 annual |
| Employment (2012) | 20,000 employees |
| Projected job openings (2012-2022) | 6,700 |
