Veterinary Assistant Job Description and Salary

In a veterinary office, the role of the veterinary assistant is a very important one.  He or she must be involved in all facets of the office.  A veterinary assistant job description, therefore, could include all of the following:

  • Checking in the animal when it first arrives.
  • Take the information necessary on the animal from its name to its medical history.
  • Take the payment due, make a follow up appointment if necessary, and provide medication if necessary.
  • Take phone calls for appointments and to provide lab results to the animal’s owner.
  • Assist the veterinary tech and the veterinarian.
  • Clean and maintain equipment needed during the animal’s visits.
  • Feed and groom animals.
  • Exercising overnight animal patients.
  • Help restrain the animal if it’s being uncooperative.
  • Help the vet techs with medicating overnight patients.
  • Cleaning the facilities.

The above vet assistant duties would be performed in a lot of different settings, including:

  • Veterinary offices
  • Animal hospitals
  • Labs
  • Rescue agencies
  • Boarding kennels/animal hotels
  • Racetracks

SKILLS NEEDED TO BE A VET ASSISTANT:

First, it goes without saying, that you must love animals in order to become a vet assistant.  Whether the animal is sick, injured, or just having a routine checkup, it is a very stressful time.  It is the vet assistant’s responsibility to understand this and try to put the animal at ease.

In cases where the animal cannot be helped, when they need to be put to sleep, the vet assistant must be strong for the animal’s owner as well as the animal.  Therefore, the role of the veterinary assistant is of compassion as well as thick skin.

veterinary assistant job descriptionHOW TO BECOME A VET ASSISTANT:

Generally, vet assistants don’t need a college degree to start working (though, like most jobs these days, make sure you have a high school diploma or equivalent).  So if you’re still in high school, brush up on some science classes.

Most vet assistants get on-the-job training.  An extensive application form is often not required at many vet offices, which tend to be rather informal.

As with any job, it’ll be good to see how much you’ll get paid.  According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for vet assistants (not vet techs) is $23,130.  The top 10%, however, make more than $35,000 while the bottom 10% less than $18,000.

If you want to pursue this as fulltime career, it might be good for you to try out to become a veterinary tech (read our descriptions here) or go whole hog and become a veterinarian.  Both will require more schooling than being a vet assistant, but in the long run, the job is more secure and pays a lot more too!

So we hope this short and sweet veterinary assistant job description has helped you out.  Schooling is probably necessary for a lifelong career in helping animals, but in the meantime, if you want to find a vet assistant job, check local places  where animals are being treated (clinics, animal shelters, etc.).