What is a Veterinary Assistant?

A veterinary assistant is trained to assist in the prevention and treatment of diseases in a variety of animals. While direct interaction with animal patients is a substantial part of an assistant’s job description, the primary objective is to ensure a clean, safe, comfortable and efficient veterinary hospital environment for both staff and patients.

Under the supervision of a veterinarian or a veterinary technician, the assistant plays a number of vital roles within the animal hospital, and their primary duties frequently include the following:

• Helping in the front office, including check-ins, taking payments and printing customer receipts
• Escorting animals back to examination or operating rooms
• Restraining animals for certain treatments, injections and other procedures when sedation is unnecessary
• The administration of topical and oral medicines under supervision of the veterinarian
• Educating animal owners on proper care and treatment
• Collecting lab samples
• Keeping the animals and hospital facilities clean
• Feeding and grooming the animal patients
• Helping long-term animal patients to exercise often

What Characteristics Should a Potential Veterinary Assistant Possess?

Compassion, caring, loving, reassuring: These are all words commonly associated with professionals in the field of veterinary medicine. Though a love of animals is an obvious necessity in anyone looking to pursue a profession in the field of veterinary care, there are a variety of other personality traits and values that go a long way toward achieving success in this field. For example, an individual who is known for being responsible and reliable in general will be trusted by even the most demanding of veterinary professionals to remain vigilant and to attend work promptly and as scheduled.

Neatness is also a valued characteristic, as it ensures that work areas will be clean and patient records will be tidily, accurately stored. A messy work area, whether in the front office, the examination rooms or in the operating room, will not be tolerated by any reputable veterinary professional. Cleanliness is of chief importance in every medical setting and a veterinarian’s office is no exception.

The ability to properly and coolly handle stressful situations is perhaps one of the most important in the field of veterinary assistance. Though veterinary assistants do not engage in any of the doctor’s medical procedures, such as surgeries, these important members of the team do often need to act quickly in the case of a medical emergency. When the veterinarian needs equipment or medicine on a moment’s notice and another doctor or technician is not present, the assistant will need to jump to the task quickly and efficiently.

The job of a veterinarian assistant is intrinsically oriented around multi-tasking. The ability to prioritize in a way that benefits all customers, patients and the other veterinary professionals in the office is critical to the efficient operation of the entire facility.

Education Required for a Veterinary Assistant Career

The majority of veterinary assistant programs are concluded within a year. The new assistant ventures out into the field of veterinary medicine with a certificate that proves completion of the required training and is ready to be hired by any reputable animal hospital or private practice. In some cases, finishing training is even offered on the job in order to provide would-be assistants with more hands-on experience than they would receive in an educational setting.

The program required for veterinary assistant certification consists of theory taught in a classroom setting, applied practice in a laboratory and hands-on experience as an intern in various veterinary clinics in the area. Knowledge of basic math, excellent communications skills and the comprehension of technical literature are all required in order to achieve success in this field. Online distance training may be an option for individuals seeking a career as a veterinary assistant as well. Laboratory and required clinic experience are completed with the assistance of a local veterinarian’s office.

The career outlook for veterinary assistants is highly positive. With additional training, internships and extended hands-on experience, many veterinary assistants advance to the level of veterinary technician. This position carries additional responsibilities and privileges in the office and in the hospital facilities.

Career Opportunities for Professionals in the Field of Veterinary Assistance

The training program that prepares students for a career in veterinary assistance also aids in preparing them for work in a variety of other fields. Individuals with expertise in this particular area and the training required for certification are also in demand in the following career positions:

• Animal care and treatment in shelters
• Maintenance of laboratory facilities treating animals
• Bathing, feeding and care of certain animals in zoos and theme parks
• Field work with veterinarians who visit farms, ranches and homes
• Private care and treatment for certain pets in homes
• Caretaker for laboratory animals

Expected Salary for Veterinary Assistants

The average salary for a veterinary assistant exceeds the typical salary of similar careers that require more schooling or training. Salary levels vary with the economy, with location, the types of responsibilities delegated and duration of employment.

Source: bls.gov

Expected Future for Veterinary Assistants

The medical profession, in general, is one of the few industries that continues to expand, despite constant fluctuations in the economy. Growing demand for all types of veterinary professionals has caused many undecided college students to switch over to the path that leads to a career in veterinary assistance. While job security is undoubtedly an issue for many people throughout the country, individuals in the field of veterinary medicine consistently find that their experience, expertise, compassion and responsibility are in high demand, regardless of location.

Pets, farm animals and animals seen in zoos and parks are all in need of high-quality, compassionate care from professionals who truly pride themselves on their work. Veterinary assistants, in their work with veterinary technicians and licensed veterinarians, help to keep the animals of the world healthy, strong and happy, which makes for a happier world in general. Find your place as a veterinary assistant with more information from the official veterinary medical board in your state.

Job Responsibilities of a Vet Tech

A veterinary technician (vet tech) works directly under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian, performing an array of jobs. In addition to job responsibilities, someone in this position would have a unique opportunity to gain tremendous knowledge, which may or may not provide encouragement to advance in the field of animal care. Most people who become a vet tech prefer to work in an animal shelter, rescue center, boarding kennel, or zoo but this profession is also used for research facilities.

A vet tech is responsible for conducting various medical tests, as well as providing diagnosis and appropriate treatment according to findings. In some cases, care is the result of injury but most often, it is due to an animal living with some kind of disease or disorder. The vet tech would take blood, provide needed dental care, test samples of tissue and fecal matter, and provide ongoing support to the veterinarian in both diagnostic and laboratory testing.

For someone with just a few years of experience, job functions would also include maintaining the animal’s history of health, offer nursing care, and process x-ray films. However, for the vet tech that has years of experience, as well as high education and more advanced training, job responsibilities would also include owner consultation regarding testing, diagnosis, and treatment. Additionally, the more experienced vet tech could move into specialized areas beyond care of cats and dogs. In this case, the professional could offer care to horses, cattle, monkeys, mice, fish, pigs, sheep, and so on.

Some of the other job functions a vet tech typically provides include the following:

• Administer medication
• Provide injections
• Conduct laboratory examinations
• Sterilize laboratory and surgical equipment
• Vaccinate animals
• Euthanize horribly injured or terminally ill pets
• Conduct research on gene therapy, biomedical issues, pharmaceuticals, cloning, and other needed topics
• Assist the veterinarian with surgical procedures
• Work with disaster preparedness

Education and Training Requirements

To work as a professional vet tech, a specialized training program would need to be completed. Although exact requirements vary from state to state, someone just getting started in an entry level position would need an Associate’s degree or Bachelor’s degree in veterinary technology. It would be essential for both degrees to be earned from a college or university with an accreditation by the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Any educational institute being considered would need to provide studies specific to veterinarian care in both a clinical and laboratory environment. Coupled with appropriate coursework, the individual would need to gain hands-on education working with live animals. Because there are only 20 or so colleges and universities in the United States that currently have a Bachelor’s degree program specific to vet tech work, most people pursue an Associate’s degree, followed by taking specialized training programs.

In addition to earning a degree through a standard brick and mortar institute, there are now accredited colleges and universities that provide all required studies online. While this would be an excellent option for some people, choosing the right school would be imperative. One method for gaining an edge to work as a vet tech would start in high school by taking science, math, and biology courses. Typically, the person that begins the journey while in high school finds it much easier and faster to complete studies in college.

Whether earning an Associate’s degree or Bachelor’s degree, anyone working as a vet tech would be required in all 50 states to pass an exam to receive credentials. With this, any hiring veterinarian, pet owner, or other employer would have confidence and proof of the individual’s qualifications to perform the duties required of a vet tech. This particular test is comprised of a written and oral section, along with practical portions.

For certification, the individual would need to pass a credentialing test that falls under regulation of the State Board of Veterinary Examiners. However, prior to taking the examination, this person would need to be registered, certified, or licensed pursuant to laws within the state working. While the exact test could vary, most states use the National Veterinary Technician examination. There are other forms of certification as it applies to a vet tech career.

The first would be to conduct various forms of animal research. In this case, certification would be required through the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science. Someone interested in working as a vet tech would have a choice of three types of certification to include animal husbandry, facility management, and animal health and welfare. However, the person could not take this text unless he or she had appropriate work experience coupled with education.

Another type of vet tech certification is the Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician. This particular certification is ranked as the lowest, often pursued for someone starting in an entry level position. The second lowest vet tech certification is Laboratory Animal Technician with the highest ranked being the Laboratory Animal Technologist certification.

Potential Salary as a Vet Tech

Although actual amount of annual income would depend on several factors such as level of education, amount of specialized training, geographic location, veterinarian, type of facility, and any prior experience as a vet tech or related field, most earn between $25,000 and $35,000. However, for someone that has completed education and training specific to research, income potential would increase.

Future Opportunities

There will always be work in the field of veterinarian medicine regardless of level. In addition to family pets, need for service dogs, as well as cattle and other working animals will never go away. For that reason, future opportunities working as a vet tech are excellent. In fact, the latest predictions state the growth rate for a vet tech will be much faster than what has been seen over the past 10 to 20 years.

Someone interested in a career such as this has incredible opportunity for job security but also advancement. Current demand for qualified and caring vet techs is high and expected to become even greater. Along with caring for personal pets and ranch animals, experts believe work in aquariums and zoos will also see significant growth. Working in a special environment would also add to the excitement and reward of the job, as well as increase earning potential.