Veterinary Assistant Job Description

Veterinary Assistant Job Description

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Veterinary assistant provides assistance to Veterinary Technicians in both small animal and large animal surgical nurses stations and operating rooms to include but not limited to the following:.

Veterinary Assistant Duties & Responsibilities

To write an effective veterinary assistant job description, begin by listing detailed duties, responsibilities and expectations. We have included veterinary assistant job description templates that you can modify and use.

Sample responsibilities for this position include:

Help maintain clean exam rooms, treatment area and surgical suite
Provides some post-operative treatment and care
Ensures cleanliness of kennels and/or cages performing bathing and basic grooming to small animals
Monitoring anesthesia
Basic animal handling such as restraint
Patient intake and discharge
Submitting samples and scheduling of diagnostic procedures
Maintaining inventory and stock
Maintaining cleanliness of the area and equipment
Preparing surgical instruments and linen packs as they return from surgery into pack groupings, remove and properly dispose of all blades and needles

Veterinary Assistant Qualifications

Qualifications for a job description may include education, certification, and experience.

Licensing or Certifications for Veterinary Assistant

List any licenses or certifications required by the position: AALAS, ACVP, CITI, AVA, NAVTA, CALAS

Education for Veterinary Assistant

Typically a job would require a certain level of education.

Employers hiring for the veterinary assistant job most commonly would prefer for their future employee to have a relevant degree such as Associate and Bachelor's Degree in Veterinary, Teaching, Education, Veterinary Technology, Science, Veterinary Medicine, Biology, Health, Medical, Graduate

Skills for Veterinary Assistant

Desired skills for veterinary assistant include:

Intestinal parasites prevention & heartworm prevention & heartworm disease in both cats & dogs
Computers
Patient’s medical condition
Prognosis and plan
Treatment
Proper lifting techniques and ability to lift up to 20 lbs
Common disinfection processes
Medical terminology
Process of cleaning and sterilizing surgical instruments
Veterinary pharmacology and animal behavior

Desired experience for veterinary assistant includes:

Comfortable with dogs and cats of all breeds and sizes
Able to lift 50 lbs and stand for long periods of time
Strong product knowledge including Heartworm Preventatives, Flea Preventatives & Vaccines
Detail oriented with the ability to think clearly and multitask in a busy environment
Have strong client education & communication skills, bi-lingual skills preferred but not required
A can do attitude and a team player!!

Veterinary Assistant Examples

1

Veterinary Assistant Job Description

Job Description Example
Our company is growing rapidly and is searching for experienced candidates for the position of veterinary assistant. Please review the list of responsibilities and qualifications. While this is our ideal list, we will consider candidates that do not necessarily have all of the qualifications, but have sufficient experience and talent.
Responsibilities for veterinary assistant
  • Preparation of gauze, sponge, towel, needle, and suture packs so each contains a specified number of items, with each oriented in relation to procedures manual protocol within the pack, and wrapped in an outer wrapper so that, after autoclaving, the pack may be opened maintaining a sterile field around its outer perimeter
  • Perform daily tasks to ensure the self-help laboratory is operational
  • Assisting Registered Veterinary Technicians and Veterinarians with all aspects of animal care
  • Restraint
  • Cleaning and stocking throughout the hospital
  • Filling Prescriptions
  • Walking/ Feeding hospitalized patients
  • Do laundry
  • Clean cages and boarding kennels
  • Clean public and staff areas
Qualifications for veterinary assistant
  • Experience in a medical laboratory – a minimum one (1) year previous experience is highly desirable
  • 21 years or older with a valid drivers' license
  • 1-2 years related experience in a laboratory animal facility
  • Minimum 1 year experience working with animals in a clinical setting
  • Associates Degree in Veterinary Technology
  • Prefer 3 years of experience working with animals in a clinical setting
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Veterinary Assistant Job Description

Job Description Example
Our innovative and growing company is looking for a veterinary assistant. To join our growing team, please review the list of responsibilities and qualifications.
Responsibilities for veterinary assistant
  • Professional, cheerful and helpful attitude when interacting with pet owners
  • Knowledge of common diseases, their symptoms and means of transmission
  • Knowledge of preventative health care recommendations to answer questions and assist in marketing veterinary services from which clients’ pets would benefit
  • Help in reception area when needed
  • Know how to check out clients and discharge boarding and hospitalized patients
  • Understand proper medical record keeping
  • Understand front-desk procedures in order to assist receptionists such as phone system, veterinary practice-management software and appointment scheduling guidelines
  • Performs cleaning and sanitizing of cages, pens and rooms while disposing of waste materials
  • Provide quality patient care while maintaining a Fear Free © approach
  • Patient restraint during examinations, injections, treatments, induction
Qualifications for veterinary assistant
  • Ability to interpret quality control monitors
  • Initiative to diagnose and troubleshoot equipment difficulties without being directly supervised
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment while demonstrating excellent customer service, high degree of confidentiality, openness to teaching and providing consultation to a variety of stakeholders
  • One year of experience as a veterinary assistant providing patient care
  • Formal or on-the-job training in veterinary technology
  • Ability and willingness to assist technicians, doctors and receptionists
3

Veterinary Assistant Job Description

Job Description Example
Our company is looking to fill the role of veterinary assistant. Please review the list of responsibilities and qualifications. While this is our ideal list, we will consider candidates that do not necessarily have all of the qualifications, but have sufficient experience and talent.
Responsibilities for veterinary assistant
  • Surgical instrument cleaning/packing
  • Surgical suite prep and clean
  • Providing compassionate care and a home away from home for hospitalized pets
  • Use of fear free animal handling and restraint techniques
  • Assist with sedation and recovery, blood draws, IVC, CFS taps and positioning, restraint on painful animals, euthanasia, surgical clips, urinary catheter placement, TPR’s, neurologic exams and Cytosar injections
  • Organize incoming appointments and assisting with appointments in the exam rooms
  • Assist with transportation of down patients from the parking lot to exam room and to physical therapy
  • Apply basic foundational knowledge of Brain-site Planning
  • Apply basic foundational knowledge of Brain Surgery and Equipment
  • Serve as a liaison for providing surgery staff with vital information about incoming cases
Qualifications for veterinary assistant
  • Available to work on Saturdays and Sundays
  • Responsibilities will vary based on the practice’s current needs, the season and the individual skills of the employee
  • Ability to assist veterinarians in the practice of veterinary medicine and surgery
  • Compassionate care for hospitalized patients
  • Flexibility in hours including but not limited to evenings, weekends and holidays
  • Capable of being cross-trained as receptionist and kennel assistant
4

Veterinary Assistant Job Description

Job Description Example
Our innovative and growing company is looking for a veterinary assistant. To join our growing team, please review the list of responsibilities and qualifications.
Responsibilities for veterinary assistant
  • Create invoices, prints stickers and various forms, pharmacy refills and FAX refills to various outside pharmacies
  • Update logs and spreadsheets used by the department
  • Answers “Rounds” room phone, takes and relays messages, facilitates visitations
  • Clean exam and operating rooms maintaining the order of various materials/inventory and paperwork
  • Take dirty laundry to Central Supply and retrieve clean laundry
  • Clean and oil drills
  • Take sterile packs and equipment to Central Supply, return sterile packs and supplies to O.R
  • Maintain and clean clippers and blades
  • Send instruments or equipment out for repair
  • Assist clinicians with setting up labs (including resident labs, student labs, and VS 660 laboratory), and acquiring cadavers
Qualifications for veterinary assistant
  • Previous experience or training/education working in a veterinary facility preferred
  • Outstanding skills in compassionate and strong patient care
  • Interested in assisting with patient care (feeding, kennel care), stocking supplies, cleaning and supporting our highly skilled, friendly veterinarians and veterinary technicians for examinations, diagnostics, treatments, IV catheter placement, blood draws, lab work
  • Must be a self-motivated individual, willing to work nights, weekends and holidays in addition to other shifts
  • Willing to learn! Willing to contribute! Ready to become a super veterinary assistant and more!
  • Capable of being cross-trained as receptionist
5

Veterinary Assistant Job Description

Job Description Example
Our company is growing rapidly and is looking to fill the role of veterinary assistant. We appreciate you taking the time to review the list of qualifications and to apply for the position. If you don’t fill all of the qualifications, you may still be considered depending on your level of experience.
Responsibilities for veterinary assistant
  • Assist students with appropriate laboratory cleanup procedures
  • Ability to perform a cursory examination of an animal
  • Ability to use a stethoscope and otoscope
  • Ability to recognize fleas, ticks and other external parasites
  • Ability to recognize other potential health care issues, , dental or exam by a veterinarian
  • Clearly communicate your findings to doctor
  • Collection of biologic specimens that include but are not limited to tissue, oral fluids, blood, and feces for clinical case diagnosis and herd health monitoring
  • Execute veterinary research including literature review, drafting protocols, and data entry
  • Educate employees of various departments on veterinary processes including but not limited to biologic specimen collection, biosecurity, and oral controlled exposure through organized training sessions
  • Audit on-farm veterinary processes and records to maintain compliance with federal, state, industry and company policies and procedures including antibiotic use
Qualifications for veterinary assistant
  • Ne year of relevant experience as a veterinary assistant providing patient care
  • Experience, knowledge and comfort with Word and Excel software
  • Must have a strong drive to help others and work as a team
  • Strong oral and written communication skills with the ability to communicate with various audiences
  • Ability to pay attention to detail and stay focused while multitasking
  • Compassion for animals including demonstrated interest in caring for, promoting the health of, and fostering the contentment of animals

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