How to hire an emergency veterinary assistant

How to hire an emergency veterinary assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step emergency veterinary assistant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an emergency veterinary assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new emergency veterinary assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The emergency veterinary assistant hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect emergency veterinary assistant also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of emergency veterinary assistants and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Emergency Veterinary Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Emergency Veterinary Assistant	Medical assistants complete administrative and clinical tasks in the offices of physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities. Their duties vary with the location, specialty, and size of the practice.	$13-24
   MD	A Doctor of Medicine or MD is the designation of a person who completed medical education. Generally, MDs focus on the treatment of conditions in need of medication... Show more	$12-107
   Emergency Room Nurse	As the name entails, emergency room nurses typically work in emergency rooms of hospitals to provide care for patients in need of immediate treatment for severe medical conditions such as injury or trauma. They work with a team of healthcare professionals such as physicians and other nurses to administer medications to patients, monitor health conditions, and plan for long-term care needs... Show more	$24-60

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • PET
   • Patient Care
   • CPR
   • Catheter
   • Compassion
   • EMT
   • Administer Medications
   • Critical Care
   • Vital Signs
   • Blood Pressure
   • ICU
   • EKG
   • Data Entry

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform and manage procedures including splinting, suturing, electrocardiography and abscess incision and drainage.
   • Assist in emergency traumas, prepare chest tube drainage systems and perform CPR.
   • Practice CPR and first aid skills, patient assessment, triage, and emergency responsibility
   • Prepare and conduct informational groups for patients on eating disorders and chemical dependency.
   • Schedule education for patients on capsule endoscopy procedures, maintain video database and capsule treatment log.
   • Chart reviews and updates, transcription of clinical data into electronic charts for documentation and determination of medical necessity.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your emergency veterinary assistant job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An emergency veterinary assistant can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, emergency veterinary assistants' average salary in oklahoma is 50% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level emergency veterinary assistants 42% less than senior-level emergency veterinary assistants.
   • Certifications. An emergency veterinary assistant with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an emergency veterinary assistant's salary.

   Average emergency veterinary assistant salary

   $38,269yearly

   $18.40 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level emergency veterinary assistant salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

4. Writing an emergency veterinary assistant job description

   An emergency veterinary assistant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an emergency veterinary assistant job description:

   Emergency veterinary assistant job description example

   Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital is Hiring... and so is everyone else. So, what is unique about our hospital?
   
   Every aspect of our organization links to one key tenet, which is to provide compassionate and optimal patient care.
   
   With this as the epicenter of our mission, our culture consists of respect, compassion, understanding, and teamwork.
   
   We have a long standing and national reputation of gold standard medicine, supported by both the education and training of our team members, along with top-of-the-line equipment needed to keep stride with the advancements in veterinary medicine.
   
   Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital provides an internal community that supports work-life balance, employee learning and engagement and personal and career development; we also are committed to external community involvement, which encompasses fellow veterinary establishments and shelters, city eco sustainability actions, support of local businesses and law enforcement pet care.
   
   We are not just a corporation, we are an entity, a living, breathing, growing organism that can only thrive when comprised of great team members.
   Apply today to learn how Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital can be your next career home!
   
   Responsibilities and Duties:
   
   · Primarily responsible for triaging incoming patients, maintaining oversight of patients waiting to be seen, determine wait times and communicate expectation with pet owners.
   
   · Track patient status and determine urgency to be seen. Delegates cases to DVM on staff by level of urgency.
   
   · Providing outstanding client care and communication to maintain long term relationships with clients.
   
   · Must have excellent medical vocabulary and some knowledge of emergency/ critical care.
   
   · Must be able to sit, stand, and move around for long periods of time.
   
   · Obtain basic canine and feline vital signs, recognize abnormalities and obtain history.
   
   · Must be able to remain calm in stressful situations.
   
   · Provide client updates throughout their wait times.
   
   Schedule: Four 10 hour shifts between 9a-7p. One weekend day per week, and 2 holidays per year required.
   
   Qualifications and skills:
   
   · Minimum 1 year experience in a veterinary hospital setting required.
   
   · Ability to work in a highly collaborative environment.
   
   · Excellent communications and organizational skills are required and the ability to deliver exceptional client service is expected.
   
   Training provided
   
   Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital recognizes the complex nature of support needed for both clients and staff members in the animal care industry. As a hospital focused on continuous learning, development, and quality of life betterment, we have added a full time Social Worker to our staff. The primary focus of this role is to help our clients with their grieving process and assist our employees with their emotional well-being.
   
   Ethos is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Ethos does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, merit, and business need.
   
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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find emergency veterinary assistants for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your emergency veterinary assistant job on Zippia to find and attract quality emergency veterinary assistant candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting emergency veterinary assistants requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new emergency veterinary assistant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the emergency veterinary assistant position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new emergency veterinary assistant first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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