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Small animal veterinarian skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

1 min read

Quoted experts

Peggy Root Kustritz DVM, PhD, MMedEd,

Kimberly Ange-van Heugten Ph.D.

Small animal veterinarian example skills

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical small animal veterinarian skills. We ranked the top skills for small animal veterinarians based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 34.6% of small animal veterinarian resumes contained pet as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a small animal veterinarian needs to be successful in the workplace.

13 small animal veterinarian skills for your resume and career

1. PET

Here's how small animal veterinarians use pet:

Supported community organizations/humane society organizations in their rabies, immunization, spay and neuter and pet adoption programs.
Offered compassionate animal care and provided emotional support to pet owners in end-of-life scenarios.

2. Excellent Interpersonal

Here's how small animal veterinarians use excellent interpersonal:

Developed excellent interpersonal and client relation skills demonstrated through retention and increase of client base.
Implemented and maintained excellent interpersonal and client relationships.

3. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how small animal veterinarians use patient care:

Facilitated improvements in client service and patient care, while improving medical quality and records standards within the hospital.
Utilized digital radiology, ultrasound, and dental radiology to increase standard of patient care and emphasize preventative medicine.

4. Soft Tissue

Here's how small animal veterinarians use soft tissue:

Provided Emergent care for critically ill pets, general internal medicine, basic ultrasound and soft tissue surgical services.
Performed diagnostic procedures, lab analysis, and soft tissue and orthopedic surgery when indicated.

5. DVM

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) denotes a degree awarded by all veterinary schools, similar to Veterinarian Medicinae Doctoris (VDM) degree awarded to veterinarians by the Universities.

Here's how small animal veterinarians use dvm:

Assist DVM and Veterinary Tech.
Worked as a general DVM.

6. Internal Medicine

Here's how small animal veterinarians use internal medicine:

Perform all medical duties: surgery, dentistry, radiology, internal medicine, laboratory.
Practice specialties include: lameness evaluation, orthopedics, podiatry, internal medicine, preventative medicine.

7. Medical Care

Here's how small animal veterinarians use medical care:

Provided the local community with exceptional medical care and advice.
Involved in animal cruelty case documentation and administration of appropriate medical care for those patients- including the prevention of unnecessary suffering.

8. Critical Care

Here's how small animal veterinarians use critical care:

Provided critical care in high volume emergency setting.
Admitted and discharged patients, evaluated medical status, interpreted laboratory results and provided on-call emergency response and patient critical care.

9. Pigs

Here's how small animal veterinarians use pigs:

Treated canines, felines, and some exotics including rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, hamsters, and reptiles.

10. Veterinary Services

Here's how small animal veterinarians use veterinary services:

Provide veterinary services to area private practices on an 'as-needed' basis.
Provided Relief Veterinary Services to Albuquerque Emergency Animal Hospital and private veterinary practices throughout New Mexico and West Texas

11. Dental Procedures

Dental procedures is a term used to refer to the medical procedures and processes which occur within or otherwise related to a patient's teeth or other connected and nearby elements. Such procedures are medical in nature and thus must be done, specifically, by medical experts and professionals who also must be in possession of the appropriate medical licenses. These procedures can include but are not limited to: dental fillings, crowns, extraction of teeth, and braces.

Here's how small animal veterinarians use dental procedures:

Performed routine spay, neuter, small mass removal, and dental procedures.
Performed routine surgical and dental procedures as well as laboratory procedures commonly on small animals.

12. Client Communication

Client communications are key to any successful business. Establishing a proper channel for communication that allows clients of a business to leave feedback, share demands and better referrals.

Here's how small animal veterinarians use client communication:

Provided care for an extremely varied and high volume caseload while developing excellent client communication and interpersonal skills.
Maintained accurate and thorough medical records for every patient, including summaries of client communications.

13. Surgical Cases

Here's how small animal veterinarians use surgical cases:

Received morning and afternoon small animal appointments and developed SOAP oriented basic and advanced medicine and surgical cases.
Strengthened personal confidence and capability in surgical and clinical competencies through intense medical and surgical cases.

What skills help Small Animal Veterinarians find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on small animal veterinarian resumes?

Peggy Root Kustritz DVM, PhD, MMedEd

Professor, Small Animal Theriogenology Associate Dean of Education, University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine

Communications! This is always the skill set that alumni report was of greatest value to them as a new veterinarian, and the need for clear communication is heightened by the provision of service through indirect forms of communication, such as talking to clients on the phone or via text or email, instead of face-to-face and providing telemedicine. Other skills that everyone badly needs right now are teamwork (especially the ability to communicate clearly within teams) and adaptability. I know that veterinary graduates like to stress the coursework they've done, but every graduate of an AVMA-COE accredited school is a great student and has to have demonstrated knowledge and specific clinical competencies to finish their training. It is the 'softer' skills that set candidates apart.

What soft skills should all small animal veterinarians possess?

Kimberly Ange-van Heugten Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Teaching, Animal Science, Faculty Senate Representative, North Carolina State University

My top 5 soft skills would be teamwork, stress management, problem-solving skills, communication, and time management.

What hard/technical skills are most important for small animal veterinarians?

Kimberly Ange-van Heugten Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Teaching, Animal Science, Faculty Senate Representative, North Carolina State University

My top 5 hard skills would be: Degree earned - for future vets, the DVM is obvious, but MS degrees in subject matter such as nutrition can be very important as well, computer skills, technology skills (specific to the veterinary field), management and writing skills.

What small animal veterinarian skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Shea Porr Ph.D.

Department Head, Animal/Equine Science, Associate Professor, Equine Science, Murray State University

Any of what are being commonly called "soft skills" would be very useful. This includes things like communication, both writing and speaking; problem solving, both in a team and as an individual; and the ability to prioritize and accomplish tasks in a timely manner. One of the best ways to do some of these is to get involved in an internship. Many of those pay, and they're often designed to help students get a better feel for that company's particular part of the industry. If they're working a job for that gap year, step into leadership positions, even if it's something like being a shift lead. Get involved with a community organization-don't just be a member, but participate and really get involved. Many of the skills that aren't directly related to working with or managing animals are highly valuable to any employer and you can work on those skills in nearly any setting.

What type of skills will young small animal veterinarians need?

Dr. Keith Belk

Professor & Head, Colorado State University

I would list the following skills: work ethic, strong scientific, technical training, communication (verbal and written), and interpersonal skills.

Do you want to know more?

List of small animal veterinarian skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a small animal veterinarian resume and required skills for a small animal veterinarian to have include:

PET
Excellent Interpersonal
Patient Care
Soft Tissue
DVM

Internal Medicine
Medical Care
Critical Care
Pigs
Veterinary Services

Dental Procedures
Client Communication
Surgical Cases

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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