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Vet assistant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical vet assistant skills. We ranked the top skills for vet assistants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 33.8% of vet assistant resumes contained pet as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a vet assistant needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 vet assistant skills for your resume and career

1. PET

Here's how vet assistants use pet:

Assist veterinarians with medical procedures on household pets * Liaison between pet owners and veterinarians * Perform and evaluate laboratory tests
Provided care of hospitalized animals taking vital signs, administer medications and explaining discharge medications to pet owners.

2. Patients

Here's how vet assistants use patients:

Restrained animals, interpreted animal behavior, identified physical abnormalities, and examined patients to determine wellness conditions.
Administered oral or topical medications to boarding patients as specified by veterinarian in animal's medical record.

3. Exam Rooms

An exam room in a hospital is a place where patients are examined by medical representatives. In several cases, the exam room distinguishes the doctor-patient relationship and is a critical component of the overall care process.

Here's how vet assistants use exam rooms:

Assist Veterinarian with animals in exam room by collecting patient data and restraining animal for examination.
Assist veterinarian and vet techs, provide safe/clean environment, set up procedures/exam rooms/surgery

4. 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 vet assistants use patient care:

Created and maintained various files and detailed records on all animals, including documenting patient care during hospitalization.
Performed skills necessary for basic patient care including, fecal analysis, conventional radiology and surgery assistance.

5. Compassion

Here's how vet assistants use compassion:

Handled client concerns with compassion and confidentiality.
Experienced in answering phone calls, making appointments, computer work, data entry, accounting and client compassion.

6. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how vet assistants use customer service:

Manage high-level administrative operations for a fast-paced veterinary hospital, including all reception, customer service, billing and scheduling needs.
Provided excellent customer service for clients by identifying/anticipating customer needs and effectively helping them understand the various veterinary services available.

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7. Anesthesia

Anesthesia is a treatment done to prevent or relieve the feeling of pain during a procedure like a tooth extraction, minor and major surgery, giving birth, and others. Typically, an anesthesiologist, doctors, nurses, and other health professionals use it. Depending on the so that their patients will be in a state of control or lose their sensation.

Here's how vet assistants use anesthesia:

Supported surgeries by preparing the patient, monitoring anesthesia during surgery, maintaining surgical equipment and ensuring the patient resuscitated safely.
Administered vaccines, prepared anesthesia, collected blood samples, monitored vital signs, observed animal behavior, and performed post-procedural care

8. Routine Laboratory Tests

Here's how vet assistants use routine laboratory tests:

Performed routine laboratory tests and diagnostic tests, such as taking x-rays and operating diagnostic instruments
Performed routine laboratory tests and responsible for ordering laboratory testing materials.

9. Scheduling Appointments

Scheduling appointments is the practice of finding a free slot with the person(s) you want to meet. The process of scheduling appointments involves finding mutually free time, negotiating follow-ups, sending reminders, and creating new appointments. Scheduling appointments is important to ensure that the timings of consecutive meetings do not clash with each other.

Here's how vet assistants use scheduling appointments:

Assisted Doctors in animal handling and treatment administration, scheduling appointments, pharmacy responsibilities, client education and clinic maintenance.
Received incoming phone calls for scheduling appointments and surgical treatments in a veterinary hospital.

10. Catheter

Here's how vet assistants use catheter:

Prepared and administered vaccinations, oral and topical medications, and prepared patient for hospital stays with intravenous or urinary catheters.
Assisted in anesthetic procedures by preparing patients for surgery, placing catheters, and monitoring patients under anesthesia/in recovery.

11. Math

Here's how vet assistants use math:

Utilized math skills while taking measurements, weights, and dosages.

12. Animal Restraint

Here's how vet assistants use animal restraint:

Certified veterinary assistant; provide support to technicians and doctors in proper animal restraint and procedures.
Coordinate with local veterinary hospital to allow in-clinic training exercises specific to small animal restraint techniques.

13. IV

Here's how vet assistants use iv:

Placed IV catheters and urinary, monitored patient during and after procedure, monitored and delivered anesthesia.
Care of hospitalized animals, administering medications, IV fluid maintenance during surgery and/or hospitalization.

14. Animal Handling

Here's how vet assistants use animal handling:

Assisted a large animal veterinarian with large animal handling and restraint during both ambulatory and in-house appointments/emergencies.
Assisted with physical examinations, immunizations, anesthesia, and proper animal handling.

15. Surgical Procedures

Surgical procedures include the list of tasks that are done while doing surgery. Usually, a surgical procedure involves an incision with instruments, performed to repair damage or heal the disease in a living body. Surgical procedures are performed by trained individuals such as surgeons, doctors, and nurses.

Here's how vet assistants use surgical procedures:

Decreased patient risk by accurately monitoring vital signs during surgical procedures and kept the veterinarian aware of changes in stability.
Prepared patients, medications, and equipment for surgery, and assisted a veterinarian during physical examinations and surgical procedures.

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What skills help VET Assistants find jobs?

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List of vet assistant skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a vet assistant resume and required skills for a vet assistant to have include:

PET
Patients
Exam Rooms
Patient Care
Compassion
Customer Service
Anesthesia
Routine Laboratory Tests
Scheduling Appointments
Catheter
Math
Animal Restraint
IV
Animal Handling
Surgical Procedures
Vital Signs
Catheter Placement

Client Education
Drawing Blood
Patient History
Front Desk
Medical Care
Surgical Instruments
Medical Procedures
Test Results
Filling Prescriptions
Administer Medications
Physical Exams
Diagnostic Tests
Surgical Equipment
IM
Cornerstone
Animal Health Care
Dental Procedures

Blood Samples
DVM
Client Communication
Medical History
Preventative Care
Computer System
Patient Charts
General Care
Medical Treatment
SQ
Fecal Samples
Laboratory Specimens
Surgery Prep
Veterinary Procedures
Medical Equipment

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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