What does a VET Assistant do?
VET Assistants are in-charge of taking care of the well-being of animals in Veterinary clinics and hospitals. Most of the tasks involved are feeding, bathing, weighing, and providing overall nursing care of animals on a routine and sometimes daily basis. VET is short for Veterinary, and as the job title implies, one must also provide assistance to Veterinarians, Veterinary Technologists, or Animal Scientists during Procedures and even Surgeries. A VET Assistant is expected to be equipped with good communication skills and compassion towards animals, but above all, one must also have emotional strength as there are cases which might involve abuse and even euthanasia.
Vet assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real vet assistant resumes:
- Manage tech appointments, suture removal, bandage removal and placement, CPR and emergency care when need.
- Provide care of hospitalize animals taking vital signs, administer medications and explaining discharge medications to pet owners.
- Monitor multiple patients in ICU.
- Assist in triage, gathering medical history and client education.
- Qualify to administer medications, perform blood draws, proper radiology techniques and all other aspects of a veterinary technician.
- Provide exceptional veterinary care to companion animal patients, while professionally serving clients and pet owners.
- Administer vaccines, prepare anesthesia, collect blood samples, monitor vital signs, observe animal behavior, and perform post-procedural care
- Welcome transition to EMR and A4 systems.
- Perform and assist in all procedures of radiology.
- Operate equipment such as EKG and bag-valve mask resuscitators.
- Conduct pulmonary function tests, ECG, blood draws.
- Utilize math skills while taking measurements, weights, and dosages.
- Coordinate two Dr's on call schedules with the local hospitals.
- Gather pre-op information and provide pre and post-op education and follow up.
- Job details include: triage of emergency cases, either walk-in or refer.
Vet assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 34% of VET Assistants are proficient in PET, Patients, and Exam Rooms. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Manual dexterity.
We break down the percentage of VET Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- PET, 34%
Assist veterinarians with medical procedures on household pets * Liaison between pet owners and veterinarians * Perform and evaluate laboratory tests
- Patients, 24%
Restrained animals, interpreted animal behavior, identified physical abnormalities, and examined patients to determine wellness conditions.
- Exam Rooms, 12%
Assist Veterinarian with animals in exam room by collecting patient data and restraining animal for examination.
- Patient Care, 6%
Created and maintained various files and detailed records on all animals, including documenting patient care during hospitalization.
- Compassion, 4%
Handled client concerns with compassion and confidentiality.
- Customer Service, 3%
Manage high-level administrative operations for a fast-paced veterinary hospital, including all reception, customer service, billing and scheduling needs.
Most vet assistants use their skills in "pet," "patients," and "exam rooms" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential vet assistant responsibilities here:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a vet assistant to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers communicate with pet owners, veterinarians, veterinary technologists and technicians, and other assistants." Vet assistants often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "facilitate communication between regional leadership and the hospital team including dvms. "
Compassion. Many vet assistant duties rely on compassion. "veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers must treat animals with kindness and show compassion to both the animals and their owners.," so a vet assistant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways vet assistant responsibilities rely on compassion: "assist in compassionate euthanasia while walking the client through the process and educating on after-death care of their pet. "
Manual dexterity. vet assistants are also known for manual dexterity, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to vet assistant responsibilities, because "veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers must be adept in both handling animals and using medical instruments and laboratory equipment." A vet assistant resume example shows how manual dexterity is used in the workplace: "collect blood samples for automated tests, and interpret differential/manual blood counts. "
Physical strength. For certain vet assistant responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "physical strength." The day-to-day duties of a vet assistant rely on this skill, as "veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers must be strong enough to handle, move, and restrain animals." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what vet assistants do: "assist in animal restraint during physical examination and radiography. "
Detail oriented. Another common skill required for vet assistant responsibilities is "detail oriented." This skill comes up in the duties of vet assistants all the time, as "veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers must follow instructions exactly as directed." An excerpt from a real vet assistant resume shows how this skill is central to what a vet assistant does: "answer telephones to take detailed messages for the dvm and schedule appointments for exams and procedures. "
The three companies that hire the most vet assistants are:
- Banfield Pet Hospital987 vet assistants jobs
- Petco Holdings, Inc.322 vet assistants jobs
- VCA Animal Hospitals272 vet assistants jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable vet assistant resume templates
Build a professional vet assistant resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your vet assistant resume.
Compare different vet assistants
Vet assistant vs. Veterinarian technician
A laboratory animal caretaker is in charge of monitoring and taking care of animals in a research facility or similar setting, ensuring to handle them properly and humanely. Their responsibilities include feeding the animals, examining them for any diseases or injuries, gathering and preparing samples, and maintaining the cleanliness of work areas. Furthermore, as a laboratory animal caretaker, it is essential to provide research and clerical assistance to staff, all while upholding the laboratory's safety policies and regulations.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between vet assistants and veterinarian technician. For instance, vet assistant responsibilities require skills such as "customer service," "routine laboratory tests," "basic math," and "math." Whereas a veterinarian technician is skilled in "lab tests," "radiology," "clinical symptoms," and "blood counts." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Veterinarian technicians earn the highest salaries when working in the health care industry, with an average yearly salary of $39,726. On the other hand, vet assistants are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $33,495.veterinarian technicians tend to reach similar levels of education than vet assistants. In fact, veterinarian technicians are 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Vet assistant vs. Laboratory animal caretaker
Kennel technicians are employees who work in animal boarding houses, veterinary clinics, and shelters. Primarily, they take care of and maintain animals living in a kennel. They are responsible for the upkeep of animals under their supervision and ensure they are healthy, happy, and clean. Often, they work with cats and dogs, although they may also care for other domestic animals. They should have skills in handling animals, sanitation, cleaning, friendly office help, and primary animal care.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, vet assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "pet," "patients," "exam rooms," and "patient care." Meanwhile, a laboratory animal caretaker has duties that require skills in areas such as "ventilation," "safety procedures," "pigs," and "dependability." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, laboratory animal caretakers earn a lower salary than vet assistants. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, laboratory animal caretakers earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $28,695. Whereas vet assistants have higher pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $33,495.In general, laboratory animal caretakers achieve similar levels of education than vet assistants. They're 0.5% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Vet assistant vs. Kennel technician
A Veterinary Technician, also known as Vet Tech, specializes in performing laboratory tasks and providing immediate and necessary care to animals in a Hospital Clinic or Research Facility under the supervision of a Veterinarian. Moreover, a Veterinary Technician is in charge of administering medicines or treatments, gathering samples such as blood and urine for analysis, monitoring a patient's condition and learning its history, and conducting hygienic procedures such as dental and welfare. There also instances where a Veterinary Technician must communicate with pet owners, sharing extensive knowledge on how to take better care of them.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a vet assistant is likely to be skilled in "patients," "patient care," "compassion," and "customer service," while a typical kennel technician is skilled in "facility laundry," "animal hospital," "healthy environment," and "clean environment."
Kennel technicians earn the highest salary when working in the government industry, where they receive an average salary of $29,269. Comparatively, vet assistants have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $33,495.When it comes to education, kennel technicians tend to earn similar degree levels compared to vet assistants. In fact, they're 1.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Vet assistant vs. Veterinary technician
Types of vet assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
