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Veterinarian skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted experts
Peggy Root Kustritz DVM, PhD, MMedEd,
Kimberly Ange-van Heugten Ph.D.
Veterinarian example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical veterinarian skills. We ranked the top skills for veterinarians based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 38.0% of veterinarian resumes contained pet as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a veterinarian needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 veterinarian skills for your resume and career

1. PET

Here's how veterinarians use pet:
  • Supported community organizations/humane society organizations in their rabies, immunization, spay and neuter and pet adoption programs.
  • Selected to appear on the local television network's Pet Guy TV as a Dog and Cat Preventative Medicine Guest Speaker.

2. 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 veterinarians use customer service:
  • Created presentations for internal sales, product management, and technical customer service staff outlining product regulations and technical information.
  • Maintain a clean veterinary hospital while assisting with customer service.

3. Diagnostic Tests

Here's how veterinarians use diagnostic tests:
  • Provided regulatory work such as herd and individual health certificates and diagnostic testing and vaccinations on various livestock species.
  • Identified and ordered diagnostic tests to support clinical decision making.

4. Preventative Care

As the name suggests, preventative care is health care that may prevent any disease, injury, or illness. It focuses on prevention rather than treating a condition after it has become severe. The objective behind preventive care is to help individuals maintain health. Some examples can include doctor visits like annual physicals, dental cleanings, immunizations, contraception, allergy medications etc. It is, in fact, a major contributor to lowering health care costs by preventing or treating issues before they become acute.

Here's how veterinarians use preventative care:
  • Practiced high quality medicine, anesthesia, dentistry, and surgery in a practice focused on client communication/experience and preventative care.
  • Performed surgical procedures, educated clients on disease and preventative care and promoted preventative medicine.

5. Blood Draws

Here's how veterinarians use blood draws:
  • Performed physical exams, vaccinations, microchip placements, and blood draws on animals.
  • Performed physical exams, vaccinations, and blood draws on animals in clinics.

6. 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 veterinarians use client communication:
  • Maintain accurate medical records, practice efficient client communication and advocate for ethical treatment of animals.
  • Maintained accurate and thorough medical records for every patient, including summaries of client communications.

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7. Critical Care

Here's how veterinarians use critical care:
  • Admitted and discharged patients, evaluated medical status, interpreted laboratory results and provided on-call emergency response and patient critical care.
  • Provided emergency and critical care services as needed and hospitalized patients or referred them to specialty clinics when appropriate.

8. 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 veterinarians use dvm:
  • Assist DVM and Veterinary Tech.
  • Worked as a general DVM.

9. Patients

Here's how veterinarians use patients:
  • Provided emergency medical and surgical care for companion animals, both incoming and hospitalized patients.
  • Referred certain patients for more specific diagnostics and treatments to the appropriate veterinary professional.

10. 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 veterinarians use patient care:
  • Utilized digital radiology, ultrasound, and dental radiology to increase standard of patient care and emphasize preventative medicine.
  • Managed direct quality patient care including physical examinations, evaluations, diagnoses and treatment.

11. Emergency Medicine

Here's how veterinarians use emergency medicine:
  • Practice of emergency medicine and surgery.
  • Mixed general practice and emergency medicine.

12. Internal Medicine

Here's how veterinarians use internal medicine:
  • Practice specialties include: lameness evaluation, orthopedics, podiatry, internal medicine, preventative medicine.
  • Focused on strengthening skills in internal medicine, client education, and soft tissue surgery.

13. Veterinary Medicine

Veterinary medicine refers to a field of medicine focused on animals. This includes treating diseases and disorders, however veterinarians also assist in animal breeding, rearing, and nutrition. Many veterinarians also learn various animal anatomies, though some may have specialties such as wild animals. This branch of medicine also helps prevent disease transmission from animals into humans.

Here's how veterinarians use veterinary medicine:
  • Transmit Iraqi GoI Minister of Agriculture directives pertaining to veterinary medicine / agriculture to provincial officials, military and PRT personnel.
  • Provided traditional Chinese veterinary medicine services on a relief basis

14. Private Practice

Private practice refers to a business operated by professionals such as doctors or lawyers neither controlled nor paid by the government.

Here's how veterinarians use private practice:
  • Incorporated contractor providing high quality medicine, surgical and emergency services to select private practices.
  • Provide relief services for Atlanta area private practices and animal emergency facilities

15. USDA

Here's how veterinarians use usda:
  • Developed and implemented policies and procedures which ensured accreditation with AAALAC, USDA, FDA, National tissue Banks and DEA.
  • Interact with DOD, OGA, USAID, USDA, OPA, and Embassy personnel in theater.
top-skills

What skills help Veterinarians find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on veterinarian resumes?

Peggy Root Kustritz DVM, PhD, MMedEdPeggy Root Kustritz DVM, PhD, MMedEd LinkedIn profile

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

Erin Burton DVM, MS, DACVP (Clinical Pathology)Erin Burton DVM, MS, DACVP (Clinical Pathology) LinkedIn profile

Senior Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

I am not sure I am positioned to answer this question. This would be better answered by an employer and is very sector dependent.

What type of skills will young veterinarians need?

Dr. Keith BelkDr. Keith Belk LinkedIn profile

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?
Read more about what experts have to say about veterinarian

List of veterinarian skills to add to your resume

Veterinarian skills

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

  • PET
  • Customer Service
  • Diagnostic Tests
  • Preventative Care
  • Blood Draws
  • Client Communication
  • Critical Care
  • DVM
  • Patients
  • Patient Care
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Internal Medicine
  • Veterinary Medicine
  • Private Practice
  • USDA
  • Diagnosis
  • Exam Rooms
  • Spay
  • Emergency Care
  • Rehabilitation
  • Veterinary Care
  • Surgical Procedures
  • Medical Care
  • Excellent Interpersonal
  • Excellent Client
  • Dental Procedures
  • Veterinary Clinic
  • Animal Health
  • VMD
  • Veterinary Services
  • IACUC
  • Clinical Care
  • Medical Treatment
  • Chemotherapy
  • Institutional Animal Care
  • Surgical Care
  • General Care
  • Medical Procedures
  • Animal Handling
  • Surgical Services
  • Neuter Surgeries
  • Preventative Medicine
  • Shelter Animals
  • Physical Exams
  • Laboratory Tests
  • Medical Cases
  • Surgical Equipment

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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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