A veterinary assistant is an invaluable veterinary care team member. By providing routine pet care, helping technicians and veterinarians, and completing supportive tasks, veterinary assistants make a positive impact on workplace efficiency, and improve the lives of pet patients and their owners. This entry-level position allows motivated pet-loving professionals to quickly enter the veterinary field and perform necessary and rewarding work. 

What’s the difference between a veterinary assistant and a veterinary technician?

Their titles sound interchangeable, and veterinary technicians and assistants do share many duties, but they receive different training and carry out different levels of patient care:

• Veterinary technician:

• Education — Two year associate or four year bachelor's degree program in veterinary technology
• Licensure — Must pass a national board exam, and a state exam, depending on their location
• Designations —  RVT, LVT, or CVT (i.e., registered, licensed, or certified veterinary technician)
• Job duties — Skilled nursing care, including anesthesia induction and monitoring, calculating drug dosages, surgical assistance, bandage and splint application, microscopic review of various samples, sample collection, and medical charting

• Veterinary assistant:

• Education — High school diploma or equivalent, including in-person and online certification programs
• Licensure — Not a licensed position
• Designation — AVA (i.e., approved veterinary assistant) for those who complete a certification program
• Job duties — Basic husbandry and pet care for non-critical animals and boarding pets, and assisting veterinary technicians and veterinarians as needed 

What does a typical day look like for a veterinary assistant?

Veterinary assistants are versatile team members, always in demand. No two days are alike for these paraprofessionals, who may be called on to help with numerous tasks in all practice areas. Although their assigned tasks will vary by workplace, some of their many roles may include:

Providing routine pet care

Veterinary assistants provide hands-on care for non-critical pets, including feeding, providing water, clean bedding, and exercise, cleaning litter boxes, bathing, basic grooming, and ensuring that pets and their cages are clean and dry at all times. Maintaining patient comfort and cleanliness is essential for the pet’s health and wellbeing. A clean, safe environment not only feels good, but also promotes healing, and helps prevent complications.

Assisting veterinary technicians

Technicians love assistants! When a technician needs extra hands, the veterinary assistant can restrain patients for sample collection (e.g., blood, urine, or stool) or minor procedures, help position pets for X-rays, assist with catheter placement, run lab tests, give prescribed medications, and provide client education.

Assisting the veterinarian

The veterinarian may require a veterinary assistant to collect a history and basic vitals on an outpatient appointment, restrain the pet for examination, perform ancillary services, such as ear cleaning, nail trimming, and anal sac expression, and demonstrate these tasks to the owner. 

Caring for patients

Under direct supervision, and on the veterinarian’s orders, assistants may provide mid-level patient care, including vaccination, drawing blood, administering medication, preparing patients for surgery, running lab work, taking X-rays, implanting microchips, and basic surgical assistance. Assistants may be involved in anesthetic monitoring and patient recovery, but are prohibited by law from inducing anesthesia. 

Client services assistance

When the front desk gets busy, the team calls on a veterinary assistant for help. Veterinary assistants are typically cross-trained (i.e., they learn the skills to work in a client-care role as well as their other duties), so they can provide support when the hospital is short-staffed or overwhelmed. Assistants may answer the phone, schedule appointments, check clients in or out, review discharge information, and process payments for services. 

Hospital care

Although maintaining the hospital is everyone’s job, veterinary assistants may be responsible for keeping examination rooms clean and sanitized between appointments. Patient areas, including cages, runs, and grooming, as well as supplies, such as bowls, cots, bedding, and toys, are cleaned daily to minimize the risk of infectious pathogens.

What is the work environment like for a veterinary assistant?

According to the United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 86 percent of veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers were employed at veterinary practices, while 4 percent worked in academic positions, and 3 percent were employed at research facilities.

The veterinary environment is typically fast-paced and interesting, but can be unpredictable and emotionally draining. Veterinary assistants must be able to handle a number of unique challenges, including:

Physical demands

Veterinary medicine is a team sport, and a full-contact one, at that. Veterinary assistants must routinely lift and carry pets, provide physical restraint, stand for long periods of time, and bend or kneel to get on their patient’s level. Assistants may work long hours. Pets may be aggressive or unpredictable—making scratches and bites a common job hazard.

Emotional demands

Veterinary assistants must face emotional situations with professionalism and compassion. They may encounter abused or neglected pets, or those suffering from disease or violent physical trauma (e.g., hit by a car). Veterinary assistants may witness dying or deceased pets, and be asked to restrain a pet for humane euthanasia. 

Why does someone choose to be a veterinary assistant?

The veterinary assistant role is an ideal entry-level position for many, including those who:

• Want to work and learn right away without an educational commitment
• Need first-hand experience before applying to veterinary school or a technician program
• Enjoy caring for animals and learning about medicine, but don’t want the added pressure and responsibilities of a technician 

How do I become a veterinary assistant?

Educational requirements for veterinary assisting are minimal. This is considered an entry-level position, so a high school diploma or equivalent is sufficient for most employers. Veterinary assistants may receive on-the-job training by shadowing an experienced employee, or take a formal certification course.

Veterinary assistant certification

While certification is not always required for a veterinary assistant, many employers and technicians appreciate the advanced training and knowledge acquired only through professional training. The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) developed the Approved Veterinary Assistant (AVA) coursework and designation to standardize assistant training and acknowledge their contribution to the veterinary industry. 

Assistants seeking AVA designation must complete an online or in-person NAVTA-approved veterinary assistant program, which takes from nine months to two years. Classes commonly include:

• Anatomy and physiology
• Small animal nursing
• Veterinary office procedures
• Veterinary lab and diagnostic skills
  

Students commonly complete an internship at a veterinary hospital before graduation, and then take a proctored online examination.  

What about a veterinary assistant’s salary, schedule, and job stability?

The veterinary industry has experienced immense growth as the American pet has been promoted to family member status, and consumer pet spending continues to rise. 

• Income — Veterinary assistant median income (i.e., half of those surveyed received more, and half received less) was $29,930 in 2020. 
• Schedule — Veterinary assistants may work full- or part-time, and may work some weekends. Those employed at emergency hospitals may work day or night shifts.
• Job outlook — Employment is projected to grow by another 14 percent over the next 10 years—faster than all other veterinary occupations.

Where can veterinary assistants work?

In addition to veterinary clinics and hospitals, veterinary assistants are sought after for various positions in related industries, including:

• Laboratory research
• Animal shelters, wildlife rehabilitation centers, and zoos
• Veterinary technology or assistant schools
• Veterinary sales
• Pet training, boarding, and grooming 
  

The veterinary assistant provides invaluable help to the veterinarian and the veterinary technician. The role’s versatility and dedication to pet care allows the veterinarian and technician to focus on their specific duties, leading to improved patient care, satisfied clients, and more successful outcomes. 

If you need help finding a veterinarian in your area, VetVet can help. Our simple search can provide you with a list of qualified veterinarians near you, check their availability, and book an appointment online. 

Sources:

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/veterinary-assistants-and-laboratory-animal-caretakers.htm#tab-3. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2021.

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/veterinary-assistants-and-laboratory-animal-caretakers.htm#tab-3. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2021.

https://www.navta.net/. The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. 2021.

https://www.navta.net/page/vet_assistants. The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. 2019.

https://www.navta.net/page/vet_asst_program. The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. 2019.

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/veterinary-assistants-and-laboratory-animal-caretakers.htm#tab-6. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2021.