Have you ever thought about turning your passion for animals into what you do for a living? If the answer is “yes,” then you might want to consider the fur-filled field veterinary assisting. Picture this: you, surrounded by wagging tails, curious whiskers, and unconditional love, all while you make a meaningful impact on the lives of the pets we love. If a future full of four-legged friends sounds right up your alley, this could be the perfect path for you! But let’s make sure by doing a deep dive into a day in the life of a veterinary assistant.
What does a Veterinary Assistant do on a Regular Basis?
As a veterinary assistant, your days will be filled with a myriad of tasks, all aimed at ensuring the well-being of animals. From gently soothing nervous pets to assisting veterinarians during examinations, you’ll play a vital role in creating a positive and comforting environment for both animals and their owners. You might find yourself performing the following duties on a daily basis:
Patient care: Providing compassionate care to animals, monitoring their health, and ensuring they are comfortable.
Assisting with procedures: Helping veterinarians and technicians during surgeries and other medical procedures, ensuring all necessary tools are prepared and ready.
Administering medications: Administering medications and treatments as prescribed by the veterinarian.
Client communication: Communicating with and educating pet owners, answering their questions, and providing essential information about vaccine protocols, treatment, and preventive care.
Lab work: Preparing laboratory tests and collecting samples for analysis.
Administrative tasks: Clerical tasks including filing patient records, scheduling appts, sharing information with other veterinary offices.
Maintaining clinic areas and kennels: Keeping the clinic or hospital and animal areas clean and sanitized to prevent the spread of infections.
One of the best things about being a veterinary assistant is that you won’t always know what each day will bring. You’ll be interacting with patients of all kinds and people of all kinds, which means – life as a veterinary assistant is not likely to be dull.
Career Outlook for Veterinary Assistants
With more and more families welcoming pets into their homes, the need for skilled veterinary professionals to care for our growing population of fur-babies is on the rise. Indeed, another perk to pursuing a career as a veterinary technician! Because the demand for veterinary assistants is growing at a much faster rate than all other occupations, making it a career choice with solid future job prospects. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 20% increase in jobs for veterinary assistants by 2032!
And being a veterinary assistant doesn’t mean you have only one option for where to put your training to work. Clinics, animal hospitals, research facilities, farms, rescue groups and animal shelters are always on the lookout for compassionate veterinary assistants just like you to join their teams.
Choosing a future in veterinary assisting isn’t just about choosing a job. It’s about listening to your calling to make a living by making a difference in the lives of animals and their families. So, if you’ve always had a soft spot for animals, check out the veterinary assisting program at Caris College. With an accelerated 10-month program, you can jumpstart your career as a veterinary assistant in months – not years at Caris College. Choose from flexible day or evening classes and get hands-on experience through a 150-hour externship in a real medical facility. Contact us to learn more.