JourneyCareersVeterinary Assistant
Global Career Guide (EN)From Veterinary Sciences β†’

Veterinary Assistant

AI

Veterinary assistants help look after animals at vet clinics. You will support the vets, keep the clinic clean and organised, and often be the first person a worried pet owner or a scared animal sees.

The role

What a veterinary assistant actually does, day to day.

As a veterinary assistant, you help vets care for sick and injured animals. You will hold animals during check-ups, prepare surgical tools to make sure they are clean, give injections, and take animals to the surgery when they need operations. It is hands-on work with animals every day, and you need to be calm and quick.

Most of your time you will be assisting the vet during appointments or surgical procedures. You will also keep records of what happened to each animal, give medications and vaccines, clean the clinic, and talk to pet owners about how to look after their animals at home. The job can be emotional - you will see animals in pain and sometimes deal with their death - but helping an animal get better is very rewarding.

A typical week

Day to day

1Assist veterinarians during examinations and medical procedures.
2Prepare and maintain medical equipment and surgical instruments.
3Administer medications and vaccines under veterinary supervision.
4Monitor the health and behavior of animals in the clinic.
5Maintain cleanliness and organization of the clinic and animal housing areas.
6Communicate with pet owners about care instructions and treatment plans.
7Record and update patient information in veterinary software systems.