Veterinary Assistant Job Description
Our veterinary assistants value the quality of care we provide at Del Valle Pet Hospital. They uphold our mission statement: To practice the highest quality medicine, provide and maintain a professional clinical setting to benefit our clients and patients and to create a stimulating, organized and pleasant work environment.
- The assistant aids the veterinarian & RVT in achieving greater efficiency in patient care.
- They should enjoy working with people and animals.
- Assistants must be detail oriented and make good decisions, respond quickly and calmly in a crisis and maintain high standards of patient care.
- An assistant’s focus changes according to priorities. This often requires significant multi-tasking and creative thinking.
- They should have strong interpersonal skills, set a good example, and promote a positive work environment.
- Assistants need to communicate clearly with the veterinarians and other team members, as well as with clients, to ensure patients receive the care they need.
- Veterinary assistants must show emotional strength, stability and maturity.
- Veterinary assistants assist veterinarians when they euthanize animals.
- They need to write legibly in English and communicate clearly both in person and over the telephone. Basic computer literacy, including typing, and experience with general office equipment and software such as Microsoft Windows, Word, and Excel are required.
- They must learn our practice management software (Avimark) and perform clerical duties as needed.
- Veterinary assistants do many daily tasks working under the supervision of a veterinarian or veterinary technician, such as restrain patients during examinations and treatment, feeding, weighing, taking the temperature of animals, giving medication, cleaning cages and sterilizing examination and operating rooms, or providing nursing care before and after surgery or other medical procedures.
- Assistants also perform lab work, which includes drawing blood and collecting urine samples, and administering medicine and vaccinations.
- You will be at risk of being bitten or scratched by the animals in your care. Some of your patients may be aggressive or frightened.
- Perform physical duties include repetitive standing, walking, bending, twisting, kneeling, stooping, and lifting up to 50lbs. Must be able to grasp, hold and manipulate objects. Other physical duties include working on a computer/ phone for extended periods of time. You will have to restrain animals while veterinarians and technicians examine them or provide treatment.
- Assistants must be able to respond calmly and quickly to frequent auditory signals, warnings, or communication from other staff, animals or medical equipment. Assistants should be able to work unaffected in an environment where dogs are barking loudly or constantly.
- Must be able to make independent, common sense decisions and solve complex problems. In addition to animal care, you will play a vital role for the pet owners, as you are often the first point of contact for clients, and as such, set the tone for the overall veterinary hospital experience.
- Veterinary assistants must be comfortable with people and possess good communication skills. They facilitate and expand on client education about various diseases, medications and their proper administration, and general pet care. The assistants also answer any questions and concerns of the client.
- Good communication and interpersonal skills are important as you interact with clients and must work as cohesive team members with the other staff of the hospital-always with the same goal in mind: a happy, healthy pet and pet family.
To apply, please email your resume to info@delvallepethospital.com with the email subject as follows – Job Application: Veterinary Assistant. We look forward to meeting you!