Veterinary Assistants
On the Job
Veterinary Assistants feed, water, and examine pets and other non-farm animals. They clean and disinfect cages in laboratories or clinics. They may assist in surgery, or they may give medications.
Physical Demands
This career requires time standing, walking, or running.
Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:
- Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
- Monitor patients to detect health problems.
- Prepare medical reports or documents.
- Record vital statistics or other health information.
- Administer basic health care or medical treatments.
- Assist patients with daily activities.
- Assist practitioners to perform medical procedures.
- Feed patients.
- Give medications or immunizations.
- Hold patients to ensure proper positioning or safety.
Typical Working Conditions
- Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
- Frequent contact with others.
- Dealing with external customers.
- Exposure to disease or infections.
- Exposure to contaminants (like gases or odors).
- Frequent decision-making.
- The importance of being accurate or exact.
- Standing.
- Wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats, or life jackets.
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.