Monday, May 24, 2010

What are the responsibilities of a Veterinary Assistant? Salary?

And do they have to clean up the poop?
Answers:
I am a veterinary technician. Pretty much everyone, in our office, has to clean up poop. Even the vet does, from time to time. We also have to clean up vomit, blood, and urine. An assistant's duties will vary from clinic to clinic. Generally, assistants will answer phones, file charts, clean, and help restrain animals. Some clinics allow assistants to draw blood, run lab tests, etc. but, those are usually considered technician's duties.
Yes, they clean poop. The job can vary from clinic to clinic.
Yes they clean up the poop. I take it by assistant you mean an animal assistant and not actually a qualified vet or nurse. I am a qualified nurse in the UK and we can do loads of things including small lump removals and stitch ups. We run nurse clinics, do bandaging, give advice, etc. The nursing wage is not great though so an animal assistant would be even less.
vet assistant duties: animal restraint while vet treats animals, assisting in surgery, preparing animals for surgery (shaving, sterilizing, etc.) cleaning and sterilizing surgical instruments, animal dentistries, giving injections, vaccinations, running lab tests (FELV testing, etc), running stool samples and looking for worms under a microscope, making up prescriptions, interacting with clients, giving them directions on care of pets, and OF COURSE, no pet hospital job is complete without kennel duties.cleaning up after pets, this includes poop and other unmentionables, cleaning cages, feeding pets, medicating pets, etc. Pay varies depending on where you work..but it is usually not much.

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