Veterinary teams require the assistance of numerous individuals to ensure that it runs efficiently. That goes beyond the veterinarian or vet technicians. Veterinary assistants are often the glue that holds an animal healthcare team together. Here is a closer look at all of the job duties performed by veterinary assistants.
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Vet Assistant Duties
Customer Service
Veterinary assistants are usually the first person who greets clients when they enter a facility and the last person they see before they leave. That requires vet assistants to have good people skills as they are frequently interacting with people, and not just animals. Customer service also extends to scheduling appointments, making follow-up calls and collecting payments.
Clerical duties
Strong organizational skills are emblematic in quality veterinary assistants. They are the ones entrusted with keeping updated medical records and entering billing information into the system. Vet assistants are also called upon to contact other veterinary facilities for the purpose of making records requests.
Clinical tasks
Vet assistants find themselves right in the midst of actual veterinary work. It is common for vet assistants to collect blood and tissue samples. They are also a valuable help when it comes to taking x-rays. There is a certain amount of precision involved in this process and it is integral that x-rays are done just right.
Animal Restraint
Properly restraining an animal is an integral part of veterinary work. Vet assistants are skilled in the proper techniques used to safely restrain animals. This ensures safety for everyone on an animal healthcare team as the practice of some routine techniques makes for a safe working environment.
Sanitary duties
There is a high priority on making sure equipment and examining rooms are completely free of germs. That is where veterinary assistants step in and commence with sanitizing the necessary components. Without this valuable service, infections could be acquired and also lead to other health problems in animals.
Animal Response
Once an animal receives treatment, their response often needs to be monitored. Veterinary assistants are trained to look for signs during the recovery phase that may be cause for alarm. Being able to identify any problem areas can quickly bring this to the attention of the veterinarian, who can then take the proper measures to quell the problem.
Administering medication
There is a particular method for administering medication to animals and vet assistants are often the ones performing this job duty. These instructions are very specific as a mistake can be detrimental to the health of an animal. Therefore, vet assistants are very thorough when assigned this task.
Pre and post-surgery care
The before and after duties involving surgery often fall into the capable hands of vet assistants. This requires getting everything ready prior to surgery and attending to the post-surgery details. Surgery is a serious procedure and a lot of it depends on making sure the appropriate steps are taken before and after it is completed.
Animal Care
Some animals are required to stay for a certain amount of time in a veterinary facility. While they are there, vet assistants are the ones who take care of their bathing and cleaning. This ensures that animals receive nourishment and proper grooming during their stay at an animal healthcare facility.
Emergency Care
There are plenty of instances when animals are rushed into a veterinary facility and require immediate attention. Under these circumstances, vet assistants may need to perform an array of assignments at a moment’s notice. Vet assistants are expected to remain calm and attentive in these high-pressure situations.
All of those roles make veterinary assistants critical to the success of an animal healthcare facility. The everyday operation relies on vet assistants to take care of so many moving parts and help the entire team perform like a finely-tuned machine.
