Working as a veterinary assistant is a great way to help animals in need. For someone who has a heart for animals, it may seem like the perfect job, but there are some things you should know about it before pursuing a career. This is one of those jobs where you need to know your strengths and weaknesses. If you underestimate the challenges of working for a veterinarian in a veterinary practice, emergency vet, animal hospital, or other type of facility that takes care of animals, there’s a chance you could fail.
Real Talk About Working as a Vet Assistant
Do vet assistants get to spend a lot of time with cute, furry animals? Of course! And if it were just a matter of being around for well-checks, vaccinations, and spaying/neutering, it would be smooth sailing, emotionally.
But vet assistants see a lot, and I mean a lot. It takes a ton of emotional strength to get through the day, sometimes.
Vet staff watches as animals they’ve come to know and love are euthanized, and it often falls on them to comfort distraught owners. They see animals brought in from the shelter or dropped off by “Good Samaritans” who have been abused, starved, and neglected. Vet assistants can never unsee such things; all that suffering takes a toll.
Even on a day that doesn’t bring that level of trauma, there can still be a lot to deal with. Some pet parents can try the patience of the most professional person. Sometimes the schedule is so crammed full you can’t catch your breath! Not going to lie – it can be stressful.
Veterinary practices are not immune to the staffing shortages that seem to plague most industries these days. Vet assistants can be stretched thin, working long hours and sometimes taking extra shifts to make sure there’s coverage.
Finally, it’s a very physical job. This is not a sitting-around type position. Patients need to be weighed, fed, walked, and monitored; there’s lots of cleaning to be done; and lifting anxious, squirming dogs onto exam tables involves twisting and bending – and they can be heavy!
Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the job comes with a lot of accidents to clean up, and some of them will be on your clothes.
If you want an easy job, this is definitely not it.
Fortunately, the Benefits of Being a Vet Assistant Outweigh the Challenges
If you’re still reading this, you may be a suitable candidate for a veterinary assistant career! It may be physically and emotionally challenging, but as you probably suspect, there are lots of benefits.
One of the positives is that there’s a lot of need for vet assistants. 86.9 million American households, or 66%, have pets, and at some point, almost all of those fur babies will need veterinary care. In 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected the career is expected to grow by 20% by 2032.
Vet assistants earn a decent living, comparable to other jobs that don’t require a college degree, such as being a receptionist, bank teller, or preschool teacher. Each average is in the mid-$30,000 range. The median vet assistant salary is $34,740. If you like the idea of an interesting job that brings something new every day, being a veterinary assistant qualifies. The variety of animals and people you meet keeps the job engaging. You never know what will walk through the door.
Most vet assistants have a passion for animals, and the fact that they get to help animals every day makes their job rewarding. Being part of a team that keeps animals healthy and saves lives every day makes it a worthwhile career.
And if adorable baby animals are your weakness, you’ll have cuddle opportunities galore! So many puppies and kittens come through for their first shots and well-checks, it never gets old.
Vet assistants rate their job satisfaction in the top 30% of careers. The Career Explorer survey considered salary, job meaningfulness, personality fit, work environment, and skills utilization (in other words, do you make the best use of your abilities?).
You may find you love working in a vet practice so much that you want to advance your career. Getting a vet tech degree takes two to four years, but it comes with a higher salary and the ability to do more medically related tasks than a vet assistant can.
Is Being a Vet Assistant for You?
There’s no way to know until you try it, but if you think vet assisting may be a good career fit, Animal Behavior College can help you get certified in about a year. The program is online, but it also provides real-world experience. Every student must complete 80 hours with a local mentor to complete the program.
While certification is not a job requirement, it can often make employers take notice of you. Lots of people with no qualifications or experience apply, but jobs tend to go to people who know what they’re doing.
An ABC Veterinary Assistant certification demonstrates that you know what the job entails and that you have a lot of hands-on experience and attributes employers appreciate.
For more information on a veterinary assistant career, visit our Vet Assistant Job Information at a Vet Near Me page here, and enroll at Animal Behavior College today!
