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Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers

Feed, water, and examine pets and other nonfarm animals for signs of illness, disease, or injury in laboratories and animal hospitals and clinics. Clean and disinfect cages and work areas, and sterilize laboratory and surgical equipment. May provide routine postoperative care, administer medication orally or topically, or prepare samples for laboratory examination under the supervision of veterinary or laboratory animal technologists or technicians, veterinarians, or scientists.
Related: Animal Caretakers  Medical Assistants  Paramedics  Surgical Assistants  Veterinary Technologists & Technicians 
Industries: Professional, Science, & Technical 

  • Summary

  • Details

    • Work Activities

    • Administer anesthetics during surgery and monitor the effects on animals.
    • Provide emergency first aid to sick or injured animals.
    • Clean, maintain, and sterilize instruments or equipment.
    • Perform routine laboratory tests or diagnostic tests, such as taking or developing x-rays.
    • Fill medication prescriptions.
    • Prepare examination or treatment rooms by stocking them with appropriate supplies.
    • Prepare feed for animals according to specific instructions, such as diet lists or schedules.
    • Write reports, maintain research information, or perform clerical duties.
    • Perform accounting duties, such as bookkeeping, billing customers for services, or maintaining inventories.
    • Place orders to restock inventory of hospital or laboratory supplies.
    • Sell pet food or supplies to customers.
    • Administer medication, immunizations, or blood plasma to animals as prescribed by veterinarians.
    • Groom, trim, or clip animals' coats.
    • Hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures.
    • Prepare surgical equipment and pass instruments or materials to veterinarians during surgical procedures.
    • Provide assistance with euthanasia of animals or disposal of corpses.
    • Perform enemas, catheterizations, ear flushes, intravenous feedings, or gavages.
    • Assist veterinarians in examining animals to determine the nature of illnesses or injuries.
    • Monitor animals recovering from surgery and notify veterinarians of any unusual changes or symptoms.
    • Record information relating to animal genealogy, feeding schedules, appearance, behavior, or breeding.
    • Clean and maintain kennels, animal holding areas, examination or operating rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease.
    • Prepare surgical equipment and pass instruments or materials to veterinarians during surgical procedures.
    • Clean, maintain, and sterilize instruments or equipment.
    • Perform office reception duties, such as scheduling appointments or helping customers.
    • Perform office reception duties, such as scheduling appointments or helping customers.
    • Dust, spray, or bathe animals to control insect pests.
    • Examine animals to detect behavioral changes or clinical symptoms that could indicate illness or injury.
    • Prepare examination or treatment rooms by stocking them with appropriate supplies.
    • Provide assistance with euthanasia of animals or disposal of corpses.
    • Write reports, maintain research information, or perform clerical duties.
    • Perform hygiene-related duties, such as clipping animals' claws or cleaning and polishing teeth.
    • Perform accounting duties, such as bookkeeping, billing customers for services, or maintaining inventories.
    • Exercise animals or provide them with companionship.
    • Administer anesthetics during surgery and monitor the effects on animals.
    • Educate or advise clients on animal health care, nutrition, or behavior problems.
    • Collect laboratory specimens, such as blood, urine, or feces, for testing.

    Skills

    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.

    Abilities

    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.

    Knowledge

    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    Education

    Education
    High school diploma or equivalent
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    Less than 1 month on-the-job training
    Education and Training Opportunities

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    43590/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    20.96/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    5,640
    Yearly Projected Openings
    1230

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Self-Control
    • Cooperation
    • Integrity
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cautiousness

    Tools

    • Animal catching devices
    • Animal shearing or clipping equipment
    • Animal weighing scales
    • Bar code reader equipment
    • Benchtop centrifuges
    • Binocular light compound microscopes
    • Blood collection syringes
    • Chemical or gas sterilizers
    • Clothes dryers
    • Desktop computers
    • Digital cameras
    • Full body immersion hydrotherapy baths or tanks
    • Gas anesthesia apparatus or machines
    • Handheld refractometers or polarimeters
    • Hematology analyzers
    • Intravenous tubing with catheter administration kits
    • Label making machines
    • Laboratory beakers
    • Laboratory forceps
    • Laundry type washing machines
    • Medical acoustic stethoscopes
    • Medical picture archiving computer systems PACS
    • Medical radiological shielding aprons or masks or drapes
    • Medical radiological shielding gloves
    • Medical x ray darkroom accessories
    • Medical x ray films or cassettes
    • Medical x ray units for general diagnostic use
    • Microcentrifuges
    • Microscope slides
    • Multipurpose or general test tubes
    • Muzzles
    • Notebook computers
    • Personal computers
    • Protective gloves
    • Special purpose telephones
    • Specimen collection container
    • Steam autoclaves or sterilizers
    • Surgical scissors
    • Suture removers
    • Tablet counters
    • Tourniquets
    • Urinalysis analyzers
    • Vacuum blood collection tubes or containers
    • Veterinary blood pressure testers
    • Veterinary clinical thermometers
    • Veterinary injection or suction unit
    • Veterinary nail trimmers or cutters

    Technology

    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Label making software
    • Medical software
    • Office suite software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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