Veterinary Assistant Job Description: Veterinary assistants care for animals in laboratories, animal hospitals and clinics.
Employment Facts for Veterinary Assistants: Veterinary assistants held about 70,310 jobs in 2006.
Educational Requirements for Veterinary Assistants: There are no formal educational requirements for veterinary assistants. They receive on-the-job training only.
Job Outlook for Veterinary Assistants: Veterinary assistants should see faster than average job growth through 2014.
Earnings of Veterinary Assistants: Veterinary assistants earned median hourly wages of $9.60 in 2006.
Use the Salary Wizard at Salary.com to find out how much veterinary assistants currently earn in your city.
A Day in a Veterinary Assistant's Life: On a typical day a Veterinary Assistant may:
- feed, water and examine animals;
- clean and disinfect cages and work areas;
- sterilize laboratory and surgical equipment;
- provide post-operative care;
- administer medication orally or topically;
- prepare samples for laboratory examination under a veterinarian's or veterinarian technician's supervision;
*This is the most recent year for which this information is available.
Information courtesy of Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Service Occupations, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco20055.htm (visited August 2, 2007) and Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2006, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes319096.htm (visited on August 2, 2007).
