Working as a veterinary assistant in undergrad?

[Creature_Feature]

Right now I'm a first year undergrad, I volunteer at a shelter where they are pretty much training me to be a veterinary assistant, I monitor animals post surgery, help prep them, assemble surgery packs, etc. I also work about 25-27 hours a week as a barista. I really hate my job as a barista and am hoping to land a job as an assistant.

I know volunteering is something pretty much all pre-vets do, but how many pre-vets actually work as veterinary assistants while in school? How do you like the experience? Do you feel it's confirmed your decision to go to vet school? Do you find it leaves an ok amount of room for you to focus on school? How many days/hours do you work a week? What are your responsibilities?

I'm thinking working as a VA while in school would kill two birds with one stone, I could quit my other job and get clinical experience at the same time... Only thing I'm worried about is potentially burning out and not having time to study. Does anyone think admissions would somehow look down on too many clinical hours?? Do they differentiate between volunteer/shadowing hours vs working hours?


PS, did a search didn't find answers to my specific questions. Most threads were people considering getting a vet tech degree.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[thecatastrophist]

I can't speak for myself, but I know that a lot of people around here worked as veterinary assistants while in school. Everyone is going to be different about whether or not certain amounts of work will leave time for school... for some people, it will and for others it will not. There are people who work throughout undergrad, full time and manage to make it work.

Admissions will not look down on too many clinical hours. While there's a place to mark whether or not it was paid, I'm not aware of any schools that value a paid position over a shadowing one, though don't quote me on it. There's some areas where it's very difficult to find paid work as a veterinary assistant, and for non-traditional students leaving their current job for one as an assistant is sometimes one that isn't fiscally possible. Obviously, schools still want to see a solid understanding of the veterinary field, but it's the quality of the experience that counts, not whether or not they were paying you for it. (Obviously, the up-side of paying is that you can off-set some of your school expenses so that your debt is low by the time you apply to vet school. Serious plus there.)

The only thing I'd advise is this--don't let the school/work routine take over your life entirely. Schools like to see well-rounded applicants. There's nothing wrong with working and getting experience, but you should also find something to do that interests you and helps you grow as a person in the meantime. Join a club. Get a leadership position. Volunteer at a food pantry. Just pick something that suits your fancy and develop your interests outside of veterinary medicine too.

 

[neocia]

Since 2013, I've worked 9 hours a week as a VA during the school year and full time over the summer. I would recommend it if you can because like you said, you're getting paid AND getting experience in a clinic. You just have to find a clinic (maybe the shelter clinic you're helping out at already?) that will give you flexible hours and understand that school is your number 1 priority (ie you might miss work meetings because you have an exam, etc).

 

[WillowLeaf]

I worked as a kennel and vet assistant during undergrad. For me, it really did confirm my decision to aim for vet school. But in my case, the choice was shadow (nothing hands-on) or work, and there wasn't a good volunteer option. Since you're already getting to be more involved in your volunteer position, I don't think it's necessary to work as a vet assistant, but it might be more fun than a job you dislike. You're already spending those hours working somewhere, so if you found an assistant job with similar pay and similar flexibility to work with your class schedule, it seems more time-efficient to get experience and pay at the same time.

I worked an average of 25ish hours/week, plus full-time school, plus fun volunteer activities. It was busy and I wish I'd left more time for a social life, but it was nice having a job I loved to help motivate me to do well in my less-interesting lecture-based classes.

It can be a little tough to find a clinic that works around a class schedule, especially a schedule that might change every semester. Some clinics seem to prefer scheduling assistants for 3-4 full weekdays a week, which could conflict with classes you want to take. Some are great about having a flexible schedule for students though.

I do want to echo thecatastrophist's advice about keeping a balanced life. Make time for non-vet-related activities, friendships/relationships, and fun/relaxing time.

 

[KitCat]

how many pre-vets actually work as veterinary assistants while in school? How do you like the experience? Do you feel it's confirmed your decision to go to vet school? Do you find it leaves an ok amount of room for you to focus on school? How many days/hours do you work a week? What are your responsibilities? Does anyone think admissions would somehow look down on too many clinical hours?? Do they differentiate between volunteer/shadowing hours vs working hours?

In the order you asked: I worked as a veterinary assistant in undergrad (& I still work at that same clinic). I was hired in in 2012 and graduated with my BS in 2013. I enjoyed the experience. However, my only work experience before that was cleaning at an office so working at the clinic was extremely stressful when I first started to learn all the things I do now. I think it did confirm my decision to go to vet school, there wasn't a point where I was like "nope, I'm out". The clinic is open 9-5, M-F, so the only day I could be there all day was Friday so it defiantly didn't take away from studying for my classes. My main duties were wrapping and autoclaving surgical packs, laundry, cleaning cages, cephalic blood draws, vaccinations, nail trims, suture removals, and assisting the doctor/technicians during x-rays. As long as your hours in the clinical aren't negatively impacting your grades I don't think there is "too many clinical hours" but do try to have non animal/veterinary related hobbies. Unless they change it in the future, VMCAS specifically asks whether the experience was paid or not.

 

[missdarjeeling]

I know volunteering is something pretty much all pre-vets do, but how many pre-vets actually work as veterinary assistants while in school? How do you like the experience? Do you feel it's confirmed your decision to go to vet school?

I'm a non-traditional student, so my experience is a little different, since I've had to juggle weird things before and may be a little more used to it. My first semester for my pre-reqs, I was in school part-time and working as an assistant full-time. By the time I switched to full-time school, I had to cut back my hours to 20 hrs/week over the summer and then 12 hrs/week during the academic year. The only way I could do it was by working at an emergency/specialty hospital so I could work evenings. My school hardly had any night classes, so I would've never been able to work GP unless it had been a weekend job. My hospital was also pretty flexible with adjusting my schedule, and a bunch of other assistants were doing the same thing, though some were in tech school instead.

I loved the experience. I learned so, so much, not just in terms of the actual vet med part of it, but also in terms of seeing the kinds of stresses everyone faces, the kinds of challenges you run into with clients, and the whole gamut of feelings you deal with, including the fact that, yeah, sometimes it'll seem really tedious and boring and sometimes it'll seem like the most thankless job in the world. It confirmed my decision to go to vet school. I had to leave that job to move to another state with my husband, and I've missed it since in a way that I've never missed any other job before. When I was getting ready to move, I was actually thinking about giving up and doing something else, since the move kind of threw a huge wrench in my plans, and the self-doubt was starting to crush me. But after lots of thought and after being away from the vet world, I'm itching to get back into it.

Do you find it leaves an ok amount of room for you to focus on school? How many days/hours do you work a week? What are your responsibilities?

The full-time schedule was hard. Even on part-time, there were days where I had to call in sick when there was something huge I needed to focus on at school, like a 3 exam week or a group project. It was hard to juggle my schedule with all of the group work that I had to do, since my school was absolutely in love with group work. Some nights, when it was slow, the supervisors would ask if I wanted to go home a little early because they knew I might need the extra time.

Full time was Monday through Friday, evening shift, 8 1/2 hours with a 30 minute lunch. My final schedule ended up being two days a week with 6 hour shifts and no lunch/break. It was all I could really handle at the time, since I was also commuting an hour to school each way every day and dealing with other family obligations. Honestly, I felt like I wasn't putting in enough hours and would've liked to have been able to be more involved, but that's life.

As for responsibilities, it'll depend what kind of clinic or hospital you end up in and what state you live in. I was in NY, so I couldn't do anything involving needles or controlled drugs without a tech license. In surgery, I circulated soft tissue/ortho/ophtho/emergency surgeries, set up/took down ORs, cleaned/packed/sterilized equipment (steam and gas), did cleaning/maintenance/restocking, helped techs induce, clipped/scrubbed surgical sites, clean scrubbed in the OR with sterile gloves, and helped techs with recovery. In emergency, I did the same surgery stuff for minor procedures (lac repairs, unblocking, etc.) but also did emergency triage, treatments, TPRs, restraint for catheters and procedures, administration of the meds I was allowed to give, filling non-controlled meds, and discharges. I also got to assist with things like radiology and got to ran some bloodwork, though we weren't allowed to interpret anything. I got to participate in codes by either running and grabbing stuff, recording, or sometimes doing chest compressions. I also had to bag bodies and do paw prints. Other emergency assistants had to deal with infectious patients, but since I was in surgery, I wasn't allowed to handle them because if an emergency surgery case came in, I wouldn't have been allowed back into the surgical prep area or ORs if I had become contagious. With suspected parvo cases, assistants would have to go in and do the snap test themselves.

One of the best things about working that job was really getting to know the techs as well as the doctors. I learned a great deal from the techs, and they usually had more time to explain things and answer questions than the doctors did. I can't say anything about GP, but a few of the techs I worked with in emergency were extremely knowledgeable. On a few occasions, the doctors would actually ask them for advice, and one of them was well known for being up to date and on the ball as far as current practices in ECC. She was the type to print out studies and leave them on the nursing station. Another one was also an EMT with years of experience and lots of special training, so she was the go-to person for critical cases a lot of the time.

If you can manage it, it can be an awesome experience, and you can learn a lot from the people you meet. I can't say for sure, since I haven't applied to schools yet, but I don't think schools prefer paid over volunteer/shadowing experience. So if you can't get paid experience, it's not the end of the world. I personally learn faster and better by doing, so I'm grateful I was able to do that job.

 

[WildZoo]

@SummerTheLynx

 

[DVMDream]

I know volunteering is something pretty much all pre-vets do, but how many pre-vets actually work as veterinary assistants while in school? How do you like the experience? Do you feel it's confirmed your decision to go to vet school? Do you find it leaves an ok amount of room for you to focus on school? How many days/hours do you work a week? What are your responsibilities?

Does anyone think admissions would somehow look down on too many clinical hours?? Do they differentiate between volunteer/shadowing hours vs working hours?

1. Quite a few students work as vet assistants prior to vet school.
2. The experience is good, but don't get tunnel vision, there is more to vet med than small animal clinical experience, especially small animal shelter.
3. Yes, but it could also turn some people away, but that isn't a bad thing, it is good to know what you are getting into.
4. How much time you have to focus on school depends on how much you work and how much time you spend in classes. That is highly variable depending on where you work
5. This is again going to depend on you job and what you can handle. I worked about 15-20 hours/week.
6. Responsibilities for vet assistant vary by state. Some are exactly like vet techs and can do a lot, others are more like kennel workers that also help with hospitalized patients. It really depends on your workplace. I was basically a vet tech without the vet tech degree and did everything they did. But this will just depend on your job.

7. No, I don't think admissions would look down on too many clinical hours, I do think they would look down on not venturing outside you comfort zone of small animal shelter med and gaining additional experience. You can have depth in one area, but don't let it replace breadth either. Get a few hours with cattle, horses, pigs, private practice, etc.
8. They differentiate between vet hours and animal hours. You are responsible for explaining what you gained from your experience. They don't care if you have intubated 435 animals, because they are going to teach that to everyone anyway. Same goes with other technical skills. They want to see that you realize the science and intensity that is practicing medicine, not that you can toss in an IV catheter in 30 seconds.

 

[SummerTheLynx]

Right now I'm a first year undergrad, I volunteer at a shelter where they are pretty much training me to be a veterinary assistant, I monitor animals post surgery, help prep them, assemble surgery packs, etc. I also work about 25-27 hours a week as a barista. I really hate my job as a barista and am hoping to land a job as an assistant.

I know volunteering is something pretty much all pre-vets do, but how many pre-vets actually work as veterinary assistants while in school? How do you like the experience? Do you feel it's confirmed your decision to go to vet school? Do you find it leaves an ok amount of room for you to focus on school? How many days/hours do you work a week? What are your responsibilities?

I'm thinking working as a VA while in school would kill two birds with one stone, I could quit my other job and get clinical experience at the same time... Only thing I'm worried about is potentially burning out and not having time to study. Does anyone think admissions would somehow look down on too many clinical hours?? Do they differentiate between volunteer/shadowing hours vs working hours?


PS, did a search didn't find answers to my specific questions. Most threads were people considering getting a vet tech degree.

So I have worked as a VA for the past 3 years during undergrad (2nd through 4th year). I started off working 15-20 hours a week, which moved up after my first semester to 20-25 hours, my whole third year I worked between 25 to 35, and now I am working 30-40.

I did minimal volunteering. I gained about 100 hours of horse experience during one of my summers working full time, but otherwise all of my other volunteering was prior to undergrad.

I personally love the experience. I am at a place with three doctors that all want to teach me as much as possible prior to vet school, and you really get a great feel for the clinical side of things (depending on the place you are working at). In terms of confirming, I was very set on it beforehand, so it didn't have a major impact on it, but it certainly helped reassure me that this is the right path.

The school bit becomes interesting. It depends on where you work and how accommodating they are. I work for one of the corporate ones, and have worked at 6 different hospitals throughout my time with them, and have seen HUGE amounts of variation with the flexibility of schedules. If you get an awesome practice manager, like my home hospital, she makes it work for you and lightens things up for you around big exams, etc. But it is VERY MUCH practice and practice manager specific, so it's a discussion you would need to have during your interview.

Currently I am working between 4-5 days a week on average, although am hitting 6 days on occasion. Way back when I started, I was worked 2-3 days a week on average. Again, the flexibility of it really depends on the practice. I know one in my area that targets pre-vet students and hires them to work 5-10 hours a week. However, through a pretty good sample size in my area, what I have seen is the more hours you put in, the more responsibilities you have. A lot of the places that are having you in 5-10 hours a week are simply places where you are cleaning kennels and holding, which there is certainly nothing wrong with. For me, I was looking to gain as large a breadth of experience as possible.

My responsibilities are pretty much everything. Obviously the basics of holding, TPRs, and cleaning, but also monitoring anesthesia, blood draws, reading and obtaining all diagnostics, nail trims, expressing anal glands, beak/wing trims, obtaining a history, writing all medical notes, explaining treatment plans to clients, cleaning and flushing wounds, administering vaccines and injections, giving IV and SC fluids, etc (pretty much anything that does not constitute things that ONLY a veterinarian can do). I also do receptionist work, and usually work one day a week to knock out all the calls for the rest of the week. I have done managerial stuff as well, and done things like ordering medical supplies, dealing with cat calls, making doctor schedules, etc but that was more due to a want to take up a leadership position there.

For the school I am going to, Mizzou, they actually like to see clinical hours during school, and factor the amount of hours you are working each week into the whole spectrum of what grades you are getting and how many credits you are taking (they explain it briefly on the supplemental). It's important to note that working a lot of hours at a clinic each week is NOT an excuse for bad grades. However, if you are able to maintain good grades, while juggling working part time at a clinic, it would definitely be seen in a positive light.

Some schools DO differentiate hours. At the Mizzou interview, they are assessing QUALITY of experience. Aka, a person who just restrained pets and cleaned kennels for 10 hours a week isn't having the same quality of experience as someone who is monitoring anesthesia and reading a wide range of diagnostics, etc.

With regards to burning out, that is all based on the type of person. For me, I like staying very busy (sometimes insanely busy, but uk). I was able to RA, TA, work, do marching band, teach etc. while maintaining a course load of 16 credits on average. You have to do what's right for you, and what is right for one person is not what would be right for another person.

One other thing to consider is that most clinics are unwilling to accommodate you not being there over summers/breaks, so that's another big factor to keep in mind as well.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to pm me

@SummerTheLynx

Thanks

 

[Gemgrrrl]

I know volunteering is something pretty much all pre-vets do, but how many pre-vets actually work as veterinary assistants while in school? How do you like the experience? Do you feel it's confirmed your decision to go to vet school? Do you find it leaves an ok amount of room for you to focus on school? How many days/hours do you work a week? What are your responsibilities?

I worked as an assistant for two years. I thought it was a great experience, and that it gave me some invaluable insight into the profession. The realities of the work are often very different than what we think it will be. I know I was surprised about a lot of things. I really think that it's different experience than shadowing, and that everyone should do it.

As far as enough time to focus on school - that's a personal thing. I'm an NT with a family that went to school full time. I worked about 16-20 hrs/wk at the clinic, and then worked another 10-15 hours a week in a research lab. I still found time to get my school work done, but not much time for anything else.

The responsibilities will depend on the state your in, and the veterinarian and tech that you're working under. Some will let you do more than others - so you should ask those questions in a job interview. Some vets are very narrow in scope, and you'll mostly see routine dogs and cats. Others have a wider range, and you'll see a bigger variety of cases. I changed clinics after about 6 months because I wanted to get more (and different) hands on experience.

Does anyone think admissions would somehow look down on too many clinical hours?? Do they differentiate between volunteer/shadowing hours vs working hours?

I don't think they will look down on "too many" clinical hours. But I do know that they prefer to see a variety of experiences. I have also heard from several admissions counselors that you kind of cap out on experience after a certain number of hours. So, for example, a person with 1,400 clinical hours might not look any better than a person with 1,000 hours. Check with your intended school about how many hours they like to see.

Some places must differentiate between paid experience and shadowing/volunteer work, since they ask whether or not it was paid on the VMCAS. Not sure how they feel about either one. For me, I think paid is generally better. You usually get to do more when you're paid, since you're covered under the insurance.

 

[AcreWoods]

I work at a vet assistant at a 24-hour emergency and specialty hospital. I'm a sophomore in undergrad, so my school workload is pretty average. I would say that I don't find it too hard to work as an assistant. I mean, I only work 2 shifts a week, a 6 hour one and a 10 hour one, but I could (and hope to) definitely handle more hours. I absolutely love working as a vet assistant. Many places that offer volunteer positions and shadowing don't really allow you to actually touch the animals and such, at least in my area. My position is a 3-level program, with a skills list for each level. Right now, I am setting up fluids, restraining for treatments, and assessing TPR. Once I complete the list, I take a quiz, and move up to the next level. At level 3, I will be able to administer injections and help with more advanced tasks. I find that it gives me very valuable experience. I am able to ask nurses questions and learn more about the health issues they have. I do think that experience should be gained in more than one field, like small, large, exotic, wildlife, etc. I also do tons of cleaning haha. But it's all part of the working system that is our hospital.

This position was my first real interaction in a veterinary setting. I have found that it for the most part confirms my career path, especially being in an ER. I see more complex and serious cases than I would in a private practice setting. I am up close and personal with death and euthanasia at this point and have seen some very sick, sad animals. All of these cases still push me towards my goal, so I would say I am extremely confident in my choice to pursue vet school now. Plus, seeing the pets that survive and make miraculous recoveries remind me of what I am working so hard for. I would say a vet assistant job is good at giving a more "real"experience. And it's definitely possible to hold a position while in school. You just have to be pretty diligent about getting your work done, that's all! Let me know if you have any other questions and such!

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I worked at a SA practice during undergrad. Roughly 15-20 hours a week, and another on-campus job alongside that. I did enjoy the experience, but the clinic was seriously old fashioned (no computers...not even a fax machine). I also didn't get to see any surgeries or anything other than routine and sick pet visits due to the my class schedule. I wouldn't say it confirmed my decision to be a vet, but it didn't scare me away, either. I wanted to do zoo medicine prior to landing this job, so while it was a learning experience in many ways, I can't say I was happy.

I can't honestly say that my GPA would have been much better without working (I did work quite a lot, for what it's worth). My jobs actually helped me focus during the study time I had...if I didn't get my stuff done in those windows, it wasn't going to get done. Every person is different, though. I sacrificed sleep and fun for work and grades. Being well-rounded and enjoying life is important, so you need to find the balance of those things that works for you.

I don't see why admissions would ever look down on any amount of clinical hours, especially 'too many.' Plenty of applicants get in with only small animal experience, but it is preferable to venture out of the SA world. I'm so glad I did...I really am unhappy working in SA clinics. Just something about doctors seeming to dislike their careers and clients and whatnot. As for the volunteer/shadow vs. paid assistant, some schools look at the quality of experience. Depending on what you're allowed to do as a shadow/volunteer, a paid position might be of better quality. It all depends on how you describe your experience and what your position actually entails.