starting vet assistant job

[canis13]

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after 9 months of shadowing a small animal vet, I finally got hired by the clinic as a vet assistant. not sure how long they're going to keep me on the staff, because they really want to hire someone to work full time and i can only work part time. but i'll take what i can get.

so my question is - does anyone have advice for starting out as a vet assistant? i've been shadowing at the clinic for a while and know all of the staff (or at least recognize who everyone is, even though i can't remember a couple of their names), and i have experience working as a kennel person at a different clinic, working at a spay/neuter clinic, and doing a RAVS trip. but i'm nervous, nonetheless. anyone have any "do"s or "don't"s to give me?

 

[twelvetigers]

Um... clean a lot! Don't step on any toes (literally and figuratively). Keep a notebook of experiences and hours, plus anything you might forget how to do (autoclave time and settings, surgery protocols, whatever).

Try and be as helpful as possible, and maybe they'll want to keep you no matter how few hours you can work.

ETA: Oh, and if you aren't sure, ASK. But don't ask the same thing twice - apparently that's annoying. 🙄

 

[OtakuVet]

Depends on the hospital, but yes you do clean ALOT. Some hospitals may train you to give vaccines and stuff once you get pretty experienced and you get to learn how to do a variety of simple tests like fecals, ear cytologies and blood work like Heartworm test, FELV/FIV etc. Lots of things you can learn but if you are brand spanking new depending on the size of the clinic you may be thrown into learning to restrain. When I first started, it was restraint and TPRs all the time. Then I eventually moved onto to tests, and eyes became really good for certain things. It all takes time but working in the hospital is hard but really fun work. This was my first time way from it in two and a half years to take more time to work in my lab. There isnt a day I miss it. ;-;

 

[nyanko]

This was my first time way from it in two and a half years to take more time to work in my lab. There isnt a day I miss it. ;-;

See, this is how I can tell I'm cut out for research and not clinical work. Every single day that I was working as a vet tech/assistant, I was wishing that I could be in the lab instead. 😉

 

[Minnerbelle]

See, this is how I can tell I'm cut out for research and not clinical work. Every single day that I was working as a vet tech/assistant, I was wishing that I could be in the lab instead. 😉

If I were given the choice of publishing a first author paper in nature and performing my first surgery at my first choice vet school, I would take the latter in a heartbeat!

That's how I know I'm not cut out for a phd.