Vet Assistant Jobs

Vet assistant jobs are the clinical support roles at animal hospitals and veterinary practices, working alongside the veterinary technicians and veterinarians in the treatment area, restraining patients for exams, sample collection and radiographs.

VeterinaryHires lists veterinary practice jobs only, so the openings above are at general-practice clinics, emergency and specialty hospitals, and veterinary groups.

It is physical work.

BLS injury data puts the veterinary services industry at 10.6 nonfatal injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers in 2023, against 2.4 across all private industry.

That figure covers everyone working in veterinary services, not assistants alone.

The full breakdown of duties, and the physical and emotional side of the job, is in what does a veterinary assistant do.

Most vet assistant jobs ask for a high school diploma or GED and no prior experience.

That is the entry bar the BLS lists for the occupation: a high school diploma or equivalent, work experience "None," and short-term on-the-job training.

Certification is optional.

In the BLS's own words, "although certification is not mandatory, it allows workers to demonstrate competency."

The NAVTA Approved Veterinary Assistant (AVA) credential takes a NAVTA-approved program of at least 150 hours of coursework plus a 100-hour clinical externship.

Employers set their own requirements on top of that, such as a minimum age, lifting and restraint ability, or weekend availability.

Read the requirements on each listing before you apply.

For the full answers, see do you need certification to be a vet assistant and how to get a vet job with no experience.

Listings show whether a job is full-time or part-time where the employer specifies it.

General-practice schedules follow the practice's opening hours, which vary by employer.

Emergency and 24-hour hospitals are open nights, weekends and holidays, so their assistant schedules include overnight, weekend and holiday shifts.

Ask how shifts rotate before you accept an offer.

Benefits vary by employer, and no single package is standard.

Where the employer lists them, listings can show benefits such as health insurance, dental and vision, 401(k) match, paid time off, pet care discounts, a continuing-education allowance and paid training.

Use the benefits filter above the listings to narrow to jobs that mention the ones you need. Some employers also pay toward assistant training or a tech program; employer tuition support covers what to ask for.

Filter the listings at the top of this page by location, salary and benefits to find vet assistant jobs near you.

Open a listing to read the duties, schedule and requirements, then select Apply.

You go straight to the employer's own application, and browsing is free with no account needed.

Listings come from employers who post here and from public employer career pages, and they change daily.

Applying without clinic experience? The resume and cover letter guide covers what to put on the page, and how to become a veterinary assistant walks through the steps.