Medical Assistant at a veterinary office?
Asked by Jenny
I'm going to school for a medical assistant soon, I was wondering if I could get a job at a veterinary office as a veterinary technician or a veterinary assistant when I graduate that program. I really like animals but there aren't any veterinary schools around where I live. Do you have any advice about medical assisting jobs or if I have to work at a hospital or doctors office when I graduate? Help me please Thanks!!!

Best Answer:
There are different ways to get your foot in the door. Some veterinarians prefer to do just about everything themselves. They hire technicians, but the technicians work on a fairly low level. They might hold the dog while the veterinarian gives injections, for example, but they won't be giving injections. These veterinarians will often hire you with no experience if they like you. After all, they aren't asking you to do anything that ANYONE couldn't do. There are also veterinarians who hire kennel help and eventually train them to be technicians. They might have you assist in simple ways when they're short staffed, and as you learn more and get more experience, they move you up. After you gain experience in either of these two ways, you can usually get your foot in the door as a tech assistant (eventually moved up to tech) at a faster paced clinic where the technicians see and do just about everything. Technicians who can do everything are valuable, so these techs make a little more, but the top pay for vet techs is usually still pretty low. Unfortunately, people don't always value their animals the way they value people. That means there is a lot less money to be made. The least common way (at least in my area) is going to vet tech school. Most vets don't seem to place a lot of value on it and prefer to train their employees the way THEY want them trained. The exception would be technicians that work in research. Those positions often require schooling. Medical assisting is very different from being a vet tech. I'm not sure it would carry any weight as far as finding a job goes, but I don't think it will hurt you, either. Good luck!