As a veterinary assistant, most days follow a similar routine of seeing appointments.  When the appointment arrives I get to have the first contact with the patient and his/her owner.  I place them into room and obtain a history on the patient.  After exiting the room, I brief the doctor on the patient and if necessary pull up vaccines for the visit.  Depending on the demeanor of the patient, I may or may not go into the room with the doctor to help restrain the patient for his/her exam.  Throughout the appointment I help make sure medications are filled, blood and fecal samples are obtained and that any necessary lab work is run.

During down time between appointments I work on services that boarders or bathers have requested.  These services include items such as nail trims, anal gland expressions, ear cleaning, microchip implantation or vaccine updates.  I love this opportunity to visit with our regulars in boarding and the bath house and to meet the new arrivals.

Occasionally our day brings us emergencies and special tasks. When emergencies arrive we have an “all hands” on approach and do anything necessary to help save the patient.  Helping to bottle-feed a newborn litter of puppies and making sure to keep the puppies warm is one of the most rewarding things I have done as a veterinary assistant.  I also design and create paint paw prints of our recently deceased patients.
These paw prints allow us to send the owner a special memento of their beloved pet.

Regardless of the doctor I work with, the types of appointments that we have scheduled, or the number of emergencies that present themselves in a day, I always know that I will spend my day doing what I love.

Katie, AMH Veterinary Assistant

Tags:
Posted in: Animal Medical Hospital News & Events
Previous: Differences and Similarities between Feline FIV and FeLV
Next: Kittens Looking for a New Loving Home: Meet Hiro and Hitch