Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretaker resume example
A resume for a Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretaker needs to show the work itself: feed, water, and examine pets and other nonfarm animals for signs of illness, disease, or injury in laboratories and animal hospitals and clinics. Day to day that means work like this: hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures; monitor animals recovering from surgery and notify veterinarians of any unusual changes or symptoms. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.
Also advertised as
The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
- Animal Care Provider
- Animal Caregiver
- Certified Veterinary Assistant
- Veterinarian Assistant
- Vet Assistant
- Avian Keeper
- Emergency Veterinary Assistant
- Inpatient Technician Assistant
- Kennel Vet Assistant
- Kennel Veterinary Assistant
- Research Animal Attendant
- Small Animal Caretaker
- Vet Helper
- Vet Kennel Assistant
- Vet Receptionist
- Animal Care Service Worker
- Animal Care Specialist
- Animal Caretaker
O*NET records 25 titles for this occupation in total.
What this work actually involves
Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.
- Hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures.
- Monitor animals recovering from surgery and notify veterinarians of any unusual changes or symptoms.
- Fill medication prescriptions.
- Clean and maintain kennels, animal holding areas, examination or operating rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease.
- Examine animals to detect behavioral changes or clinical symptoms that could indicate illness or injury.
- Perform routine laboratory tests or diagnostic tests, such as taking or developing x-rays.
- Assist veterinarians in examining animals to determine the nature of illnesses or injuries.
- Administer medication, immunizations, or blood plasma to animals as prescribed by veterinarians.
- Collect laboratory specimens, such as blood, urine, or feces, for testing.
- Perform office reception duties, such as scheduling appointments or helping customers.
- Clean, maintain, and sterilize instruments or equipment.
- Record information relating to animal genealogy, feeding schedules, appearance, behavior, or breeding.
28 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.
Example bullets for this role
Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.
- Hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
- Monitor animals recovering from surgery and notify veterinarians of any unusual changes or symptoms, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
- Fill medication prescriptions, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
- Clean and maintain kennels, animal holding areas, examination or operating rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Software used in this role
Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.
- IDEXX Laboratories IDEXX Cornerstone
- Labeling software
- McAllister Software Systems AVImark
- Medical software
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- Practice management software PMS
- Scheduling software
- Word processing software
Tools and equipment
The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.
- Animal nail clippers
- Animal razors
- Animal restraints
- Balling guns
- Bandage scissors
- Benchtop centrifuges
- Bite gloves
- Blood collection syringes
- Chemical sterilizers
- Commercial dryers
- Commercial washing machines
- Desktop computers
Skills an ATS reads for
Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.
- feed patients
What this job rates as most important
O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.
- 01Active Listening
- 02Critical Thinking
- 03Monitoring
- 04Reading Comprehension
- 05Service Orientation
- 06Writing
- 07Coordination
- 08Social Perceptiveness
- 09Speaking
- 10Time Management
Knowledge areas
The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Biology
- Administrative
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Computers and Electronics
What qualifications people in this job have
From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
- 78%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
- 11%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
- 6%Less than a High School Diploma
What level this role is pitched at
O*NET places this occupation in “Some Preparation Needed”. These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Common questions
- What does a Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretaker do?
- Feed, water, and examine pets and other nonfarm animals for signs of illness, disease, or injury in laboratories and animal hospitals and clinics. Day to day that includes work like hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures and Monitor animals recovering from surgery and notify veterinarians of any unusual changes or symptoms.
- What skills should a Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretaker put on a resume?
- O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, and Service Orientation among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
- What software should a Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretaker list?
- Software recorded for this occupation includes IDEXX Laboratories IDEXX Cornerstone, Labeling software, McAllister Software Systems AVImark, Medical software, and Microsoft Access. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
- What other job titles cover Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretaker work?
- O*NET records 25 titles for this occupation, including Animal Care Provider, Animal Caregiver, Certified Veterinary Assistant, and Veterinarian Assistant. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
- What qualifications does a Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretaker need?
- In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 78% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
- Will this resume pass an ATS for a Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretaker role?
- No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.
Related roles
Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.
What this page cannot tell you
- No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
- This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
- Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.
If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.
Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.