Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers

• Clean and maintain kennels, animal holding areas, examination or operating rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease.
• Fill medication prescriptions.
• Assist veterinarians in examining animals to determine the nature of illnesses or injuries.
• Monitor animals recovering from surgery and notify veterinarians of any unusual changes or symptoms.
• Clean, maintain, and sterilize instruments or equipment.
• Examine animals to detect behavioral changes or clinical symptoms that could indicate illness or injury.
• Educate or advise clients on animal health care, nutrition, or behavior problems.
• Administer medication, immunizations, or blood plasma to animals as prescribed by veterinarians.
• Collect laboratory specimens, such as blood, urine, or feces for testing.
• Prepare surgical equipment and pass instruments or materials to veterinarians during surgical procedures.
• Prepare feed for animals according to specific instructions, such as diet lists or schedules.
• Provide emergency first aid to sick or injured animals.
• Perform routine laboratory tests or diagnostic tests, such as taking or developing x-rays.
• Exercise animals or provide them with companionship.
• Prepare examination or treatment rooms by stocking them with appropriate supplies.
• Provide assistance with euthanasia of animals or disposal of corpses.
• Record information relating to animal genealogy, feeding schedules, appearance, behavior, or breeding.
• Perform office reception duties, such as scheduling appointments or helping customers.
• Perform hygiene-related duties, such as clipping animals' claws or cleaning and polishing teeth.
• Perform accounting duties, such as bookkeeping, billing customers for services, or maintaining inventories.
• Sell pet food or supplies to customers.
• Dust, spray, or bathe animals to control insect pests.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.

• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.