What is the pay for Veterinary assistant?

[xmrth]

I found out about this PT job for a veterinary receptionist/assistant, which requires no experience. I can imagine doing some things with the animals, maybe changing dressings on the animals and things like that.

 

I understand that they may ask me what amount of money I'm looking to get paid, and I haven't the SLIGHTEST clue what being a receptionist/assistant, and working without experience would be. This isn't anything related to my field that I'm going to college for, but it would be an exciting experience and now would be the time to see before I get out of college and am working FT in my own field.

 

Does anyone here know about this kind of field and what I should say?

 

I am thinking, depending on how much I would do with the animals, just thinking it wouldn't be more than maybe changing dressings and things -like- that, I was thinking $12-$15 an hour.

 

More... or less? I understand saying above and working down if it's too high but I just haven't... the slightest clue.

 

Thanks for anyone who can help. I don't even know if that's what I'd do but I want to figure out my ranges on what I find out in the interview. The person I talked to on the phone wasn't interested in a conversation longer than 5 seconds so I figured I got the interview set and I'll find it all out when I go.

 

Martha

[Beyondthesea]

Why don't you phone a few clinics and inquire about their pay? Tell them you are a student looking for employment and are curious about it. Then you'll have some ideas of what you should be getting.

 

If you have no experience I wouldn't expect to get more than 12 an hour unless wages in your area are quite high. Look it up on link removed. They have wage reviews for the area you live in, plus how much the average person in that field is making.

[annie24]

I'd also imagine the pay is around $8-13 an hour. Receptionist - so, I guess you would be in charge of answering phones, booking appointments, sending reminder cards, maybe some other paperwork. I don't know if they would let you change the dressings (i bet you would need special training for that), but maybe changing the water and giving them food, maybe cleaning out some cages.

 

I don't know - why don't you call them and ask what the responsibilities are? (maybe call at a different time when a different receptionist is working, they may be more amenable to answering your questions).

[thyroxine]

Depends on where you work I think. I am a vet assistant and only get paid $6.00 an hour. It's hard work, but even though the pay is low, it's better than most minimal wage jobs. I thought it would be a lot higher pay, but oh well!

 

On a daily basis at work I clean the kennels, set up IVs on animals, administer medicine, random cleaning (washing dishes, doing laundry, dusting,) and answering the phones (so giving out information and scheduling appointments)...it's a lot like being a nurse! I also am one of the major surgery assistants. All that is really entails is me watching the doctor during the surgery and getting him things he needs (such as particular tools.)

 

I'm headed for med school, but I hinted to my boss during the interview that vet school was still being considered. She didn't want to hire anyone who *wasn't* pre-vet, but I'm there. I look at it as some good experience for dealing with blood, general grossness, death, and all that good stuff. If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me!

[ElektraHere]

Which part of the country do you live in? That is a factor, experience is a factor, what the job entails is a factor, whether the clinic is a big clinic or a small "country" type vet. I would say and this is a guess with no job experience on your part I would say probably $9 tops would be the rate per hour.

 

First off you have to apply for the job, then have an interview whch then you can ask what you would be doing. As far as I remember about vet asst (my cousins wife does that) you dont help with cleaning the dressings you help with cleaning the poop up. Making sure everything is in order basically no "nursing" would be required of you.

 

I just realizes that thyroxine said the same thing.

[xmrth]

I already have the job interview tomorrow afternoon so I didn't mind asking more of what it entailed at that time because I just called about it yesterday and got it set up. I called back about the hours they needed, but still figured I didn't mind what I could be doing assisting them. Just wondering what to expect.

I figure depending on what I'm doing as it's both receptionist and assistant, I just had no clue. I'm not wanting to sound crazy if I'm asking for way too much, or let them give me way too little.

 

I think I'll probably say $11.00. But then it's like... I don't know. I'm afraid of them being like "whoa we were thinking $1285712857.00 less than that" you know.. and me looking crazy.

 

I can understand it would vary. At my last job I had no idea what to say for this question of how much I was looking to get paid, and I was like ooh, $8.00? (a design job) and she was like "well, how about $10.00?"

And I'm thinking.... I could have said more in that case. I just didn't want to make the same mistake again.

[ElektraHere]

I think you should take a look at what thyroxine mentioned. She does the job and she has the inside skinny.

 

I think that they will tell you what the pay will be. Usually vets are very budget conscious. When they ask you if they ask you say " what is the range you have been offering other candidates."

 

Just go in with a realistic view of what the job is and what you will be getting paid to do. ie; cleaning kennels etc.

[annie24]

I think until you know for sure that they may accept you, don't talk salaries. Once they give you an offer, you can negotiate if you are unhappy with what they offer.

[thyroxine]

As far as I remember about vet asst (my cousins wife does that) you dont help with cleaning the dressings you help with cleaning the poop up.

 

I do both actually! Most mornings we re-dress wounds and bandage everyone (that needs it!) up.

 

I didn't know what the pay rate was until my first week was half over. I finally asked one of the other girls. Of course, I've always felt odd asking about rate of pay in interviews (plus my boss is a scary, scary woman! At the time, I felt like she'd have eaten my first born if I brought that up!)

[Hope75]

I went to vet tech school and worked as a vet tech for 4 years, I just quit in Aug 2005 to go to nursing school full time.

 

Uncertified you can make as little as 8-9$ an hour, and if you have a degree/certificate, the pay is a little better, at 12-18$ an hour, depending on where you are.

 

It was a very fun and rewarding job for me, but in the end it did not pay enough for me to realistically support myself so that is one of the major reasons that I chose to go to nursing school.

 

Feel free to PM me if you have questions.

[Hope75]

My duties included alot ot what thyroxine's do.

 

Here's some of what I did:

 

For the kennel part I cleaned kennels and scooped poop (we had a boarding kennel as well). I also bathed dogs. I did laundry, dishes and cleaned cages. I fed, watered and medicated boarding cats and dogs.

 

For the vet tech part I gave vaccines, assisted with surgery prep (anesthetised the animals, shaved sites for surgery, inserted, started and maintained IV's, giving meds, pills, liquids, etc), handed the vet instruments or holding a dog's leg or other part, assisted with recovery from anesthesia, pulling the trach tube, took X-rays, restrained animals for ultrasounds or dressing changes, did the occasional dressing change ( the vet does more of that). I weighed animals, drew bloods for labs and heartworm/lyme tests, ran the blood chemistry machines, set up the heartworm lyme tests...feline leukemia tests.

 

I also answered phones, made appts, booked reservations for the kennel, entered labs into the computer, sent out reminder cards, did the billing/book keeping for the vet's personal accounts, checked in and out clients, cleaned out the rooms after appts, etc.

 

Hopefully this will give you an idea of what the job description may include.

[xmrth]

Thanks so much for the informative responses. It gave me a better idea of what to expect.

 

The pay turned out to be set at $10.00 an hour... but on top of the distance as it turned out, there is also those details. I went there understanding from these responses what it could be, but I guess I just didn't think I would be having to do all of it. I'd have to help with surgeries by passing things and washing them. Surgery is too far, but washing them I don't have a problem with. So... back to the search for a job...

I just don't think I could handle holding them down and having to stay in there for the surgeries and passing things. I could if it was more along the lines of what I wanted to do, but it's very different. So I'm going to pass... but maybe find some kind of animal place because working with them was something I wanted to experience. NOT a petstore though haha. Unless it was amazing.

[Hope75]

I forgot to mention that my duties included washing down the surgery suite and instruments after surgeries too.

 

It's good that you know that is not something that you are interested in. Better to know your limits and politely decline than to pass out your first day in surgery.

 

Good luck with the job search!