Steps On How To Become Veterinary Nurse 2024

Veterinary nurses play a crucial role in assisting veterinarians with a variety of activities, including performing safe treatments and monitoring animals following surgery. Learning about the responsibilities of a veterinary nurse and how to become one might help you decide if this is a career you want to pursue. In this post, we will cover the tasks of a veterinary nurse, the compensation they make, how to become a veterinary nurse, and the skills you should develop if you are interested in the profession.

What is a veterinary nurse?

A veterinary nurse, sometimes known as a veterinary technician or technologist depending on the degree, is a medical practitioner who assists a licensed veterinarian in caring for sick or injured animals. They can work with either large or small animals and are typically employed at an animal clinic, hospital, or research facility.

What does a veterinary nurse do?

A veterinary nurse performs similar responsibilities to veterinarians while also assisting them with more sophisticated activities, like as surgical treatments. They may also help with nutritional management, dental cleaning, surgery planning, laboratory specimen analysis, physical therapy, and client education. Veterinary nurse duties may include:

• Helping veterinarians administer anesthesia
• Running tests on stool and blood samples
• Performing dental procedures
• Preparing an animal and surgical equipment for surgery
• Educating pet owners on aftercare protocols
• Give animals medications
• Take X-rays of animals
• Feeding inpatients
• Cleaning out animal kennels
• Helping bandage an animal
• Maintaining records of animals
• Holding and securing animals during their operations
• Interviewing clients about their pets during intake

How to become a veterinary nurse

1. Graduate from high school

In order to attend veterinary school, complete your high school education or earn a GED. While in school, focus on science and math since those subjects can be important in the veterinary field for various tasks such as weighing animals and measuring medicine dosages.

2. Gain experience with animals

Because work experience is typically required for employment as a veterinary nurse, gaining animal experience early on might be beneficial. This can help you determine whether being a veterinary nurse is a job you are interested in and want to seek more education for. Aside from veterinary clinics, consider volunteering at a local animal shelter or kennel.

3. Attend a nursing program

A veterinary nursing degree can be obtained from an AVMA-accredited college. Veterinary nurses can pursue a two-year degree to become a veterinary technician or a four-year degree to become a veterinary technologist. Classes address similar themes, such as:

• Medical terminology
• Biochemistry
• Anatomy
• Physiology
• Pharmacology
• Small animal nursing
• Preventive health care

4. Get licensed

Most veterinary nursing occupations require a licensure. Investigate your state’s criteria so that you may prepare to obtain your nursing license.

5. Earn a certification

Depending on where you live, you may also choose to pursue a certification in animal studies, veterinary nursing, or another similar field. Earning a certificate might help you specialize your expertise in the field and increase your work prospects. Earning a credential online often takes less than a year.

Skills for a veterinary nurse

Below are some skills needed to help a veterinary nurse excel:

• Communication: A veterinary nurse works with a veterinarian, other staff and talks with an animal’s owner about the animal’s condition and treatment plan, so being able to communicate clearly is helpful.
• Teamwork: Veterinary nurses work with a veterinarian and other veterinarian employees together to accomplish the overall goal of helping animals.
• Animal anatomy: To help veterinarians work on a particular part of an animal’s body, a veterinary nurse learns and is knowledgeable about animal anatomy.
• Compassion: Veterinary nurses may often have to give disappointing or concerning information to an animal’s owner so it’s important to be compassionate and understanding.
• Patient care: An understanding of patient care, or how to prevent and treat diseases and injuries can help veterinary nurses in their role of assisting veterinarians.
• Physical stamina: To perform tasks, veterinary nurses use physical strength when lifting animals to examination tables and working on their feet all day.

Salary and job outlook

A veterinary nurse earns an average national salary of about $22,439 per year. This can vary depending on their amount of expertise, educational background, and region.

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasts a 16% increase in veterinary nurse-related occupations by 2029. This rate exceeds the typical occupation growth rate of 4%, and the BLS attributes this to a high turnover rate in the field.

FAQs about veterinary nurses

What’s the difference between a veterinary nurse and a veterinary technician or assistant?

While all three roles help veterinarians perform their duties, they differ in the amount of education needed and the tasks they perform. A veterinary nurse assistant role has no educational requirements but involves a certification process. Veterinary technicians, however, have a bachelor’s degree and a veterinary nurse has either an associate or bachelor’s degree.

Job duties for a veterinary nurse assistant are under the supervision of a veterinary nurse and are less technical, such as feeding animals or weighing them for an appointment. Veterinary nurses perform more medical duties, such as administering medications, and veterinary technicians perform similar duties, such as preparing equipment.

Can a veterinary nurse become a veterinarian?

To become a veterinarian, a veterinary nurse would continue their education and earn their veterinarian’s license. Changing careers involves four more years of education but comes with a higher salary. Finding a job may also be easier because of your previous background as a veterinary nurse.

What are some common interview questions for a veterinary nurse?

Employers ask veterinary nurse candidates questions to learn about their work ethic and qualities. Interview questions may include:

• How would you remain helpful but avoid getting in the way during a procedure?
• How do you thoroughly sterilize a veterinary room?
• Can you name one complex veterinary procedure you helped your veterinarian to perform successfully?