How to Become a Veterinary Assistant in Missouri

Search Veterinary Assistant Programs

Get information on Veterinary Assistant programs by entering your zip code and request enrollment information.

Sponsored Search

How to Become a Veterinary Assistant in Missouri

For most people nowadays pets became members of their families, meaning that their welfare is of crucial importance.

That makes veterinary vocation even more demanding and requires a higher level of knowledge in dealing with animals.

If you consider yourself an absolute pet lover ready to dedicate your life to animal welfare then a bright career as a veterinary assistant awaits you, but you need to have in mind the fact that veterinary assistants play a crucial role in helping out veterinarians.

Job Description

A veterinary assistant is a person who performs tasks about taking care of both big and small animals.

Featured Program

Earn your accredited, affordable Veterinary Assistant career diploma online with Penn Foster in as little as 12 months!

Request Information
SPONSORED
Search Veterinary Assistant Programs

Get information on Veterinary Assistant programs by entering your zip code and request enrollment information.

Sponsored Listings

Every pet hospital relies on contributions from its veterinary assistants.

Each day in an animal hospital hides a myriad of work-related responsibilities that a veterinary assistant has to face with.

They are examining injured or ill animals, provide comfort and support to pet owners when their beloved animals undergo surgical procedures and keep records updated.

Although veterinary assistants assist veterinarians and other veterinary care staff, some responsibilities are left to them and they have to deal with it alone.

Becoming a Veterinary Assistant in Missouri

Those eager to become veterinary assistants should take into consideration the fact that some kind of education is necessary to be ready to act in emergencies.

Even though you might learn many things while working with a veterinarian, there are training programs that offer license or certification and at the same time prepare you to be a good and competent veterinary assistant.

With having passed the training program, you get acquainted with all the demands that this vocation can put in front of you.

The curriculum covers issues related to basic animal health, care for pets when they are in the surgery and routine examinations and procedures that veterinary assistants are often asked to help with.

You learn to understand how the body functions normally, some basic anatomy and physiology of animals and to understand the areas of reproduction and genes.

Possible colleges where all this can be learned in Missouri are:

  • Midwest Institute
  • Metropolitan Community College
  • Jefferson College

Requirements

Veterinary assistants do not have to worry about solving problems since they work alongside veterinarians.

Nevertheless, there are emergencies when a veterinarian is not available and everything is in the hands of an assistant.

That is when knowledge and education come into play.

Veterinary assistant certificate programs offer students experience working with animals through hands-on experiences.

The best education can be achieved by enrolling in some of NAVTA certified programs.

Some of the NAVTA programs offered online are:

Both online programs and regular programs at schools, institutes, and colleges are designed to suit both employed veterinary assistants and newcomers.

Courses often offered to include animal health vocabulary, veterinary pharmacology, animal injury care, and front-office procedures.

Getting a Job

Veterinary assistants usually look for jobs in laboratories, animal hospitals, and clinics, depending on the level of education they have.

Since facilities often stay open around the clock, so veterinary assistants may have to work irregular hours, part-time, full-time, night shifts and even during holidays.

Veterinary assistant job opportunities are expected to be even more attractive than they are now because the number of job openings is expected to exceed the number of new graduates.

Demand for veterinary care also has grown throughout the recent years, as animals’ medical care is an important priority for most owners.

What is more important is the fact that the number of veterinary assistant positions should continue to increase.

Here is the list of potential employers in Missouri:

Salary

Once deciding to become a veterinary assistant, you should not expect to have a high salary.

Also, those who are not licensed cannot be paid equally with some other assistants who got educational training to become veterinary assistants at community colleges, technical schools or online courses.

Employment of veterinary assistants is projected to grow which might cause the increment of annual salary.

The salary varies from city to city, depending on numerous factors.

When it comes to Missouri, the lowest salary is in Joplin estimated at $28,353, while the highest is in Florissant $ 29,144.

There is not a significant difference among cities as it is present in other states.

Annual Salary Range:
$28K
$28K
$29K
10%
50%
90%
Annual Salary by Location:
Location Avg. Annual Salary
Blue Springs,MO $29,032
Chesterfield,MO $29,018
Columbia,MO $28,902
Florissant,MO $29,144
Independence,MO $29,111
Jefferson City,MO $28,653
Joplin,MO $28,353
Kansas City,MO $29,142
Lees Summit,MO $29,032
O Fallon,MO $28,954
Saint Charles,MO $29,034
Saint Joseph,MO $28,866
Saint Louis,MO $29,192
Saint Peters,MO $28,970
Springfield,MO $28,590

Regional Salary in Missouri

Region Employed Avg. Annual Salary Avg. Hourly Pay Top 10% Annual Salary Bottom 10% Annual Salary
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL30$28,900$13.89$36,270$23,650
Columbia, MO100$30,580$14.7$34,280$24,590
Jefferson City, MO50$29,060$13.97$37,220$23,530
Joplin, MO40$28,240$13.58$34,020$23,900
Kansas City, MO-KS690$32,080$15.43$43,310$26,260
St. Louis, MO-IL1,070$32,410$15.58$37,150$27,840
* Salary information based on the May 2022 Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Survey for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, OCC Code 31-9096, BLS.
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.

Duties

Veterinary assistants typically do the following:

  • Feed, bathe and exercise animals
  • Clean and disinfect cages,
  • Make sure that everything is sterilized in examination and operation rooms
  • Restrain animals
  • Take care of animals after surgery
  • provide first aid to sick and injured animals
  • Give medication
  • Assist in the collection of blood, urine, and tissue samples.

All these are daily duties, but depending on the education and talents of each assistant, some of them may be asked to even perform minor surgery and intervention.

Working without the supervision of a veterinarian makes him/her a valuable member of an animal healthcare team.

The easiest duty of all is providing customer-service skills as they will work with animal owners and collaborate with other facilities.

Summary

The veterinary assistant job may be rewarding and satisfying only for those people who would not mind spending all working day working not only with animals but cooperating with people as well.

Being a veterinary assistant means combining your love of animals with what you do for a living.

Future possible candidates for this vocation should take into consideration the various roles that a veterinary assistant performs in a veterinary clinic or animal shelter and all the obligations and responsibilities that go with this job.

And what is even more important is to understand that you will have to handle the unpleasant side of this job.

USA Veterinary Assisting by State


Leave a Comment

×
Search Veterinary Assistant Programs

Get information on Veterinary Assistant programs by entering your zip code and request enrollment information.

Sponsored Search