How to Become a Veterinary Assistant in New Mexico

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How to Become a Veterinary Assistant in New Mexico

The love towards pets can be considered equal to the love towards people, and in some cases, it is even greater.

Their owners are so concerned about their welfare which leads to veterinary medicine becoming ever-growing field, offering an abundance of the job for people interested in working on the team focused on helping the animals in need.

If you consider yourself a compassionate and responsible person who is patient and have a genuine love for animals, then you have fulfilled the first and foremost requirement for the position of a veterinary assistant and should think about becoming one.

Job Description

As a veterinary assistant, you need to be ready to deal with all kinds of clients to teach them about animal care and support them when they are anxious about their best friend’s health.

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Being a team member, a veterinary assistant has to cooperate with other veterinary staff, as well.

The job of the veterinary assistant is to ensure that all animals brought to the clinic are in good condition, manage good hygiene by applying disinfectants to kill germs that could infect them with diseases, feed and bathe them regularly and administering medication as prescribed by the veterinarian.

When the administrative work is in question, they need to keep clear medical records of all animals attended to at the clinic, regulate payments and marketing, answer all clients’ inquiries and cooperate with other veterinary facilities.

Becoming a Veterinary Assistant in New Mexico

The ideal candidate for this kind of profession needs to be willing to learn new skills and develop his/her abilities as an assistant throughout his/her whole life.

Higher education is not necessary to get the job, but it is important for self-esteem during daily duties.

How important daily tasks will depend on the education and talents of each assistant, and that is why more and more employers look to hire people who have certifications from veterinary schools.

If you are interested in becoming a veterinary assistant in New Mexico, you should think about enrolling in one of the campuses throughout the country which offers veterinary assistant programs to their students.

These are veterinary assistant campus and  programs in New Mexico:

  • Central New Mexico Community College
  • Pima Medical Institute
  • Carrington College

Even though you do not necessarily need to enter these courses, this kind of education ameliorates your self-confidence and maks you a better candidate for the job.

Requirements

Qualifications are important when getting the job and this makes more people deciding to take the courses organized by NAVTA.

These training programs provide you with the certification which proves that you are ready to perform the role of a veterinary assistant.

It does not only improve your job prospects but once hired, gives you the chance of higher salary, since you will be able to do some examinations and minor surgery on animals, without the supervision of a veterinarian.

NAVTA offers veterinary assistants opportunities to become educated people and some of the NAVTA programs offered online are:

On the other hand, if you are interested in concrete education and real training, then you can choose among high school campus and adult campus programs throughout the country, including:

Getting a Job

Due to the increased number of veterinary clinics and hospitals, veterinary assistant’s positions are in constant demand.

The job growth is expected to increase in the future, and provide a variety of job offers.

Finding a job is not such a big problem, but there is a lack of educated and certified assistants.

Many people believe that they can gain knowledge by simply observing the work of a veterinarian, but this is not always the case, especially when the more serious issues are in question.

That is why the assistants with qualifications are more self-confident and prepared for all kinds of difficulties and at the same time have priority over uneducated candidates when applying for the job.

Here are some of the veterinary assistant employers in New Mexico:

Salary

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is collecting the data related to the annual salary of a veterinary assistant and how it varies among the cities around the USA.

The difference in salary among the cities within one particular state is somewhere more expressed, while in others it is not so great.

When it comes to New Mexico, the least paid are veterinary assistants in Las Cruces with $25 201 annually, while their colleagues in Santa Fe earn even $28 017 per year.

The table below shows the salary of a veterinary assistant in the state of New Mexico annually since it varies from one place to another.

Annual Salary Range:
$25K
$26K
$28K
10%
50%
90%
Annual Salary by Location:
Location Avg. Annual Salary
Alamogordo,NM $26,446
Albuquerque,NM $27,691
Clovis,NM $26,264
Farmington,NM $27,410
Hobbs,NM $25,577
Las Cruces,NM $25,201
Rio Rancho,NM $27,602
Roswell,NM $26,001
Santa Fe,NM $28,017
Sunland Park,NM $25,932

Regional Salary in New Mexico

Region Employed Avg. Annual Salary Avg. Hourly Pay Top 10% Annual Salary Bottom 10% Annual Salary
Albuquerque, NM270$31,510$15.15$40,950$26,610
Las Cruces, NM70$28,260$13.59$34,460$24,810
Santa Fe, NM60$32,030$15.4$39,900$28,540
* 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

First of all, a veterinary assistant must have excellent communication skills, because he/she is the first to come face to face with the clients.

He/she needs to be emphatic and compassionate to understand the emotions of a pet owner, and at the same time, patient enough to handle all the questions and concerns he/she has.

To successfully perform administrative duties, he/she needs to be detail-oriented and well-organized.

Answering phone calls and booking appointments are their easier duties, but they might also be involved in more challenging issues such as:

  • Take and develop x-rays.
  • Collect urine samples
  • Perform laboratory tests
  • Administer injections and medication
  • Prepare and maintain the exam rooms and treatment areas.

Summary

If all the above-mentioned duties sound good and manageable for you, then a career as a veterinarian assistant should be your future vocation.

USA Veterinary Assisting by State


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