How to Become a Veterinary Assistant in North Dakota

Have you ever wondered what it is like to spend all working day with animals?

Is it rewarding and would you feel great if you give them your help in need?

These are the questions that the veterinary staff can answer.

But one thing is certain, they love animals and saving their lives is more than just fulfilling.

Job Description

If you ever thought about a career as a veterinary assistant you should bear in mind the fact that their job includes multiple activities and duties.

Besides their physical activities, such as dexterity, which is necessary to be able to handle both delicate lab equipment and scared or hurt animals, they need to possess technical and medical skills either.

It is true that they do not make decisions and just follow the veterinarian demands, still, veterinary assistants must provide first aid to animal patients and at those moments everything is entrusted to them.

They also need to be compassionate since they will be working with both animals and their owners.

Becoming a Veterinary Assistant in North Dakota

On one hand, it is a good thing that postsecondary education is not required to become a veterinary assistant, meaning that you can find a job and learn everything you need during work.

On the other hand, once in a veterinary clinic, you will not know what to do if an animal has a cut or what the best way to control fleas is, and that would be part of your daily job.

That is the moment when you realize that education is useful.

During the six months or one-year courses available, you will be focus­ing on the skills required to work in careers involving animal care.

Not only will you spend a large amount of time working with animals, but also you will learn safe handling skills and how to perform physical examinations and treatments.

The programs are usually structured around animal diseases, care and restraint, laboratory and surgical support preparation.

Veterinary assistant campus and online programs in North Dakota are:

• Lake Region State College
• Bismarck State College
• Dakota College at Bottineau

Requirements

In 2010, the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America founded a veterinary assistant approval program that allows both experienced and inexperienced veterinary assistants to complete it and earn the title of Approved Veterinary Assistant.

During those online or practical courses, students learn about animal health and disease, general care and basic laboratory procedures.

Since the veterinary clinic is not just a medical facility students also study computer operations and office procedures as well as marketing.

They have lectures in a lab, where the master surgical sup­port techniques and basic clinical laboratory procedures.

These programs prepare you well for a career working with animals in a variety of settings such as veterinary clinics, boarding kennels, and animal shelters.

Getting a Job

Veterinary assistants usually work in clinics and animal hospitals, where they perform a wide range of tasks to assist in caring for sick and injured animals.

Licensed veterinary assistants together with those unlicensed can search for employment in a variety of animal care environments.

If you cannot afford to open your businesses such as boarding kennels, dog daycares or pet sitting services,  you can always think about veterinary clinics and animal shelters where the veterinary staff is in constant demand.

However, you should know that nowadays veterinarians want to hire veterinary assistants with great medical and technical skills.

So, if you are interested in working as a veterinary assistant, you should spend some time learning about veterinary medicine, since the license will give you priority when looking for a job.

North Dakota does not have veterinary hospitals with national locations since the VCA, VETCO and Banfield Pet Hospitals have no facilities there.

Veterinary facilities are privately owned and this is the list of them:

• Missouri Valley Vet- Commerce
• Steele Veterinary Clinic
• Pinkerton Animal Hospital
• Southgate Veterinary Hospital
• Lewis and Clark Animal Hospital
• Turtle Mountain Veterinary Services
• Animal Health Clinic

Salary

Even though the salary of a veterinary assistant in the USA is not so high, they still find satisfaction in their job.

The income differs from state to state, and from city to city within one state.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary of a veterinary assistant in North Dakota is approximately $26 000 which is lower than in many other more developed states.

The difference between the cities exists, but it is not too exaggerated, since the lowest one is in Grand Forks $25 895, and the highest one is in West Fargo and Fargo $27 697.

Below is the table of the annual salary of a veterinary assistant in various cities in North Dakota.

Regional Salary in North Dakota

Duties

Daily duties of a veterinary assistant are versatile forms carrying out laboratory testing of blood and urine, monitoring patients after surgical procedures, educating pet owners on treatment, surgical procedures and medication for their pets to enhancing good hygiene.

Certified veterinary assistants use their education and skills to assist veterinarians during the surgery and treatment of animals.

Animal hospitals and veterinary clinics employ veterinary assistants to care for a variety of animals, but at the same time to deal with pet owners.

This is the situation where communication skills are especially important since much of their time is spent talking with veterinarians, office personnel and clients.

The daily routine and the amount of work of a veterinary assistant depends on the clients that the hospital, clinic or other animal facility has and it can vary a great deal.

Summary

If you think that you are a person able to spend whole life concerned about animal welfare and doing things to make animals more secure and healthy, you should choose a career of a veterinary assistant as your future vocation.

However, bear in mind that being a veterinary assistant is not only caring about dogs and cats but all kinds of creatures.

As a veterinary assistant, you should combine your love of animals with what you do for a living, and this future career will offer you a myriad of options in the fast-growing veterinary medicine field.

Veterinary Assisting by State