How to Become a Vet Office Manager in Arizona

Arizona has many animal lovers and the latter surely want the former to be healthy.

If you’re one of these people and want to be more implicated, you could consider a job as a vet office manager.

This position allows you to help animals, but you’re less likely to have to help in surgeries and other procedures.

Your job is similar to that of an office manager than any other occupation.

If this intro caught your attention, you should read the rest of this article!

Job Description for Vet Office Managers

Vet office managers are met in clinics and hospitals for animals and possibly animal rescues.

As mentioned above, a veterinary office manager’s job description and tasks are similar to those of administrative assistants or office managers.

It’s understood that every office operates differently, including those in the same industry.

Let’s list some of the most common responsibilities that vet office managers have:

• Making appointments,
• Billing pet owners,
• Ordering supplies,
• Supervising office staff

Job descriptions are useful to both employers and future employees.

The employers are usually the owners of the veterinary practices.

When applying for a job, you’ll have to meet some requirements.

Having between 1 and 7 years of work experience is usually mandatory for this job.

Another requirement is related to your education.

It’s not uncommon to be asked only for a high school diploma or a GED for certain positions.

It’s also not out of the ordinary to need a diploma related to this occupation.

Becoming a Vet Office Manager in Arizona

If you have gotten more interested in the vet office manager job, then you should learn how you can become one.

Your career typically starts with finishing high school or earning a GED.

The next step could be enrolling in a degree program like an associate’s or bachelor’s.

You’ll want the degree to be in business administration or another field related to this job.

An alternative next step after high school is to become certified to have more credentials.

One of the certifications can be earned from the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA).

To earn it, you’ll need to enroll in the program and then pass an exam.

You can even become a member of this Association, however, this is not mandatory.

There are testing centers across Arizona where this exam is organized.

You can’t take the exam for free.

The fee differs as follows:

• $675 for members of VHMA
• $825 for those who are not members.

Vet Office Manager Training Programs in Arizona

You learned so much about this occupation this far, that you need to have a look at some training programs.

Central Arizona College

Not everyone likes or can attend college classes in person.

Luckily, this college caters its vet office manager training program exactly to these types of students.

The program has a duration of 18 months.

During this period, you’ll be completing 450 hours of courses.

This program includes 3 vouchers for:

• QuickBooks Certified User Exam
• Microsoft Word and Excel exams

The Word and Excel exams are taken separately one from the other.

These 3 computer applications are the basic ones used in an office.

For this complete course, you’ll have to pay the full price of $6,170.

However, the sum can be managed through Affirm, for monthly installments.

Furthermore, you might be lucky and find a discount on the tuition for this program.

Study subjects include:

• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel
• Veterinary Assistant
• Professional Bookkeeping with QuickBooks Online

Valdosta State University 

This university is not located in Arizona but offers an online course specifically tailored for future vet office managers.

Just like the previous program, this one also has open enrollment at any time.

If you want to enroll in this program, you need to graduate from high school or have a GED, though this is not mandatory.

Some topics you’ll study are:

• Physiology and Anatomy 1 through 4
• Front Office Duties
• Canine Restraint
• Feline and Exotic Restraint
• External and Internal Parasites
• Surgery 1 and 2

You’ll have about 180 days to complete the course, but extensions are available where needed.

Salary for Vet Office Manager in Arizona

You learned what a veterinarian office manager is, how to become one, and where you can train for the job.

Now it’s time to learn how much you’ll earn as a vet office manager.

In Arizona, veterinarian office managers earn on average around $84,137 annually.

Remember that in some areas of the state, the salaries are higher than in others.

To better understand this phenomenon, study the table below.

Regional Salary in Arizona

Vet Office Manager by State