About On-the-Job Training to Be a Veterinary Assistant
People who love animals but are not necessarily interested in having to complete several years of academic studies and training in order to become a licensed veterinarian often enter the field of veterinary medicine as an assistant. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on-the-job training is the most common way animal care and service workers learn how to perfect their job duties.
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Identification
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The main distinction between a veterinary assistant and a veterinary technician is the formal education, certification and licensing that technicians are required to complete and obtain. Veterinary assistants are not involved in many of the same hands-on medical procedures involving animals, but may be called upon to assist in the occasional examination, to administer medications and to provide front office support, according to the Professional Veterinary Assistant School website.
Types
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Every business owner likes to have tasks completed in a specific fashion and by a certain time of the day. Veterinary assistants typically receive on the job training on how to conduct duties like filing patient charts, scheduling appointments, answering phones, processing bills, providing post operative care for animals, cleaning and disinfecting cages and examination rooms and feeding and exercising animals.
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Benefits
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According to the Career Services website, one of the greatest best benefits of on the job training is the opportunity it gives individuals to gain new skills that will be necessary to help advance their career in the future while actively earning money. And, the more adept they are and the more knowledge they gain, the more attractive them become to their current employer, boosting their level of job security.
Considerations
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Because they learn their required job duties via hands-on demonstrations by work colleagues, veterinary assistants must be able to work closely with others and take direction and criticism well, without feeling slighted or challenged. They also need to possess advanced interpersonal skills, which will be put into play when communicating with and listening to both co-workers and clients.
Effects
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On the job training gives veterinary assistants an insider's look at all of the challenges and rewards that are involved in the field of veterinary medicine. This will help the individual determine whether he or she is comfortable working with sick and injured animals, and whether the pursuit of a more advanced position in the field of veterinary medicine would be desirable.
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References
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