What are the responsabilities of a veterinarian?

Vet techs perform many different duties within a veterinary office. Because the nature of the job involves interacting with live animals, vet techs must possess enough physical strength to restrain animals of all sizes during procedures. Candidates for this job must also be punctual people, as they sometimes perform kennel duties before the veterinarian arrives at the office. They also must be willing to take on-call duties, as some animal doctors will need help during off-hour emergencies. For this reason, vet techs also need some reliable form of transportation.

Veterinarians rely on their technicians to perform such duties as placing clients and their pets in examination rooms, weighing the animals and recording notes in a chart. Vet techs also sweep and clean off counters once the client has gone. They may have to bleach a table if the client who came in had a pet with a communicable disease. Because they come into contact with germs and fluids, vet techs frequently wear gloves and masks. Vet techs often prepare injections such as rabies vaccinations and help hold off animal veins when the doctors draw blood. They may also help process the blood in machines. Vet techs help prepare for animal surgeries by restraining animals while they are put under anesthesia. They at times participate in the surgeries by handing veterinarians needed tools and then sterilizing the tools afterwards.

Other duties vet techs perform include accurately refilling prescriptions for clients. They may be given access to potentially addictive drugs and candidates must be responsible individuals whom the doctors can trust with this access. Vet techs sometimes give animals a bath and pedicure and clean up any immediate messes if the kennel worker is not available. They also help with the task of putting animals to sleep. During the process of putting an animal down, vet techs must have a sympathetic and caring attitude toward the animal’s owner, as the experience is often emotionally difficult for them to endure. Techs may also be asked to dispose of the pet’s body once the procedure is done. The annual salary for a vet tech is $25,000, with experienced techs making as much as $40,000.