How to hire veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Administer medication, immunizations, or blood plasma to animals as prescribed by veterinarians.
• Assist veterinarians in examining animals to determine the nature of illnesses or injuries.
• Clean and maintain kennels, animal holding areas, examination or operating rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease.
• Examine animals to detect behavioral changes or clinical symptoms that could indicate illness or injury.
• Fill medication prescriptions.
• Hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures.
• Monitor animals recovering from surgery and notify veterinarians of any unusual changes or symptoms.
• Perform routine laboratory tests or diagnostic tests, such as taking or developing x-rays.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent]
• Strong active listening, critical thinking, monitoring, reading comprehension, writing and speaking skills
• Working knowledge of customer and personal service, English Language, biology and administrative
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $18.34 an hour ($38,150 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

1. Tell me about a time you had to administer medication, immunizations, or blood plasma to animals as prescribed by veterinarians. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to assist veterinarians in examining animals to determine the nature of illnesses or injuries. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to clean and maintain kennels, animal holding areas, examination or operating rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to examine animals to detect behavioral changes or clinical symptoms that could indicate illness or injury. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
6. Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
7. How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers do

• Administer medication, immunizations, or blood plasma to animals as prescribed by veterinarians.
• Assist veterinarians in examining animals to determine the nature of illnesses or injuries.
• Clean and maintain kennels, animal holding areas, examination or operating rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease.
• Examine animals to detect behavioral changes or clinical symptoms that could indicate illness or injury.
• Fill medication prescriptions.
• Hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures.
• Monitor animals recovering from surgery and notify veterinarians of any unusual changes or symptoms.
• Perform routine laboratory tests or diagnostic tests, such as taking or developing x-rays.

Skills that matter most

Active ListeningCritical ThinkingMonitoringReading ComprehensionWritingSpeakingCustomer and Personal ServiceEnglish LanguageBiologyAdministrative

Education, experience and outlook for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers

• Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: 3 to 6 months (O*NET)
• Training on the job: Short-term on-the-job training (BLS)
• Job outlook: +9.1% over ten years, much faster than average · about 23,200 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

See veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers pay in every state

Related hiring guides

• Veterinary Technologists and Technicians
• Animal Caretakers
• Medical Assistants
• Paramedics
• Surgical Assistants
• Emergency Medical Technicians
• Nursing Assistants
• Phlebotomists
• Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
• Massage Therapists

Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.