Prince George's Community College

Health Care Support

Veterinary Assistance

Program Summary

Owners of pets and other animals today expect state-of-the-art veterinary care. To provide this service, veterinarians use the skills of veterinary assistants, technologists and technicians, who perform many of the same duties for a veterinarian that a nurse would for a physician, including routine laboratory and clinical procedures.

Veterinary assistants typically conduct clinical work in a private practice under the supervision of a veterinarian — often performing various medical tests along with treating and diagnosing medical conditions and diseases in animals. For example, they may perform laboratory tests such as urinalysis and blood counts, assist with dental prophylaxis, prepare tissue samples, take blood samples, or assist veterinarians in a variety of tests and analyses in which they often utilize various items of medical equipment, such as test tubes and diagnostic equipment. While most of these duties are performed in a laboratory setting, many tasks are not. For example, some veterinary assistants obtain and record patient case histories, expose and develop x-rays, and provide specialized nursing care. Additionally, experienced veterinary staff may discuss a pet’s condition with its owners and train new clinic personnel. Veterinary assistants who work for small-animal practitioners usually care for companion animals, such as cats and dogs, but can perform a variety of duties with mice, rats, sheep, pigs, cattle, monkeys, birds, fish, and frogs. Very few veterinary assistants work in mixed animal practices where they care for both small companion animals and larger, non-domestic animals.


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