Veterinary Assistant Resume Samples (Plus Tips And Skills)

If you are considering a career in veterinary medicine, you might start as a veterinary assistant. Applying for jobs in the field of veterinary medicine can require a strong resume to show a potential employer that you are both experienced with medicine and procedures and that you possess the right skills to excel in the job. Understanding how to write a resume is a skill you can use throughout your career, whether you are an entry-level assistant or an experienced professional.

In this article, we provide two veterinary assistant resume samples to help you write your own, share templates for each resume sample, discuss how to write a better resume and list some important skills for this profession.

Please note that none of the companies, institutions or organisations mentioned in this article are associated with Indeed.

What Are Veterinary Assistant Resume Samples?

Veterinary assistant resume samples are professional documents that show what a resume for a veterinary assistant might look like. You can use such samples to create your own resume. They show the layout, style and information to include on a resume for readability.

Related: Important Vet Tech Resume Skills And How To Highlight Them

How To Write A Veterinary Assistant Resume?

If you want to write a strong veterinary assistant resume, consider these steps:

1. Create an outline

An outline can be a useful tool for creating a resume because it helps you see where to put each section and what style you can use to make the document more professional. Consider using a template or outline to draft a quick draft of your resume's format and determine where to put your information. You can also read the job description and determine which skills and qualifications you have that best match the employer's requirements.

2. Write a header and professional summary

Start your resume with a header that provides your personal information and contact info. This includes a full name, location, phone number and email. Then, write a professional summary that is between two and four sentences that describes your basic qualifications and career goals and introduces you as a person. You can mention skills you might expand on later or that the employer specifically requested in the job description, like veterinary medicine, animal care or patient documentation.

Related: How To Become a Veterinary Doctor (With Skills And FAQs)

3. Write about your experience

If you have experience in the field, you can list it in the next section. If you are inexperienced, list your education first. When you discuss your professional experience, keep all information relevant to the field and start with your most recent veterinary-related position. You might already have experience as a vet assistant or spent time volunteering in an animal shelter or hospital. Describe your duties and achievements in a few bullet points to show context for your veterinary medicine skills.

4. Describe your education and skills

If you have experience, you can list your education before your skills section. Education is important because most veterinary assistant positions require at least some education, specifically a bachelor's degree. Describe any relevant qualifications or degrees you hold, starting with the level of degree and major. You can also list relevant veterinary certifications in this section, starting with the most recent. If you accomplished any of these qualifications in the previous five years, list the year you received it.

In the final section, list between three and six core skills in veterinary medicine. You can list them in sentence form with a comma separating each, or list form with a vertical line before each skill to improve readability. Try to choose skills that match the job description to help your resume look more viable to a potential employer.

Related: Veterinarian Skills: Definition And Ways To Improve Them)

Skills For A Veterinary Assistant Resume

Here are some skills you might include on a veterinary assistant resume:

• Veterinary medicine

• Basic animal care

• Diagnosis

• Analytical skills

• Patient care

• Leadership

• Animal handling

• Computer skills

• Medical documentation

• Aggressive animal experience

• Customer service

Related: Essential Vet Tech Skills: Definition And Examples

Tips For A Good Resume

If you want to write a good resume, consider the following tips:

• Use a template. A template is a useful tool that can help you create a professional resume in minutes. Consider downloading a template to avoid the outlining step and move directly to your first draft.

• Highlight your most relevant skills. Read through the job description and pick out skills that match your skill set. Then, include them on your resume and highlight them in your job experience to show you are qualified.

• Describe specific animal handling experience. Veterinary medicine can sometimes have unique disciplines, such as working with venomous or aggressive animals. Describe any experience you have with animal handling, especially difficult animals.

• Proofread your draft. Proofread your draft to ensure you do not make any grammatical mistakes that might jeopardise the professional look of your resume.

Resume Templates

Here are the templates you can use for an entry-level or experienced veterinary assistant position:

Three years of experience or more:

Here is a template for experienced assistants:

[First name] [Last name], [Degree or certification if applicable]

[Phone number] | [Email address] | [City], [State]

Professional Summary

[Two to three sentences that highlight years of experience, relevant skills, education or certifications, and achievements as a professional.]

Experience

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]

[Company Name] | [City], [State]

• (Strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results

• [Job duty]

• [Job duty]

• [Job duty]

• [Job duty]

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]

[Company Name] | [City], [State]

• (Strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results

• [Job duty]

• [Job duty]

Skills

[Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill]

Education

[Degree and major], [Name of school or university]

[City], [State]

Related: What Does Zookeeper Do? Information About The Job Role

Entry-level resume

Here is a template for an entry-level resume:

[First name] [Last name], [Degree or certification if applicable]

[Phone number] | [Email address] | [City], [State]

Professional Summary

[Two to three sentences that highlight your years of experience, relevant skills, education or certifications and achievements as an entry-level professional]

Education

[Degree], [Major] | [Date of graduation]

[Name of School or University]

Optional

[Certification Name], [Host organisation] - [Year completed or expiration date]

Experience

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]

[Company Name] | [City], [State]

• (Strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results

• [Job duty]

• [Job duty]

• [Job duty]

• [Job duty]

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]

[Company Name] | [City], [State]

• (Strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results

• [Job duty]

• [Job duty]

Skills

Option 1

[Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill]

Option 2

[Category]: [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill]

[Category]: [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill] | [Skill]

Related: How Much Does A Veterinary Doctor Make? (Duties And Skills)

Veterinary Assistant Resume Samples

Here are some veterinary assistant resume samples you can use to create your own:

Example 1

This resume shows a candidate with more than three years of experience as a veterinary assistant:

Armon Saddha, Associate's in Veterinary Medicine

34-58284-56292 | a.saddha@email.com |Kolkata, West Bengal

Professional Summary

Professional Veterinary Assistant with proven experience in veterinary medicine. Skilled in basic analysis and diagnosis and minor surgery assistance.

Experience

Veterinary Assistant | March 2020–Current

Shiva Veterinary Centre | Kolkata, West Bengal

• Provide any general assistance required by the licensed veterinarian

• Assist with surgical procedures

• Check-in patients and record insurance info

• Make follow-up calls to patients

• Practice strong medical ethics for treating animals

Veterinary Assistant | August 2018–March 2020

Sumbur Vet Hospital | Kolkata, West Bengal

• Provided treatment assistance to the licensed veterinarian

• Helped diagnose ailments

• Organised and filed patient paperwork

Skills

Patient analysis | Surgery prep | Medical documentation | Customer service | Veterinary medicine

Education

Associate Degree of Veterinary Medicine, Bengal School of Veterinary Medicine

Kalkota, West Bengal

Example 2

This example shows an entry-level veterinary assistant:

Saraj Patel

49-39023-69347 | s.patel@email.com | Kolkata, West Bengal

Professional Summary

Newly graduated veterinary medicine student with entry-level experience working in a veterinary hospital setting. Strong customer service, animal care and veterinary medicine skills.

Education

Bachelor's Degree of Veterinary Medicine | August 2022

West Bengal Veterinary Academy

Experience

Front Desk Associate | November 2019–Current

Luna's Veterinary Hospital | Kolkata, West Bengal

• Provide basic customer service to patients

• Answer phone calls

• File paperwork and assign appointments

• Check-in patients

• Respond to patient enquiries

Animal Shelter Volunteer | August 2014–November 2019

Kolkota| West Bengal

• Helped feed animals on a daily basis

• Changed animal bedding, straw and litter boxes

• Provided basic hygiene for animals

Skills

Animal grooming | Veterinary medicine| Animal care | Customer service | Organisation