You might think that veterinary assistants spend their days playing with kittens and puppies, but their role is actually far more complex—and stressful.
Many veterinary assistants essentially serve as nurses to veterinarians, drawing blood, prepping for surgery and helping with X-rays.
Such tasks are all part of a typical day for Megen Santana, a veterinary assistant at Flagler Animal Hospital in Palm Coast, Fla.
"In human medicine, you might have a phlebotomist, a radiologist and an RN, but in veterinary medicine, we have to do it all," she says.
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It's not uncommon for veterinary assistants to work overnight shifts at 24-hour hospitals -- and to incur a scratch or two when handling frightened and injured animals. Veterinary assistants also need to be equipped to talk with pet owners, who can become frightened and emotional, too. (Pets are family, after all).
Despite the long hours and physical demands, experienced veterinary assistants earn a median salary of just $32,000 per year. But for many veterinary assistants, the work offers rewards that aren't financial.
"At the end of the day, you go home knowing that you made a difference and you may have saved an animal that couldn't save themselves, or you gave that animal a better life," Santana says.
