An animal care assistant job description can vary. There are even several names for the role including veterinary care assistant, patient care assistant and animal care assistant.  

The specific duties this role can involve vary depending on the practice or hospital, but generally speaking they are responsible for looking after animals in the care of the practice. This can include ensuring they are comfortable and clean, taking them out for exercise, as well as supporting vet and nurses in handling animals during consults or before surgeries.  

You will support the rest of the veterinary team, perhaps helping in the running of diagnostic tests, speaking to owners, and other duties that support the running of the practice or hospital. Your main role is to keep the animals in your care as happy and comfortable as they can. 

If you’re interested in entering into a career as a VCA, one of the first things you can do is start to build up a CV of animal-related work experience. 

To find out a bit more about how to get started on a career in veterinary nursing, please have a look at the BVNA website as it has some excellent information on VCA training. You can also read about the experiences of our vets and nurses on our blog.