With this said, a veterinary clinic needs a veterinary receptionist in order to attend to the needs of the many patients that may come. The veterinary receptionist's main goal is to help not only the animals and restore them to good health, but also to help the humans who take care of them and understand their every need. A good veterinary receptionist must have patience and a love for animals above all. He or she must also know how to deal with the animals' primary caretaker. He or she must have compassion as well as the ability to listen.
In that respect, a veterinary receptionist must have the necessary interpersonal as well as clerical skills in order to address every concern and to help the veterinarian in the healing process. A veterinary receptionist's main job description and responsibilities will be discussed in the following paragraphs.
Professional veterinary receptionists help in the clerical as well as non clerical duties in veterinary clinics. They assist the doctors in performing medical procedures on the animals. A veterinary assistant needs to assist the veterinarian in everyday clinical procedures like anesthesia monitoring, preparing for surgeries, surgery assisting, administering medications, taking X-Rays, giving medicated baths, etc. They also need to counsel clients on training methodologies. They are also required to do administrative jobs. He also needs to prepare client charts and do filing and cashiering.
This veterinary receptionist should be able to address the concern of each and every animal caretaker that comes along. It also helps to have an open and communicative personality to be able to clearly convey the message that needs to be told.
A veterinary assistant also need to perform a receptionists' duties in case there are too many patients to attend to. Veterinary receptionists primarily must possess qualities to carry out all of these duties in order for them to qualify for the job.
The standard educational attainment for veterinary receptionists is a college degree as well as professional training in animal care. An associate degree in veterinary medicine would suffice. This is because the primary role of a veterinary receptionist is to assist the doctors and not to treat the animals themselves. Some veterinary schools offer courses for aspiring veterinary receptionists as part of veterinary medicine training. In addition, training in animal psychology may also prove very useful in this field. This is on account of the basic need to understand animal behavior as well as their personalities.
General clerical skills and medical aid knowledge is needed. He or she should also have hospice care experience as well as physical fitness and overall good health. People in this field must also know basic psychology in order to empathize with the animal caretakers. They must be well-organized, patient, and friendly. A veterinary receptionist needs to have excellent communication skills as they need to greet clients, schedule appointments, and answer phones.
As mentioned above, veterinary receptionists should have basic training in animal and hospice care to be able to aid the veterinarian in caring for the poor animals. Also they will have to be well versed in the current trends of veterinary medicine as well.
Experience in office work will prove to be very useful in this line of work. Also, typing skills as well as the basic knowledge of internet use is a must. Extensive training in animal pharmacology may be a necessity too.
Once you complete a Veterinary Assistant or a Receptionist course, you can apply for a job in veterinary clinics, university labs, private drug firms, marine facilities, riding stables, or dairy barns. You can also have your own pet-sitting or animal daycare business.
Due to the lack of proper animal care facilities in some countries, there is a severe void of opportunities for veterinary receptionists in such countries. Most of the animal care facilities are in the United States. However, there are still a few facilities that you can try to apply to within the Asia Pacific.
In the U.S. the average salary of a veterinary receptionist is about $22,000. The standard salary for veterinary receptionists in Asian countries is not that high compared to those in Europe and North America. This is due to low economic standards as well as the absence of proper law enforcement for animal care.
Animal care should be given more attention by the governments of all countries because animals are also an important part of our community. With this, the need for veterinary receptionists will rise globally.
