A veterinary technician is essentially the “right hand man” for a veterinary doctor. Just like medical doctors work with nurses, vets count on vet techs to help them with a variety of things.

The type of work that you will do as a veterinary technician varies widely depending on your experience, what type of setting you are working in, and your specialties. For example, a vet tech in a small-town clinic performs vastly different duties than an experienced vet tech specializing in anesthesia does while working in an emergency hospital.

Despite the range of responsibilities, there are some general procedures that almost all vet techs will take care of during their careers. This list is by no means exhaustive or set in stone.

Common Vet Tech Duties (in no particular order):

• Lab analysis (urine, blood, and fecal tests)
• Dental care assistance
• Preparation of samples (blood, fecal)
• Inducing and monitoring anasthesia
• General nursing duties
• Radiography (taking/developing X-rays)
• Client education
• Surgery preparation and assistance
• Cleaning (cages, instruments, patients)
• Patient restraint
• Obtain/record case information
• Dress wounds
• Office work (filing, answering calls)
• Exercising/walking patients
• Vaccinations
• Euthanasia

Things A Vet Tech Doesn’t Do:

• Patient diagnosis
• Surgery
• Prescriptions

So, as you can see, the list of vet tech responsibilities is pretty lengthy. Anything the vet needs help with, that’s what you’ll be there for.