Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretaker Career

Job Description: Feed, water, and examine pets and other nonfarm animals for signs of illness, disease, or injury in laboratories and animal hospitals and clinics. Clean and disinfect cages and work areas, and sterilize laboratory and surgical equipment. May provide routine postoperative care, administer medication orally or topically, or prepare samples for laboratory examination under the supervision of veterinary or laboratory animal technologists or technicians, veterinarians, or scientists.


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Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretaker Career

What skills are required for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers?

Importance Skills
  Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
  Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
  Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
  Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

What knowledge is needed to be a Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretaker?

Importance Knowledge
  Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
  Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
  Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
  Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
  Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
  Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
  Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Work Styles

Importance Styles
  Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
  Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
  Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
  Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
  Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
  Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
  Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
  Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
  Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
  Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
  Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
  Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
  Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
  Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
  Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
  Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.