Veterinary Care Assistant

RSPCA; Greater Manchester; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading animal welfare organization in Greater Manchester is seeking a Veterinary Care Assistant to join its dedicated team. The successful candidate will ensure high standards of animal care and assist with several veterinary tasks, including surgical preparation. Strong communication skills and previous experience in veterinary care are essential, along with an NVQ Level 2 in Animal Care or equivalent preferred. This full-time role offers the chance to make a difference in animal welfare.

Qualifications

• Previous experience in veterinary care is essential.
• Strong communication skills are required.
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues in a veterinary setting.

Responsibilities

• Care for animals within the veterinary hospital.
• Assist with surgical preparation and handling animals pre- and post-operation.
• Maintain cleanliness and hygiene standards in the hospital.

Skills

Previous experience of veterinary care work

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Teamwork with veterinary animal centre and Inspectorate colleagues

Self-motivation and time management

Education

NVQ Level 2 in Animal Care or equivalent (desirable)

Job description

A bit about us

Do you want to create a better world for animals? At the RSPCA, we believe all animals deserve kindness and respect. We work for the benefit of every animal – as well as pets, that includes farmed animals, wildlife, and animals used in science. Choose a career with us and make a difference for every kind.

We're looking for a Veterinary Care Assistant to join our Veterinary team at our Greater Manchester Animal Hospital on a full-time, permanent basis, reporting into one of our Nursing Team Leaders.

• Working hours : 35 hours on a 24 hour rotating shift basis including evenings and weekends.
• On-site : Your base will be at Greater Manchester Animal Hospital

Are you ready to be part of our journey and make a difference?

What a day might look like for you

We've added a short summary of what a typical day might look like, for a full insight please refer to the attached job description.

Our fabulous Veterinary Care Assistants are integral to the smooth running of the hospital.

You’ll start the day with a given area and patients to care for. These may have complex needs, or be more straightforward. You will be asked to keep them clean and cared for, give medications, update records and be alert to concerns. Or, you might be assisting with surgical cases in our operating theatre, helping prepare animals for surgery or ensure instruments are prepared for use.

No two days are the same and new, vulnerable animals are brought in, and moved along on their journey from rescue to rehome every day, so having great communications skills helps liaise with our other front line colleagues. It can be emotionally tough at times, but the rewards of successful outcomes and knowing you are making a difference are great.

You will be part of a big team with lots of opportunities to develop your skills in animal care.

Veterinary Care Assistants are proactive and collaborative to ensure high standards of animal welfare and biosecurity on a 24hr rota.

What you'll bring :

Do you think this sounds interesting? We think this is a great role and to add value we are seeking a match of these skills, but don't worry if you don't tick every box, we'd still love to hear from you.

• Previous experience of veterinary care work
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• The ability to demonstrate teamwork with veterinary animal centre and Inspectorate colleagues
• Self-motivation and an ability to manage your own time
• An NVQ Level 2 in Animal Care or equivalent e.g. VCA, ANA is desirable.

Successful candidates for certain RSPCA roles will need to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK - We are unable to sponsor visas at RSPCA

Final note from us & good luck with your application!

Due to high interest in some of our roles, we review applications as they are received. This can occasionally result in positions closing earlier than advertised. Therefore, we strongly recommend submitting applications early. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept applications after the posted closing date.

We want to ensure we do all we can to give you a positive candidate experience through our recruitment. Whilst we do try to give feedback where we can, sometimes due to receiving high levels of applications, this may not always be possible

We are building the future of a diverse Society, and our priority is to support animal welfare by finding people from all backgrounds who are committed to our mission. For this reason we actively encourage a wide diversity of applications - in particular from members of minority ethnic groups, and people with disabilities - as these candidates are currently under‑represented at the RSPCA. Your transferable skills & lived experiences could make you a valuable addition to our RSPCA Family!

Our mission is to ensure animals have a good life by rescuing and caring for those in need, by advocating on behalf of all animals and by inspiring everyone to treat them with compassion and respect