Veterinary Care Assistant

Vets for Pets; Newbury; On-site; GBP 22,568 - 26,436; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee wellbeing

Practice team socials

Staff discount at Pets at Home and Vet

Job summary

Vets4Pets in Newbury is seeking a Veterinary Care Assistant to join a friendly, well-supported team. The role involves assisting vets and nurses, handling animals, and delivering outstanding client service in a busy practice.

You will contribute to stock management, reception duties, and day-to-day patient care, including appointments, microchips, and follow-up care. Training and a positive work-life balance are emphasised.

Qualifications

• Friendly and approachable, welcoming the clients and their pets.
• Excellent customer service and positive client experience.
• Genuine interest in animal welfare and patient care.
• Reliable, keen to learn and adapt in a busy practice.
• Strong communication and attention to detail; organised when busy.
• Computer literacy and basic administrative skills are essential.
• Previous veterinary or animal handling experience is not required.

Responsibilities

• Assist Vets and Nurses with holding animals.
• Stock control and processing daily orders.
• Clean, tidy and restock consultation rooms, reception, prep areas, kennels and theatres.
• Clean instruments and kennels, including bedding and equipment.
• Reception duties: booking appointments, insurance admin, registering microchips, scanning paperwork, calls and emails.
• Walk dogs, feed patients, prep for surgeries and assist in theatre setups.
• Prepare instruments for sterilisation and assist with theatre setup.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Animal welfare interest

Reliable

Organised

Computer literacy

Team player

Tools

Microsoft Office

CRM systems

Job description

Veterinary Care Assistant - Join a Supportive, Locally-Run Practice in Newbury

Do you have a passion for providing outstanding animal healthcare, delivering exceptional customer service and do you crave a new challenge? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you to join our close-knit and supportive team at Vets4Pets in Newbury!

About the Practice

We’re proud to be a modern, purpose-built, locally owned and managed small animal practice. This means decisions are made by people who work on-site and understand what it’s like to be in your shoes. We’ve built a team where everyone feels supported, respected and part of something meaningful. We see a broad and varied caseload, including advanced soft tissue and orthopaedic procedures, so no two days are quite the same.

You’ll be joining an experienced team of 5 Vets (including 3 Practice Partners), 4 Registered Veterinary Nurses (including a Nursing Manager), 3 Student Nurses, 4 Receptionists (including a Reception Manager) and a Practice Manager. It’s a well-balanced team where everyone plays a valuable role and contributes to a positive working environment.

What Your Typical Day Will Look Like

• Assisting the Vets and Nurses with holding animals.
• Stock control including unpacking the daily order/checking receipt of goods.
• Helping to clean, tidy and restock consultation rooms, reception area, prep area, kennels and theatres.
• Cleaning instruments.
• Cleaning out and making up kennels, including washing and drying bedding.
• Washing bowls and litter trays.
• Consultations such as nail clip appointments.
• Walking dogs.
• Feeding patients.
• Clipping and prepping patients ready for surgery.
• Packing instruments ready for sterilisation.
• Helping to set up theatre.
• Reception duties including delivering outstanding service to our clients and care for their pets, booking appointments and operations, setting up Care Plans, insurance admin, registering microchips, scanning paperwork, answering phones, managing emails and WhatsApp and cashing up at the end of the day.

What We Are Looking For

As a Veterinary Care Assistant, you will play a crucial role in supporting the smooth day-to-day running of the practice. Working closely with the clinical and reception teams, you will assist with a range of duties while helping to ensure the highest standards of patient care and client service are always maintained. This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to gain valuable experience within a veterinary environment.

The ideal candidate is someone who:

• Is friendly, approachable and enjoys being the welcoming face of the practice for clients and their pets.
• Takes pride in delivering excellent customer service and creating a positive client experience.
• Has a genuine interest in animal welfare and is committed to the highest level of patient care.
• Is reliable, keen to learn and stay up to date with the services offered by the practice.
• Remains calm, compassionate and attentive, even in challenging situations.
• Brings enthusiasm, positivity and has a genuine love of animals.
• Can provide comfort and support to clients during difficult times, while also sharing in the excitement of milestones such as a new puppy’s first visit.
• Is confident, conscientious and keen to work as part of a collaborative, professional and motivated team.
• Thrives in a busy role and is motivated by making a difference to pets, clients and colleagues alike.
• Has excellent communication skills, attention to detail and the ability to stay focused and organised, especially when the day gets busy.
• Has computer literacy and strong administrative skills.
• Has previous veterinary or animal handling experience, although this is not essential.
• Shows initiative and thrives in a fast-paced environment.

The Role

This is a full-time position, working 40 hours per week, with participation in the weekend rota (currently 1 in 5). There are no out of hours shifts and no overnight inpatient checks, so you can enjoy a healthy work life balance.

What We Offer You

We believe that a fulfilling role and a supportive environment make all the difference and we want your time with us to feel both rewarding and enjoyable.

Here’s what we offer:

• Salary range: £22,568.00 to £26,436.80 per annum.
• No out of hours or overnight inpatient checks.
• A focus on wellbeing, including regular practice lunch & learn sessions and team socials (summer and Christmas socials, and pub quizzes!)
• A contributory pension scheme.
• 20% colleague discount at Pets at Home, The Groom Room and Vets4Pets.
• Access to exclusive high street discounts and cashback rewards.
• Opportunities for genuine career development, supported by a leadership team who are on the ground and actively involved in day-to-day practice life.

Location: RG14 7HU

We take our inspiration from pets in embracing people from all walks of life, and we value, respect and celebrate difference. We encourage our people to be their best selves so that we can create a better world for Pets, our Planet, and People. Our ambition is to reflect the diversity of the communities we operate in, and we are intentional in addressing and removing barriers to create opportunities for the exceptional talent and potential in our communities. Even if your skills and experience don’t perfectly align, if you think you can make a unique contribution through your values and behaviours, we want to hear from you!