Veterinary Assistant - Farm Animal

Auburn University; Auburn (AL); On-site; USD 31,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is seeking a Veterinary Assistant to support Farm Animal Services in a role covering outpatient, inpatient, and ambulatory care for livestock and some large exotic animals.

Typical schedule is Mon-Fri from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, with occasional call-backs and weekend needs. The role involves rabies vaccination requirements and CDC-guideline compliance for staff health safety.

Qualifications

• Level II requires a high school diploma plus 2 years of professional experience in the care and comfort of animals.
• Level III requires a high school diploma plus 4 years of professional experience in the care and comfort of animals.
• Substitutions Allowed For Education: Related work experience may be accepted in lieu of education (2 years of experience for each year of required education).
• Substitutions Allowed For Experience: Degrees may be accepted in lieu of experience.

Responsibilities

• Assist with the instruction of veterinary students in completing an initial exam, catheter placement, oral/nasogastric intubation, routine hoof trims, animal handling, animal behavior, surgical preparation, fluid therapy, usage of equipment used in performing medical procedures.
• Provide direct patient care, including but not limited to, physical exams, administration of medications/vaccinations, catheter placement, oral/nasogastric intubation, collection of biomedical samples, administration of fluid/blood/plasma therapy, case monitoring.
• Maintain an adequate floor stock through ordering of supplies, restocking, and perform routine cleaning of hospital barns, lab equipment, research facilities, and ambulatory vehicles.
• Assist with timely completion of client medical records, including bill, through clear communication with clinicians and residents, imputing charges as directed, clear communication with audit department on completion of bills.
• Assist with the preparation for medical procedures, including surgeries, by gathering supplies, preparing surgical fields, nerve blocks, sedation protocols.
• Operates, maintains, repairs, and clean animal handling equipment/laboratory/research/clinical equipment as needed to maintain proper functions of the services.
• Performs routine laboratory procedures on biomedical samples, inspects facilities, equipment, and supplies daily, as well as observes health status of university and client owned animals, environmental conditions, temperature, and sanitation.

Skills

Animal care

Patient handling

Team collaboration

Documentation

Education

High school diploma + 2 years animal care experience

High school diploma + 4 years animal care experience

Job description

Overview

The College of Veterinary Medicine seeks a Veterinary Assistant to support Farm Animal Services by performing a variety of duties related to the care and treatment of animal patients, including outpatient, inpatient, and ambulatory cases. This service primarily supports livestock and some large exotic animals. This position is Mon – Fri from 7:30 am until 5:30 pm. Flexibility is required as call-backs and/or weekends may be needed occasionally. Learn more about VET MED and take a campus tour here: https://www.auburnvetmed.com/ This position involves direct contact with animals susceptible to rabies. Employees in this role must complete a rabies pre-exposure vaccination series and maintain adequate rabies antibody titer (≥0.5 IU/mL) as recommended by CDC guidelines. Auburn University will cover the cost of the rabies vaccination series, periodic titer checks, and any necessary boosters.

Responsibilities

Essential functions include, but are not limited to:

• Assist with the instruction of veterinary students in completing an initial exam, catheter placement, oral/nasogastric intubation, routine hoof trims, animal handling, animal behavior, surgical preparation, fluid therapy, usage of equipment used in performing medical procedures.
• Provide direct patient care, including but not limited to, physical exams, administration of medications/vaccinations, catheter placement, oral/nasogastric intubation, collection of biomedical samples, administration of fluid/blood/plasma therapy, case monitoring.
• Maintain an adequate floor stock through ordering of supplies, restocking, and perform routine cleaning of hospital barns, lab equipment, research facilities, and ambulatory vehicles.
• Assist with timely completion of client medical records, including bill, through clear communication with clinicians and residents, imputing charges as directed, clear communication with audit department on completion of bills. Assist clinicians, house officers and students with library, medical records search, write procedures and reports, prepare data for presentations and case load summaries. Communicate with clients with concerning bills, appointments, patient history.
• Assist with the preparation for medical procedures, including surgeries, by gathering supplies, preparing surgical fields, nerve blocks, sedation protocols.
• Operates, maintains, repairs, and clean animal handling equipment/laboratory/research/clinical equipment as needed to maintain proper functions of the services.
• Performs routine laboratory procedures on biomedical samples, inspects facilities, equipment, and supplies daily, as well as observes health status of university and client owned animals, environmental conditions, temperature, and sanitation.

Qualifications

Depending upon the combination of education and experience, the qualified candidate will be selected as Veterinary Assistant and assigned Levels II or III.

Level II: Requires a high school diploma plus 2 years of professional experience in the care and comfort of animals.

Level III: Requires a high school diploma plus 4 years of professional experience in the care and comfort of animals. Experience must include at least 2 years at the preceding level or equivalent.

Substitutions Allowed For Education: Related work experience may be accepted in lieu of education (2 years of experience for each year of required education).

Substitutions Allowed For Experience: Degrees may be accepted in lieu of experience.

Contract Type

Continuing

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Equal Opportunity Compliance Statement

It is our policy to provide equal employment and education opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other classification protected by applicable law. Please visit the Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance's website to learn more.

Posted Date

9/4/2026