Veterinary Assistant - Ophthalmologist

VCA Animal Hospitals, Inc; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 25,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Paid vacation/sick days

401(k)

Pet discounts

Job summary

VCA Veterinary Care Animal Hospital & Referral Center in Albuquerque, NM is hiring a Veterinary Assistant for the Ophthalmology Department. The role offers full‑time hours, a 4‑day workweek with 10‑hour shifts, and hourly pay between $18 and $26.

Benefit options include medical, dental, vision, and paid time off as part of a comprehensive package. We will hire credentialed technicians or on‑the‑job trained staff, with strong teamwork, flexibility, and a willingness to learn.

Qualifications

• Team‑based mindset and willingness to collaborate.
• Veterinary anesthesia experience is required.
• On‑the‑job training available for new staff.
• Assist with ophthalmology procedures and general veterinary support.

Responsibilities

• Assist with ophthalmology procedures and general veterinary tasks.
• Monitor anesthetic procedures and patient safety.
• Help with instrument cleaning and pack preparation.
• Maintain cardiac equipment and routine post‑surgical care.

Skills

Team player

Self-improvement

Flexible scheduling

Adaptable

Respectful humor

Job description

Job Description

We are VCA Veterinary Care Animal Hospital & Referral Center, or just VCA Vet Care to our friends. We’re located 5,312 feet above sea level* in beautiful, fun, and (if you ask us) highly underrated Albuquerque, New Mexico. Our hospital is growing, so we would like to add a Veterinary Assistant to our Ophthalmology Department.

Location: 8850 Holly Ave NE, unit K Albuquerque, NM 87122

Salary: $18 - 26 per hour

Schedule: Full-Time, 4 days, 10-hour shift

Our hospital has both primary care (a.k.a. GP) and specialty/ER services, including oncology, surgery, ophthalmology, cardiology, and internal medicine. It’s an amazing place to grow your career in veterinary patient care, since you’ll get hands‑on experience with a huge variety of cases and have the opportunity to learn from many, many helpful and knowledgeable people. We have a supportive, highly involved tech manager team and an experienced group of techs in every department that you’ll be able to lean on from day one.

We will hire both credentialed technicians and on‑the‑job‑trained veterinary assistant staff with appropriate levels of skill and knowledge. Eager to learn but short on experience? That’s cool too! We are 100% willing to train when we find folks who are a great fit with our culture.

Team member traits we are looking for:

• Ready and willing to function as part of a team
• Committed to self‑improvement, personally and professionally
• Flexible, in terms of scheduling availability and in terms of taking what the day gives you
• Receptive to new responsibilities and different approaches
• Kind, respectful, food‑motivated, and possessing an excellent sense of humor

You would be assisting with those procedures, monitoring any anesthetic procedures, helping with instrument cleaning and pack prep, maintaining cardiac equipment, plus all the normal veterinary medical support staff stuff- patient restraint, IVC placement, phlebotomy, post‑surgical patient recovery, etc. Veterinary anesthesia experience is required. Advanced anesthetic skills are preferred, but are not required.

Benefits : We offer competitive compensation along with a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, and paid vacation/sick days, 401(k), generous employee pet discounts, and more!

Benefits: We offer competitive compensation along with a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision and paid vacation/sick days, 401(k), generous employee pet discounts and more!

The information in this position description indicates the general nature and level of work to be performed. It is not designed to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of associates assigned to this job. Management reserves the right to revise the job description or require that other tasks be performed when the circumstances of the job change (for example, emergencies, change in personnel, workload, or technical development).

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer - Veterans / Disabled. For a complete EEO statement please see our career page at vcacareers.com