Associate Veterinarian

Tasks

• Examine animals to detect and determine the nature of diseases or injuries.

• Treat sick or injured animals by prescribing medication, setting bones, dressing wounds, or performing surgery.

• Collect body tissue, feces, blood, urine, or other body fluids for examination and analysis.

• Inoculate animals against various diseases, such as rabies or distemper.

• Counsel clients about the deaths of their pets or about euthanasia decisions for their pets.

• Operate diagnostic equipment, such as radiographic or ultrasound equipment, and interpret the resulting images.

• Advise animal owners regarding sanitary measures, feeding, general care, medical conditions, or treatment options.

• Educate the public about diseases that can be spread from animals to humans.

• Attend lectures, conferences, or continuing education courses.

• Establish or conduct quarantine or testing procedures that prevent the spread of diseases to other animals or to humans and that comply with applicable government regulations.

• Euthanize animals.

• Train or supervise workers who handle or care for animals.

• Research diseases to which animals could be susceptible.

• Plan or execute animal nutrition or reproduction programs.

• Perform administrative or business management tasks, such as scheduling appointments, accepting payments from clients, budgeting, or maintaining business records.

• Conduct postmortem studies and analyses to determine the causes of animals' deaths.

• Inspect and test horses, sheep, poultry, or other animals to detect the presence of communicable diseases.

• Provide care to a wide range of animals or specialize in a particular species, such as horses or exotic birds.

• Drive mobile clinic vans to farms so that health problems can be treated or prevented.

• Direct the overall operations of animal hospitals, clinics, or mobile services to farms.

• Specialize in a particular type of treatment, such as dentistry, pathology, nutrition, surgery, microbiology, or internal medicine.

• Determine the effects of drug therapies, antibiotics, or new surgical techniques by testing them on animals.

• Inspect animal housing facilities to determine their cleanliness and adequacy.

Skills

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

• 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.

• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

• Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

• 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.

• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

• 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.

• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Knowledge

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

• 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.

• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

• 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.

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.