09/09/2026
🐾 Veterinary Assistant (Part-Time) – Grand Island Veterinary Hospital 🐾
🎉 We’re adding to our team—and we’re excited about it.
Grand Island Veterinary Hospital is a one-doctor small animal practice looking for a part-time Veterinary Assistant to join us on the treatment floor. This is an in-office, hands-on role in Grand Island. It is a chance to be a real part of a close-knit clinic, not just another name on a schedule.
🐶🐱 We are dedicated to longer, happier lives together for pets and the people who love them. We’re looking for a dependable, observant, and animal-focused teammate who can support our doctor, technicians, front desk, and the rest of the hospital team with competence and composure.
This is a physically and mentally demanding role. You will handle animals that are frightened, painful, or unpredictable. You will receive instructions, carry them out accurately, notice when something does not look or feel right, and speak up. Success requires more than completing a checklist: you must retain procedures, recognize when a patient is declining or a task is incomplete, ask thoughtful questions, and use sound judgment when the situation does not match a standard protocol—whether that is a fractious cat, a dog in pain after surgery, a missing lab sample, a dirty kennel that cannot wait, or a client who needs clearer discharge instructions than the script provides.
💬 You will also work in front of owners who are worried, grieving, or frustrated—and you will sometimes be the person at the front desk when they walk in or call. That requires mental fortitude: the ability to stay kind without becoming sloppy, efficient without becoming rough, and discerning enough to know when a pet needs extra time, when a restraint method is no longer safe, when a kennel or treatment area is not up to standard, and when a concern should be escalated to the doctor immediately. You cannot take every difficult animal or every sharp comment personally and still do this job well.
🏥 In a small hospital, this role is not limited to “assistant only” work. You will also perform kennel-assistant duties when we do not have kennel staff during the week, share janitorial responsibility for keeping the hospital clean and presentable, and fill in at the front desk when needed. Comfort and trainability in those roles are required—not optional extras.
You will report directly to the practice owner/doctor and work closely with technicians, the front desk, and other staff.
🐾 Responsibilities
• Assist the doctor and technicians with exams, treatments, diagnostics, dentals, and surgeries
• Safely restrain and handle dogs and cats of varying sizes, temperaments, and medical conditions
• Obtain weights, vital signs, and basic history; prepare patients and rooms for appointments and procedures
• Collect and process samples (blood, urine, f***l, cytology) as directed and run in-house lab work accurately
• Prepare surgical and dental patients, including clipping, scrubbing, and positioning, while maintaining aseptic technique
• Monitor patients before, during, and after procedures and immediately report changes in status
• Assist with radiographs, including proper positioning and radiation safety
• Administer medications and treatments as directed (oral, topical, injectable) and document them correctly
• Care for hospitalized, boarded, and drop-off patients: feeding, walking, cleaning, comfort, and observation
• Perform kennel-assistant duties as needed during the week, including kennel cleaning, laundry, dishes, litter, walks, and basic husbandry when dedicated kennel staff are not scheduled
• Complete janitorial duties throughout the hospital: treatment areas, exam rooms, kennels, public spaces, restrooms, and other assigned areas so the clinic stays clean, stocked, and professional
• Keep treatment areas, kennels, equipment, and instruments clean, stocked, and ready
• Pack and sterilize instruments; follow cleaning and infection-control protocols without being reminded
• Fill in at the front desk when needed: phones, check-in/check-out, scheduling support, payments, and basic client communication, after training
• Help discharge patients by reviewing home-care instructions clearly and confirming the client understands them
• Communicate professionally with clients in person and by phone
• Notice missing information, incomplete tasks, or inconsistent findings and close the loop
• Follow established procedures while using good judgment when an unusual situation arises
• Maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive client and patient information appropriately
• Assist with other operational tasks as needed
⭐ What We Are Looking For
• Genuine comfort and skill with animals, including those that are scared, painful, or difficult to handle
• Willingness to do the unglamorous work that keeps a small hospital running: kennels, laundry, cleaning, and dishes, not only “medical” tasks
• Comfort being trained to cover the front desk and actually doing that work when the clinic needs it
• Exceptional attention to detail: noticing a pale gum color, a missed bandage check, an unlabeled sample, or a kennel that was not cleaned to standard
• Strong critical-thinking skills and the willingness to speak up when something does not look right
• Ability to follow multi-step medical and operational instructions accurately and remember established protocols
• Physical stamina and the ability to lift, restrain, stand for long periods, clean, and work in a fast-moving environment
• Mental fortitude with stressed animals and stressed owners: kind, calm, and firm when needed, without taking it personally
• Confidence working independently on assigned tasks while asking questions when clarification is genuinely needed
• Ability to remain composed when the schedule is full, a patient decompensates, kennels are behind, or you are asked to cover the desk
• Compassion for pets and their owners, paired with professionalism under stress
• Reliability: showing up on time, finishing what you start, and not needing frequent reminders for routine medical, kennel, or cleaning duties
• Comfort using clinic software and basic computer tools; willingness to learn our systems, including front-desk workflows
• Prior experience in a veterinary clinic, kennel, shelter, or similar animal-care setting is strongly preferred
• Bilingual skills are a benefit, but not required
🚩 This Role May Not Be a Good Fit If You
• Want assistant work only and are unwilling to clean kennels, do laundry, or share janitorial duties
• Are unwilling to train for and cover the front desk when needed
• Need frequent reminders to complete routine patient-care, kennel, or cleaning tasks
• Are uncomfortable restraining animals or become rattled when a pet struggles
• Tend to skim written or verbal instructions or overlook small but important details
• Are uncomfortable making reasonable decisions when there is not a step-by-step script for every situation
• Have difficulty managing interruptions, competing priorities, or a changing daily plan
• Become defensive, overly rough, or overly passive when an animal or client is difficult
• Prefer a role in which each day’s work is fully predictable and physically light
• Are not prepared for the smells, fluids, noise, and emotional weight that come with real veterinary medicine
📩 To apply
Grand Island Veterinary Hospital
512 S Webb Rd, Grand Island, NE 68803
(308) 384-1641
[email protected]
