What is a veterinary receptionist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

A Veterinary Receptionist provides lobby or front house service to clients who come to visit the veterinarian with their pets. A Veterinary Receptionist answers phones, makes appointments, collects payments, opens mail, sets, and schedules appointments, and sells pet items. Generally, a Veterinary Reception will wear medical scrubs and act professionally. You must like animals if you want to be a Veterinary Receptionist.

To become a Veterinary Receptionist, you need a high school diploma or equivalent. You may need to complete a two-year college program in office administration or have experience as a receptionist. The average salary you will make per year is $29,000 or $14/hr, but you get to pet and play with animals of all types.

ScoreVeterinary ReceptionistUS Average
Salary
2.4

Avg. Salary $30,620

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity
9.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.90%

Asian 6.61%

Black or African American 11.08%

Hispanic or Latino 18.68%

Unknown 4.42%

White 58.31%

Gender

female 94.17%

male 5.83%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress Level
7.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
4.7

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
8.4

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Veterinary Receptionist career paths

Key steps to become a veterinary receptionist

  1. Explore veterinary receptionist education requirements

    Most common veterinary receptionist degrees

    Bachelor's

    39.9 %

    High School Diploma

    25.2 %

    Associate

    24.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific veterinary receptionist skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    PET28.83%
    Customer Service14.21%
    Client Service8.25%
    Patients6.92%
    Processing Payments5.05%
  3. Complete relevant veterinary receptionist training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New veterinary receptionists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a veterinary receptionist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real veterinary receptionist resumes.
  4. Research veterinary receptionist duties and responsibilities

    • Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
    • Interact with other veterinary offices regarding mutual clients in regard pet medical history.
    • Coordinate room rentals and reservations.
    • Certify CPR instructor-provide in-house training for all staff and physicians.
  5. Prepare your veterinary receptionist resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your veterinary receptionist resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a veterinary receptionist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Veterinary Receptionist Resume templates

    Build a professional Veterinary Receptionist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Veterinary Receptionist resume.
    Veterinary Receptionist Resume
    Veterinary Receptionist Resume
    Veterinary Receptionist Resume
    Veterinary Receptionist Resume
    Veterinary Receptionist Resume
    Veterinary Receptionist Resume
    Veterinary Receptionist Resume
    Veterinary Receptionist Resume
    Veterinary Receptionist Resume
  6. Apply for veterinary receptionist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a veterinary receptionist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Veterinary Receptionist Job

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Average veterinary receptionist salary

The average Veterinary Receptionist salary in the United States is $30,620 per year or $15 per hour. Veterinary receptionist salaries range between $25,000 and $37,000 per year.

Average Veterinary Receptionist Salary
$30,620 Yearly
$14.72 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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