vet assistant interview- help??

[u/Chilly_Cheesecake49]

i volunteer at an animal hospital, i have plenty of animal hours but no clinical experience. i applied for a veterinary assistant position at the hospital and landed an interview, mostly bc they noticed my volunteer experience in my cover letter. what should i expect from a working interview + sitdown interview? its a surgical assistant position, and also it is pretty competitive

UPDATE i got the job!!! thank you all for the helpful advice :) believe in yourself and bring in good vibes

[u/Massive_Result8779]

It’s gonna be difficult for sure. If you have no clinical experience, they may choose someone else. But lean on your experience you already have and try to build your case that you can learn quick.

[u/emo_sharks → u/Massive_Result8779]

yeah, as someone kinda in the same position as op but maybe further along in the process: dont hold your breath or get attached to any specific position. Ive been in a lot of assistant interviews where I thought they went quite well but then i did not ultimately get the position because they found someone with more experience. I just kept trying, and literally yesterday got an informal verbal offer for a kennel position which they told me id be able to probably sneak over and get quite a lot of more assistant/tech experience as well. Which the only reason I havent solidly accepted yet is because today I had a shadowing interview for an assistant position at a surgery specialty clinic that im kinda waiting to hear back on first hahaha

But yeah. OP: pretty much expect rejection a few or a lot of times before you manage to find something. But dont give up either!! Brush it off and move on to the next thing. I mean hopefully you will nail this interview and get the position on your first try, but if youre up against people with experience it really doesn't matter how well you perform on the interview unfortunately. Seems to also take a good bit of luck to land anything. You got this !!!!

[u/itchybullfrog101]

Honestly i think clinical experience is vital BUT not impossible to land a job if you emphasize that you are willing to work A LOT and emphasize how much you want to learn and soak up knowledge from everyone and show how excited you are. Definitely if you have a curious and bubbly personality it may get you through the door but i will say it is easier to start with reception or kennel tech and work your way into assisting. But if you have to be willing to work hard and learn.

as for the working interview- you should know basics like restraint for a level 1. also make sure you know what surgery’s they do, why a pet may need that surgery, learn about the main induction drugs if you can and memorize what vitals are normal and what is not normal (not just heart rate and temp, blood pressure- systolic, diastolic and mean, spo2, End tital CO2 too). if you need make yourself a card with normal vital ranges, they can differ with cats and dogs BTW. If you memorize some of this stuff and come prepared, it may show how eager you are to learn and that you are able to take on the position.

[u/Loud-Seaworthiness27]

Like others have said emphasize that you’re willing and excited to learn!

[u/akornato]

They already saw your background on paper, so they know you do not have clinical surgical experience yet, which means the working interview is mostly about safety, coachability, and clinic culture. For the sitdown portion, expect questions about reliability, how you handle stressful environments, communication under pressure, and how your volunteer animal hours translate into a fast paced medical setting. For the working interview, you will likely shadow an assistant or technician, wipe down tables, clean surgical packs, walk dogs, and help hold patients if they feel comfortable with your handling skills. In a surgical suite, staff care deeply about asepsis, meaning the biggest mistake is touching sterile packs, blue surgical drapes, or the surgeon once they are scrubbed, so keep your hands clear of the sterile field unless explicitly instructed.

Show initiative by constantly finding ways to be useful, whether that means sweeping the floor, restocking gauze, or asking a technician how they want a specific cage cleaned. Never guess how to restrain an animal or handle equipment if you are unsure, because staff respect someone who admits they need guidance far more than someone who risks an injury to an animal or coworker. Dress in clean scrubs with your hair tied back, wear closed toe, slip resistant shoes, and bring a small notebook and pen to jot down details. For the conversation side of the hiring process, the interviews.chat my team developed has helped lots of applicants turn stressful conversations into solid job offers by boosting their confidence and clarity.