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Patient care

Veterinary Nurse

Cares for sick and injured animals, supports vets in surgery and carries out many of the tests and treatments a practice relies on.

Veterinary nurses work in vet practices, animal hospitals and welfare centres, looking after animals before, during and after treatment. It suits someone who is calm with frightened animals, good with their hands and happy to explain care to worried owners.

Also called Veterinary technician, Licensed veterinary technician or Registered veterinary nurse.

At a glance

Way in
School or apprenticeship, often in veterinary nursing and veterinary technology
Pay in the US
$47,380 a year, the medianFor veterinary technologists and technicians, 2025
Pay in the UK
£24,000 starting to £32,000 with experience
US outlook
Much faster than average, 2025-2035
Suits you if
You care about animals, stay calm under pressure and like practical clinical work.

Pay is a guide: it moves with the country, the employer, the sector and the years in the job. Figures from O*NET OnLine (US) and the National Careers Service (UK); see the sources below.

The work

What does a veterinary nurse do?

  • Prepare animals and equipment for operations and monitor anaesthesia during surgery
  • Give medicines and injections, dress wounds and take out stitches
  • Take X-rays and blood samples and run tests in the practice lab
  • Look after animals staying in, keeping kennels and theatres clean and sterile
  • Talk owners through home care and run clinics on weight and dental health

Where they work

  • Veterinary practices
  • Referral animal hospitals
  • Animal welfare centres
  • Zoos and wildlife parks

Skills

The skills a veterinary nurse needs

  • Animal handlingcalm, safe restraint of nervous animals
  • Clinical skillsinjections, bandaging and anaesthetic monitoring
  • Lab and imaging workblood tests, urine tests and radiography
  • Hygienesterile technique and infection control
  • Communicationexplaining care clearly to anxious owners
  • Resiliencecoping with long shifts and losing patients

Route in

How to become a veterinary nurse

  1. Get good GCSEs, or equivalent, in English, maths and science
  2. Find work experience with a vet, a boarding kennel or an animal charity
  3. Train through a college diploma, an apprenticeship or a degree with placements in a practice
  4. Join the professional register once you qualify

Degrees people take

  • Veterinary nursing
  • Veterinary technology

In the UK, veterinary nurses are listed on the register of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons; in the US, the similar role is veterinary technician, usually with an associate degree and a national exam.

Practise for it

The quizzes and tools that fit

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Sources

Where the facts come from

Written for biofideX from these public sources. The pay figures are theirs, copied as published, last read 2026-10-25.

Requirements differ by country and change over time; check with the body that registers the profession where you will work. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we'll correct it.

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