Thrive Pet Healthcare Careers

Veterinary Assistant – Lead

North County Animal Hospital

Full-time

Paso Robles, CA

Compensation is negotiable based on experience and credentials, with an expected starting range of $26-29/hour. The actual pay will carefully consider a wide range of factors including your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.

About You

You’ll play an important role in pets’ lives by providing end-to-end care for our precious patients. Your life-changing work will range from the hands-on care of facilitating outpatient treatments and performing laboratory tests, to support services including intake and discharging patients.

The success of your patients’ care matters to you, and your success matters to us.

Your Experience & Skills 

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent required
• 2–4+ years of experience as a veterinary assistant (GP preferred)
• Demonstrated leadership or mentorship experience preferred
• Strong animal handling and restraint skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment

Preferred Skills:

• Familiarity with veterinary software (e.g., Avimark, ezyVet, Cornerstone)
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Ability to multitask and prioritize effectively
• Team-oriented mindset with a proactive approach

Responsibilities (include but are not limited to):

Clinical Support

• Perform all core veterinary assistant duties, including:
  • Animal restraint and safe handling
  • Assisting veterinarians and RVTs during exams, treatments, and procedures
  • Preparing patients for surgery and monitoring recovery (under RVT/veterinarian supervision)
  • Cleaning, sterilizing, and maintaining surgical and medical equipment
  • Running in-house lab tests and preparing samples for external labs
• Set up and break down exam rooms and treatment areas

Team Leadership

• Supervise and support veterinary assistants and kennel staff
• Train new hires on hospital protocols, animal handling, and basic clinical skills
• Provide ongoing coaching and help maintain team accountability
• Assist in creating and adjusting staff schedules (as assigned)

Workflow & Operations

• Help coordinate daily workflow, patient flow, and room utilization
• Ensure exam rooms and treatment areas are fully stocked and organized
• Monitor inventory levels for supplies and notify leadership when restocking is needed
• Assist in maintaining cleanliness and hospital organization standards

Client Interaction

• Support client communication by reinforcing veterinarian recommendations
• Provide basic education on medications, follow-up care, and preventive health
• Maintain a professional, compassionate demeanor with clients and patients

Compliance & Safety

• Follow hospital safety protocols and proper animal handling procedures
• Ensure cleaning, disinfection, and infection control standards are met
• Maintain accurate treatment records as directed

Work Environment:

• General practice veterinary hospital with routine appointments, sick visits, and surgery days
• Physically demanding role (standing, lifting, handling animals of varying sizes, with or without reasonable accommodation)

You’ll Grow with Us

Here, you can grow your career as best fits you through access to comprehensive learning and skillset programs. You can build your skills and earn credentials through:

• Our vast, diverse, and free library of continuing education courses - ThriveU
• Live, virtual interactive workshops to develop valuable leadership skills 
• A program designed to teach you the fundamentals of running a pet hospital

And, with so many locations nationwide, you can find and move into any specialty, hospital type, or environment. Join us and provide your best care at a clinic that is deeply rooted within its community and bolstered by the resources of Thrive Pet Healthcare.

Benefits – our care in action

Thrive offers a suite of benefits to support team members’ emotional, physical, professional, and financial wellbeing. In addition to our health and life insurance, and short- and long- term disability plans, we offer eligible team members:

• Competitive pay
• 401(k) with employer match
• Mental health resources, including easy access to therapy through Lyra Health
• Paid parental leave
• Purr-ental leave for when you adopt a pet
• Subsidized backup childcare and elder care
• Expert advice, support and network discounts for fertility and family planning
• FREE CE courses
• Pet perks and veterinary service discounts
• Student loan support tools and assistance

*Some benefits shown are only for full-time team members who work 30 hours or more per week. Certain Benefits may be subject to waiting periods or length of service requirements.

About Thrive

Thrive Pet Healthcare creates the future of pet well-being through medical excellence, innovative technology, and a connected community of teams and partners. Today, its network of 360+ primary, emergency, and specialty hospitals across the U.S. cares for pets of all ages and health needs, while portfolio companies provide tools and technology that help veterinary teams work smarter and deliver better care. Thrive invests in its people—through mentorship, leadership programs, continuing education, and well-being initiatives—so teams can grow and feel supported. For pet owners, convenient solutions such as a mobile app, digital booking, Thrive PlusTM membership, HereFurYou Helpline, an online pharmacy and flexible financial options* make accessing quality care simpler— giving families the peace of mind their pets deserve. Learn more at thrivepetcare.com.

We welcome you to join our story and join where #WeThriveTogether.