Equine Veterinary Nurse Job Description

Updated on: March 29, 2018

The dictionary defines “equine” as “related to horses”. Equine veterinary nurses work in facilities that cater to the health needs of horses.

They are required to assist the veterinary doctor in looking after horses that come in for checkups and vaccinations or even the ones admitted for treatment purposes.

Equine veterinary nurses are expected to perform many tasks relating to the care of horses – directly and indirectly. You will find equine veterinary nurses doing some administrative work such as scheduling appointments and filling forms.

Apart from this, they are required to assist vets during procedures and with vaccinations. They perform some operation theater duties such as maintaining equipment and surgery tools and to ensure that all supplies are stocked properly.

Also, they assist in radiography procedures by sedating horses and holding them for the procedure to take place. They are also expected to clean and sterilized all instruments used in a procedure. They also ensure that the clients understand how treatment is to take place and to provide them with information on medication use.

Equine veterinary nurses also perform laboratory duties such as taking samples and managing laboratory tests on samples.

They do not only work in a medical environment as they are also required to keep the barns clean and maintained along with taking horses for daily runs and grooming them on a regular basis. They are also expected to perform mucking activities and clean prep rooms and stables as instructed.

These professionals are expected to possess knowledge of anesthesia as they are the ones who administer it before a position. Some basic information of horses and their habitat is a prerequisite for this job, and some accounting knowledge is important too as they need to manage bills for the clients.