Unleash Your Veterinary Skills 2025 – Ace the Assistant Exam with Pawsitivity!

The role of a veterinary assistant during surgery primarily involves assisting with preparation and monitoring the animal while under anesthesia. This includes preparing the surgical area, ensuring that all necessary instruments and supplies are in place, and helping to position and stabilize the patient. The veterinary assistant is also responsible for closely observing the animal's vital signs during the procedure, assisting the veterinarian by providing necessary tools or supplies, and ensuring a sterile environment is maintained throughout the surgery.

While cleaning surgical instruments and recording surgery details are important tasks, they typically fall outside the immediate responsibilities during the actual surgery. Instrument cleaning is generally handled before and after the surgical procedure, and recording details is often done by the veterinarian or a surgical technician after surgery is completed. Therefore, the emphasis on the assistant's role during the surgical procedure centers around direct support for the veterinarian and the well-being of the animal being operated on.