The Client Relations / Veterinary Assistant is a front-line representative of Barrie Animal Hospital and is often the first impression a client forms of the practice. The role blends client service, patient-care support, and operational duties. It requires a person who is highly personable and perceptive, able to educate and reassure people, well organized, solution-oriented, and an effective team member—someone who understands the hospital's mission, standards of care, and protocols well enough to speak about them with confidence, and who helps sustain the bond between the practice and each patient.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
CLIENT SERVICE & RECEPTION
Greet every client and patient with genuine warmth and compassion, in person and by phone; make clients comfortable when discussing stressful or emotional issues.
Serve clients of all abilities with courtesy and accommodation.
Answer and direct telephone calls; screen calls for administration and ownership; engage telephone inquiries and convert appropriate ones into booked appointments.
Maintain the appointment book and manage appointment flow within the practice management system.
Provide basic client education (parasite prevention, nutrition, vaccination, deworming) and recommend examinations, diagnostics, and services in the pet's best interest.
Maintain familiarity with hospital products, services, diets, and common zoonotic diseases and their risks to clients and pets.
Process payments and electronic transactions accurately; ensure prompt, correct invoicing at the time of service.
Maintain the organization, cleanliness, and stocking of the reception area, front desk, and exam rooms.
PATIENT CARE & CLINICAL SUPPORT
Welcome and safely escort clients and patients into and out of the hospital.
Obtain and record patient weights and new-patient photographs; have exam documentation ready for completion.
Assist veterinarians and RVTs in the exam and treatment areas with restraint, nail trims, blood- sample support, and errands, minimizing client–pet separation time.
Restrain only within your scope, applying Fear Free and low-stress, humane handling; seek RVT or veterinarian direction when in doubt.
Assist with euthanasia appointments per the euthanasia protocol.
Support laboratory workflow: stock supplies; correctly label, fill, and spin samples; complete paperwork; prepare outpatient samples for shipping; ensure results are recorded and clients and doctors are notified.
Under RVT or veterinarian direction, prepare/fill prescriptions and review instructions with clients; keep the pharmacy, exam rooms, and front office clean, stocked, and ready.
Document treatments, communications, findings, diagnostic results, and charges in the medical record at the time of service, consistent with CVO record-keeping standards; ensure a second person verifies charges before billing.
GENERAL OPERATIONS
Navigate Practice Management Software (PIMS) to enter charges, schedule appointments, generate lab requisitions, enter and print prescriptions, and record in medical records; handle diagnostic images and telemedicine tools per protocol.
Open and close the clinic on time, including system start-up/shutdown, data backup, float and deposit balancing, and securing the facility, per the applicable protocols.
Ensure the facility and grounds are clean, tidy, odour-free, and ready before clients arrive.
Share in facility stewardship—housekeeping, laundry, instrument cleaning and sterilization, restocking, waste and sharps disposal, and shipment receiving and reconciliation—using daily and weekly checklists. (These duties are shared across the on-site team rather than belonging solely to this role.)
COMPETENCIES
Excellent interpersonal and client-service skills, including tact and composure with distressed or demanding clients.
Strong verbal and written communication; professional telephone manner; sound command of spelling, grammar, and composition.
Active listening, critical thinking, problem-solving, time-management, and organizational skills; ability to multitask and prioritize while maintaining accuracy.
Computer and practice-management software proficiency (AVImark); accurate cash and electronic-transaction handling.
Working knowledge of veterinary terminology, developed as training progresses.
Ability to work safely with cleaning, disinfecting, and laboratory agents, and to follow established safety and waste-handling practices.
Genuine compassion and care for animals
Pay: $20.00-$26.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Dental care
- Employee assistance program
- Extended health care
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
- Vision care
- Wellness program
Work Location: In person
