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ANZSCO 3613Skill level 3Health and care

Veterinary nurse

Assist veterinarians with clinical procedures, animal handling and client communication in veterinary practices.

Salary

Cited figures from Job Outlook and QILT. ExamExplained does not publish predictive earnings or projections.

FigureAUDSource
Full-time weekly earnings$1100Job Outlook (2025-06-01)

How far does this stretch in each city?

What a veterinary nurse actually does

Veterinary nurses run the clinical floor of a vet practice. A morning shift starts with team handover, drug stock checks and surgical preparation: sterilising instruments, setting up anaesthetic machines and clipping the patient. The bulk of the day mixes inpatient nursing (monitoring post-op recovery, IV fluid management, bandage changes), reception of new admissions, assisting the vet during consults and procedures, and client phone calls about lab results and post-op care. Anaesthetic monitoring is a core skill: the nurse runs the gas machine, watches vital signs and adjusts depth while the vet operates. Emergency and after-hours practices add overnight rosters and trauma triage. Most general-practice vet nurses work 38 hours a week with some Saturday shifts and the occasional public-holiday on-call. The pay is famously low for the responsibility carried, but job satisfaction can be very high. The work is physically demanding (lifting, restraining, cleaning) and emotionally heavy when euthanasias stack up.

Typical tasks

  • Triage and admit animal patients.
  • Monitor anaesthesia and recovery.
  • Maintain surgical suites and pharmacy stock.

Skills you'll use

  • Anaesthetic induction, monitoring and recovery
  • IV catheter placement and fluid therapy
  • Pathology sample collection and basic in-house diagnostics
  • Pharmacology and accurate drug-dose calculation
  • Surgical preparation and theatre nursing
  • Animal handling and low-stress restraint
  • Client communication about post-op care and grief
  • Stock and Schedule 4/8 drug management

How to become one

  1. 1Finish Year 10 (minimum) or Year 12 with general literacy and at least a science subject
  2. 2Complete a Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing (ACM40418) at TAFE or a private RTO
  3. 3Pass the supervised work placement hours - many clinics offer traineeships that combine work with study
  4. 4Consider stepping up to a Diploma of Veterinary Nursing (General Practice) for specialty skills
  5. 5Apply for veterinary nurse roles at general-practice, emergency or specialist clinics
  6. 6Get experience across small-animal, mixed-practice or equine work
  7. 7Consider further specialty training in emergency and critical care, anaesthesia, surgical nursing or dentistry

Where you can work

  • General-practice small-animal clinics
  • Emergency and 24-hour animal hospitals
  • Specialist referral hospitals (surgery, oncology, internal medicine)
  • Equine and large-animal practices
  • Zoos, wildlife parks and rescue centres
  • University teaching hospitals
  • Mixed-practice rural clinics

Career progression

Typical stages and salary bands. Salary figures are sourced from Job Outlook, QILT or industry bodies; brackets are 25th-75th percentile not absolute floors or ceilings.

  1. Trainee vet nurse
    0-1 years
    Typical roles: Veterinary nurse trainee, Cert IV student
    Salary band: $50,000 - $58,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  2. Qualified vet nurse
    1-5 years
    Typical roles: General-practice vet nurse, Emergency vet nurse
    Salary band: $56,000 - $70,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  3. Senior or head nurse
    5+ years
    Typical roles: Head veterinary nurse, Surgical nurse specialist, Clinic manager
    Salary band: $68,000 - $85,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)

Is this for you?

You might love this if

  • You love animals but understand the job is more clinical than cuddly
  • You can stay calm during emergencies and difficult euthanasias
  • You're comfortable with bodily fluids, smells and surgery
  • You're physically fit enough to restrain large dogs and clean kennels
  • You can sit with grieving owners without making it about you

This might not suit you if

  • You can't handle euthanasias multiple times a week
  • You need a salary that matches the level of responsibility
  • You can't take a clinic-floor culture that's physically and emotionally demanding
  • You don't want to deal with difficult animal owners

Three ways in

Uni, TAFE and trade routes for veterinary nurse. Not every career has all three; we only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.

University

Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.

No direct undergraduate pathway. Consider postgraduate study after a related bachelor degree.

TAFE / VET

Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.

Apprenticeship trade

Earn while you learn through an Australian Apprenticeship.

Not an apprenticeship trade.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Job Outlook directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.