Veterinary Nurse
Veterinary nurses carry out the hands-on care and monitoring that keeps animals safe in a clinic, from admission through to recovery.
- Median salary
- $86,700
3.8%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 17,500
1.2%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +11.7%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 40/wk
matches all-jobs average
- Shortage status
- In shortage
national
Veterinary nurses work in general practice clinics, animal hospitals and shelters, most often with companion animals rather than livestock or wildlife. They run much of what happens around the vet's examination: restraining and calming animals, preparing and assisting in surgery, monitoring anaesthesia and running in-house lab tests. It is a distinct role from a veterinarian, since a nurse does not diagnose conditions or prescribe treatment, but they are usually the person an animal and its owner deal with most during a visit.
How much do veterinary nurses earn?
The median full-time salary for a veterinary nurse is $86,700 per annum, before tax, up $18,000 since 2018.
Pay is usually set by the Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award or a clinic's enterprise agreement, so it moves with your qualification level and years on the job rather than with how busy a particular week is. Weekend, public holiday and after-hours shifts attract penalty rates, and emergency hospitals that provide overnight cover often pay above a weekday-only practice.
What does a veterinary nurse do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Restraining and comforting animals through examinations, procedures and recovery
- Assisting in surgery and monitoring anaesthesia and vital signs while the vet operates
- Running blood, urine and tissue tests between patients on the clinic's in-house analysers
- Talking owners through vaccination, nutrition and after-care instructions in plain terms
- Sterilising instruments and resetting theatre and treatment areas between cases, on your feet most of the shift
What skills do veterinary nurses need?
Employers look for patient care and support, clinical assessment and treatment, medication management, backed by Autoclave steriliser fluency and strong attention to detail.
Specialist skills
- Patient care and support
- Clinical assessment and treatment
- Medication management
- Infection control and hygiene
Software and tools
- Autoclave steriliser
- Ultrasound machine
- Dental drill
- Blood analyser
- Anaesthesia equipment
General skills
- Attention to detail
- Written communication
- Empathy and interpersonal care
- Problem solving
Is the job growing?
About 17,500 people work as veterinary nurses in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 11.7% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.
How do you become a veterinary nurse?
Here's the path most veterinary nurses take, step by step.
- 1Start with a Certificate II or III in animal care
A short qualification in animal care or companion animal services gives you basic handling skills and a way into a clinic as a kennel hand or receptionist while you decide whether the clinical side is for you.
- 2Complete the Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing
This is the qualification most employers ask for. It takes about 18 months to two years, includes supervised placement hours in a practice, and can be done as a traineeship while you work.
- 3Build clinical hours in a practice
Most of the learning happens on the job, and clinics generally prefer to hire nurses who have already handled consults, surgery prep and anaesthesia monitoring in a real setting rather than only in class.
- 4Register with AVNAT
Registration through the Australian Veterinary Nurse and Technician Registration Scheme is voluntary, but it keeps your qualification and continuing education verifiable and is asked for by a growing number of employers.
- 5Add a specialist certificate if you want to go further
Short courses in emergency and critical care, anaesthesia or dentistry suit nurses who want to work in referral hospitals or take on more responsibility within a general practice team.
Ready to apply as a veterinary nurse?
Whether you're working toward becoming a veterinary nurse or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a veterinary nurse move to?
Moving into Veterinarian typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $38,800 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veterinarian Hands-on animal handling and clinical support carry across, but becoming a veterinarian requires a veterinary degree and registration.Known move | +$38,800 | 55% | requalify |
| Practice Manager Clinic experience and patient care workflows carry into practice management, with further study in business and staff supervision.Known move | −$600 | 7% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a veterinary nurse?
The typical veterinary nurse is 28 years old; 96% are women, 58% work full-time, and full-timers average 40 hours a week.
- 28
- Median age
- 96%
- Female share
- 58%
- Full-time
- +0h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a veterinary nurse?
The day moves through a steady rhythm of consults, surgery and kennels, broken by emergencies that arrive without warning, so you switch between routine tasks and quick decisions. Much of it is physical: lifting animals, holding them still and standing at a table for long stretches. It suits people who stay calm around an animal in pain, can talk to an owner who is worried or grieving, and still keep the procedure moving.
What people like
- Hands-on work with animals. The job is practical from start to finish, whether you are holding a nervous cat for a blood draw or settling a dog as it wakes from anaesthesia, so you are rarely stuck at a desk.
- Patients you get to know. Repeat visits, vaccinations and long recoveries mean you often follow the same animals and owners over years, which a one-off appointment never gives you.
- Variety across the day. A morning of dental work can turn into an emergency caesarean by the afternoon, and that range keeps the work from settling into a routine.
- Owners who trust your advice. You often spend more time with owners than the vet does in a consult, so the after-care instructions you give can shape how well an animal recovers at home.
What people find hard
- Emotionally heavy days. Euthanasia and animals that cannot be saved are a regular part of clinic life, and the nurse is often the person holding the animal and standing with the owner through it.
- Difficult conversations about cost. Owners sometimes arrive frightened, grieving or angry about a bill, and the nurse at the front of the consult absorbs that before anyone else does.
- Physical strain. Lifting large dogs, restraining frightened animals and standing through long surgeries take a toll on backs, wrists and knees over a career.
- Weekends, nights and on-call. Many clinics roster Saturdays and public holidays, and emergency hospitals cover nights, so a clean Monday to Friday week is not guaranteed.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ veterinary nurses?
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services employs the largest share of veterinary nurses.
Top employing industries
- 1Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Certificate III/IV | 48.7% | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 12 or below | 17.6% | |
| Bachelor degree | 13.9% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 10.8% | |
| Postgraduate | 1.3% |
Will AI replace veterinary nurses?
Veterinary nursing sits at the low end of AI exposure, because so much of the job depends on reading an animal in the room and physically handling it. Practice management software, monitoring equipment and in-house analysers have been part of clinics for years and handle records and measurements, but a nurse still decides what matters and acts on it.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Handling and restraining animalsReading body language and adjusting your hold is something no system does; a nervous dog responds to the person, not the software.30%low
- Explaining after-care to ownersWalking an owner through a medication schedule, and noticing when they look lost and saying it another way, is a conversation that resists automation.25%low
- Records, bookings and stockPractice software already handles appointments, reminder texts and most of the clinical record, though entries still need a person to check them.25%high
- Monitoring anaesthesiaMonitors and capnography log the numbers and flag trends, but someone still has to interpret them and decide when to call the vet.20%moderate
Common questions about becoming a veterinary nurse
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do veterinary nurses earn in Australia?
Veterinary nurses earn a median of $86,700 per annum, before tax, based on the latest official figures. Pay is usually set by the Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award, so it rises with your qualification level and experience, and after-hours or emergency rosters add penalty rates. Treat the figure as a guide, since a small country clinic and a 24-hour emergency hospital pay quite differently.
How do you become a veterinary nurse?
The usual route is the Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing (ACM40418), which most clinics ask for and which includes supervised placement hours. Some people start with a Certificate II or III in animal care, or as a kennel hand or receptionist, then complete the Certificate IV while working. Registration with AVNAT is voluntary but increasingly common.
Are veterinary nurses in demand?
Veterinary nurses are currently in shortage nationally, and employment is projected to grow 11.7% over the decade to 2035. For someone training now, the work is spread across general practice, specialist referral hospitals and emergency clinics, so it is worth thinking about which of those settings suits you before you choose a placement.
Will AI replace veterinary nurses?
Veterinary nursing has low exposure to AI overall, because the core of the job is physically handling an animal and judging what is in front of you. Software already handles bookings, reminders, records and monitoring readouts, but it reports numbers rather than deciding what an animal needs. The parts most likely to shift are the administrative sides of the role, not the clinical care.
Where can veterinary nursing take you?
Clinic experience is the common thread: veterinary nurses often move into practice management, where knowledge of patient care and scheduling transfers and pay is $600 less. A smaller number requalify as veterinarians, which means a veterinary degree and registration but brings $38,800 more and a much longer study path. People also enter the role from animal attendant or receptionist work, building clinical skills through a Certificate IV.
What is the difference between a veterinary nurse and a veterinary technician?
In Australia the two titles are used more or less interchangeably, and both usually mean a Certificate IV qualified nurse working in a clinic. In the United States a veterinary technician is a credentialed role with a different training path, which is where most of the confusion comes from.
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