Veterinary Care Assistant /Receptionist

Veterinary Care Assistant / Receptionist

Location: Bridge (Hartlepool)

Contract: Permanent, Part Time (30 hours per week) – Open to discussing full time hours

Practice Type: First Opinion

There is the option to do weekend work with our OOH's team to make up the hours to full time hours.

At CVS, caring is what we do. For us, caring isn't just a job—it's in our nature.

We put our people first—because when you're supported, you can deliver the very best care. With industry-leading learning, hands-on training, and guidance, you'll have everything you need to grow your skills and confidence. Whether you're looking to progress in your current role or explore new career pathways, CVS is the place to nurture your future career.

About Bridge:

You'll be joining our friendly team of 9 veterinary surgeons, 8 registered veterinary nurses, 2 student nurses, 6 receptionists and 5 VCA support staff; all contributing to provide the best clinical care to our patients and clients over our three sites. This role will be based at our Hartlepool branch surgery with occasional shifts at our Middlesbrough (Hospital site) and Billingham (Branch site) sites as needed.

About the role:

The Veterinary Care Assistant role is one of the foundations of an outstanding veterinary practice, and as a PCA you will be involved in supporting our team of qualified RVNs and Vets to provide outstanding care to our patients.

Some of the duties will include:

. Nursing care to patients

. Assisting Vets and Nurses in restraining animals for treatment

. Cleaning, walking, and feeding of patients

. Preparation of emergency and operating facilities

. General cleaning and maintenance duties

. Running internal lab samples

. Answering emergency calls

. Covering the receptionist desk, including answering queries, booking appointments and taking payments

What we're looking for in our Veterinary Care Assistant:

· An excellent communicator with strong empathy

· Excellent customer service skills and experience in dealing with members of the public

· Experience in animal welfare, including feeding, cleaning, medicating and handling and a high level of understanding of how to meet the welfare needs of animals

· Resilient with the ability to cope with potentially distressing and emotional situations

· A positive attitude and excellent teamwork skills

· Experience in caring for animals in a veterinary environment would be desirable

The benefits:

At CVS, we know that care for our patients starts with dedicated people like you. That's why we invest in your growth and your future. When you join us, you'll get:

· RCVS fees paid in full

· Generous CPD allowance, Knowledge Hub access, BSAVA library, and funded advanced training opportunities

· Excellent Nursing Career Pathway

· Up to 33 days holiday (with the option to buy/sell)

· Health cash plan, Employee Assistance Programme, Wellbeing Champions, and enhanced family leave policies

· Staff pet care discounts – 50% off services, MiPet food, and medications

Unfortunately, we are unable to accept and progress applications from candidates without the Right to Work in the UK as we cannot provide visa sponsorship, due to our clinical support roles not meeting the criteria set out by the Home Office to be eligible.

Join us at CVS We're committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels welcome, valued and able to

do their best work. We foster an inclusive and equitable workplace, where diverse perspectives are invited and people feel safe to speak up.

Wellbeing support is always available, from monthly line-manager check-ins to our network of 400 Wellbeing Champions, Pastoral Support Vets and personal mentors. We offer leading benefits and policies, such as our Health Shield which provides support for physical and mental health.

Our aim is to free up clinical colleagues to do what they do best, so we offer practices a wide range of operational support. Central expert HR, recruitment, payroll, IT, finance, procurement teams are on hand to support with all aspects relating to the smooth running of each practice.

We prioritise investment in our facilities, delivering significant enhancements across numerous practices through a dedicated multi-million-pound improvement fund.

Interested? Please click apply now!