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Other healthcare service workers

How to become a Veterinary Nurse

Also called: Animal health technician, Veterinary assistant, Veterinary nursing assistant

Works as an assistant to vets in animal hospitals and clinics, helping with treatment and caring for animals.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say vocational college (senmon gakko) or university is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

Some animal hospitals do not ask for particular qualifications or education, but it is usual to go to a senmon gakko (vocational college) to gain specialist knowledge and skills in veterinary nursing. Some universities, tanki daigaku (junior colleges) and vocational colleges also teach veterinary nursing. You need a wide range of knowledge and skills, including animal clinical testing, nutrition, care and grooming. After graduating, you get a job at an animal hospital or similar and build up practical experience. In addition, a national qualification for certified animal nurses (aigan dobutsu kangoshi) was created in May 2022. With this qualification you can carry out, out of the tasks above, assistance with treatment under a vet's instructions (such as taking blood and inserting microchips). To gain it, you must study at a university, junior college or vocational college designated to train certified animal nurses, pass the national exam and be entered on the register of certified animal nurses. As well as loving animals, you need wide experience and knowledge and the ability to stay calm in all kinds of situations, because the work involves animals' lives. You need a certain level of fitness to hold down animals that struggle during treatment and to carry animals that cannot move. Animals cannot speak, so you need to get accurate information about symptoms from owners, which makes communication skills important too.

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Veterinary Nurse?

Some animal hospitals do not ask for particular qualifications or education, but it is usual to go to a senmon gakko (vocational college) to gain specialist knowledge and skills in veterinary nursing. Some universities, tanki daigaku (junior colleges) and vocational colleges also teach veterinary nursing. You need a wide range of knowledge and skills, including animal clinical testing, nutrition, care and grooming. After graduating, you get a job at an animal hospital or similar and build up practical experience. In addition, a national qualification for certified animal nurses (aigan dobutsu kangoshi) was created in May 2022. With this qualification you can carry out, out of the tasks above, assistance with treatment under a vet's instructions (such as taking blood and inserting microchips). To gain it, you must study at a university, junior college or vocational college designated to train certified animal nurses, pass the national exam and be entered on the register of certified animal nurses. As well as loving animals, you need wide experience and knowledge and the ability to stay calm in all kinds of situations, because the work involves animals' lives. You need a certain level of fitness to hold down animals that struggle during treatment and to carry animals that cannot move. Animals cannot speak, so you need to get accurate information about symptoms from owners, which makes communication skills important too.

How much does a Veterinary Nurse earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥3,518,800 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Other healthcare service workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Veterinary Nurse?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 15% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: Junior college (短期大学) programme; Vocational college (専門学校) course: Animal care.

Will AI change the work of a Veterinary Nurse?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026