Alissa Plumb
Epping,Essex
Summary
Well established trusted veterinary professional with thirteen years experience. Friendly, empathetic, attentive and caring receptionist committed to delivering excellence and high standards in all facets of customer service and administrative support. Supportive team member ready to step in and provide help and support in a highly stressful industry. Patient welfare a top concern and every patient is treated as an individual. Always ready and willing to learn and broaden my knowledge. I won Essex volunteer of the year award for my work and dedication at Chestnut Cat Sanctuary.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
1
1
year of post-secondary education
Work history
Veterinary Receptionist
Forest Veterinary Centre
Epping, Harlow, Woodford, Essex, London
03.2023 - 10.2025
- Performed administrative tasks such as answering calls and scheduling appointments efficiently.
- Processed payments for services rendered.
- Managed appointment schedule for efficient clinic operation.
- Demonstrated excellent customer service skills when dealing with inquiries over phone or in person.
- Handled emergency calls calmly and efficiently.
- Answered client queries with detailed knowledge of pet care.
- Contributed to the efficient running of the practice by helping with general cleaning duties.
- Maintained clean reception area, creating a welcoming environment for clients.
- Provided compassionate support to distressed pet owners, ensuring their comfort during visits.
- Updated database regularly with current client information, aiding communication efforts.
- Handling paperwork.
- Responding to emails.
- Coordinated medication orders for timely collection by pet owners.
- Explained charges and fees and assisted clients in understanding invoice line items.
- Improved animal welfare by educating pet owners on preventative pet care treatments.
- Worked with clients to arrange payment plans and insurance claims for services.
- Dealing with written prescriptions and online pharmacies.
Veterinary Receptionist
RVC Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital
London, Camden
12.2021 - 03.2023
- Managing first opinion appointments and referrals including exotics appointments
- Booking emergencies and unwell patients in line with triage knowledge
- Handling & making phone calls, responding to call back requests, & transferring calls
- Banking
- Issuing invoices
- Going through cremation options with clients with sensitivity
- Educating owners on basic husbandry
- Finding and putting up appropriate displays in reception
- Taking and processing payments
- Issuing refunds
- Registering new clients
- Processing online prescriptions
- Dealing with insurance basics
- Answering and conducting emails and text messages
- Delivering front of house duties with warm and professional manner
- Maintaining and building client relationships
- Making sure clients are delegated to correct waiting area in line with Gold standard cat friendly practice
- Making sure cats are in secure carriers, dogs are on their leads, and exotics are in appropriate transportation
- Placing stationary and sympathy card orders
- Liaising with clinical team
- Liaising with first opinion practices regarding exotics referrals
- Taking prescription requests
- Maintaining clean and tidy reception area
- Infection control of reception area
- Keeping client and patient records up to date
- Dealing with difficult client interactions
- Investigation and resolution of queries and complaints
- Approaching sensitive issues with tact, compassion and empathy
- Giving mental support to owners
- Scanning paperwork
- Disposal of confidential paperwork
- Providing knowledgeable and professional responses to owner enquiries regarding preventative healthcare, patient symptoms and general enquiries.
Veterinary Care Assistant
RVC Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital
London, Camden
10.2014 - 12.2021
- Making up medications
- Drawing up injections
- Processing repeat prescriptions
- Client communication in regards to prescriptions
- Animal restraint and handling using methods to minimise anxiety and stress as much as possible - cats, dogs, and exotics species. This could be for sample taking, examinations, catheter placement, injections and any other treatment when needed.
- Providing environmental enrichment and mental stimulation for patients
- Providing inpatient care, and restraint of cats at a gold standard cat friendly level
- Barrier and reverse barrier nursing
- Updating hospital sheets
- Assisting vet with euthanasia home visits
- Teaching vet students about restraint
- Performing TPR's and blood pressures
- Removing IV catheters
- Tube feeding
- Setting up fluid bags and pumps
- Administrating oral and topical medicines
- Recovering patients after procedures
- Nail clip consultations
- Monitoring patients for any changes in clinical signs
- Tempt feeding
- Syringe feeding exotics
- Theatre and procedure rooms turnaround and shutdowns
- Maintaining patient comfort, providing basic animal care through feeding, bathing, grooming, affection and making treatment plans with owners.
- Feeding patients adequate and appropriate diets
- Running blood and urine tests
- Walking dogs
- Dealing with cadavers for individual and communal cremation
- Assisting vets and nurses with tasks/treatments/procedures as required
- Hospital stock control - ordering drugs, controlled drugs, consumables, vaccines and food
- Unpacking orders, stock rotation, and checking expiry dates
- Infection control of clinical areas
- Cleaning surgical instruments and packing kits
- Maintenance of lab equipment
- Laundry
- Setting up for procedures, blood samples and catheter placements
- Running errands - picking up prescriptions from human pharmacies, going to supermarkets to buy food for patients
- Cleaning and setting up new kennels/enclosures
Veterinary Care Assistant
Goddard Veterinary Group
Snaresbrook
10.2013 - 10.2014
- Keeping clinical areas of the hospital clean and tidy
- Infection control of clinical areas, enclosures and bedding
- Taking dogs for toilet break walks
- Assisting vets and nurses with patient care, including emergencies
- Assessing patients for any clinical signs and reporting to the vet and nurse team
- Updating hospital sheets
- Maintaining patient comfort, providing basic animal care through feeding, bathing, grooming, affection and TLC
- Restraining patients for treatments, diagnostics, and procedures
- Laundry
- Barrier nursing in isolation
- Stock control of consumables
- Unpacking orders
- Turning around and shutting down theatre
- re-filling disinfectant and hibi scrub
- equipment maintenance
Student Veterinary Care Assistant
Oval Pet Centre
Eltham
10.2012 - 11.2013
- Patient handling
- Setting up theatre for surgeries
- Maintaining a clean and tidy clinic
- Preparing patients for surgery
- Assisting the vet in surgery, example - holding clamps
- Assisting in monitoring of anaesthesia
- Infection control
- Cleaning surgical instruments and packing kits
- Patient restraint
- Tempt and hand feeding
- Sending vaccination reminder forms
- Preparing and cleaning enclosures
- Recovering patients after procedures
- Assisting the vet in transportation of patients to different branches
- Maintaining patient comfort, providing basic animal care through feeding, bathing, adequate bedding, grooming and TLC
- Completing student tasks
Volunteer
Chestnut Cat Sanctuary
Epping, Essex
09.2007 - 09.2011
- Handling phone calls from owners and providing accurate information
- Providing emotional support to owners looking to rehome their cat
- Showing the public potential cats and providing information about their background and characteristics
- Selling and taking payments at the sanctuary shop
- Unloading deliveries and stock control
- Supervising work experience pupils and new volunteers
- Filling out microchip forms
- Managing the re-homing waiting lists, and making sure the urgent cases are prioritized
- Grooming and nail clips
- Cat handling and restraint for examinations, treatments, microchips and injections
- Implanting microchips
- Infection control
- Drawing up vaccines
- General physical health checks
- Providing the cats mental stimulation
- Re-socialising cats that have been abused
- Barrier nursing cats in isolation unit
- Preparing enclosures for admission
Education
Animal Care NVQ Level 1 & 2 - Animal Care
Writtle College
ChelmsfordVeterinary Care Assistant - Veterinary
College of Animal Welfare
Huntingdon 11.2012 - 11.2013
Skills
- Gold standard cat handling, exotic animal handling and patient care
- Touch typing
- Strong verbal communication
- Compassionate client care
- Ability to work under pressure
- Multitasking
- Organisation
Timeline
Veterinary Receptionist
Forest Veterinary Centre
03.2023 - 10.2025
Veterinary Receptionist
RVC Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital
12.2021 - 03.2023
Veterinary Care Assistant
RVC Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital
10.2014 - 12.2021
Veterinary Care Assistant
Goddard Veterinary Group
10.2013 - 10.2014
Veterinary Care Assistant - Veterinary
College of Animal Welfare
11.2012 - 11.2013
Student Veterinary Care Assistant
Oval Pet Centre
10.2012 - 11.2013
Volunteer
Chestnut Cat Sanctuary
09.2007 - 09.2011
Animal Care NVQ Level 1 & 2 - Animal Care
Writtle College