How to Become a Vet Office Manager in Rhode Island

Learning how to become a vet office manager in Rhode Island prepares people who want to work around animals for a good career.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicates that there will be much faster than average job growth, not only for veterinarians, but for veterinary support workers.

Vet office managers in Rhode Island work in vet clinics, vet hospitals, or private vet practices.

They need the knowledge and skills to help them succeed in their career.

People who want to become vet office managers and work in Rhode Island can earn a good salary if they complete a vet office manager program.

Vet Office Manager Duties in Rhode Island

Understanding the duties of vet office managers is important for people who want to work on the non-clinical side of a vet practice.

Rhode Island’s vet office managers enjoy a career where a vet practice’s business side meets with the business’s clinical side.

Some duties of vet office managers include:

• Making sure that the reception area and office area are clean and organized
• Scheduling appointments
• Communicating with clients, pet parents, staff, and vendors
• Maintaining records
• Handling bookkeeping and accounting duties

Vet office managers have other duties that include:

• Maintaining an efficient inventory control system
• Overseeing the hiring and training of staff
• Creating staff work schedules
• Answering inquiries and resolving client issues or complaints
• Ensuring that the practice complies with relevant laws and regulations

The Rhode Island Statute 216-RICR-40-05-14.10 Record of Animals Receiving Veterinary Services requires that veterinarians comply with the state’s record-keeping requirements for each animal seen by the veterinarian.

Vet office managers create computerized or written records.

The records must include the client’s name, the patient’s name, species and breed of the animal, gender and age, and specific coloring or markings.

The records must also include the dates of treatment, the reason for treatment, exam findings, and treatment for the presenting problem.

Licensing Requirements to Become a Vet Office Manager in Rhode Island

Rhode Island does not require its vet office managers to have a license.

Employers will likely hire job applicants who have completed the Certified Veterinary Office Manager (CVOM) program that is offered by the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA).

The program focuses on certifying vet office managers who have fundamental administrative office management skills and team leadership skills. Candidates must meet other qualifications.

Vet Office Manager Programs in Rhode Island

Completing a vet office manager program gives job applicants an advantage over other applicants who may have a high school diploma, but who have not completed a vet office manager program.

People who enroll in a program are likely happy that they do not have to spend several years in college to earn a degree.

Community College of Rhode Island

Rhode Island has one vet office manager program.

It is offered by the Community College of Rhode Island’s Center for Workforce and Community Education.

The Veterinary Office Manager program features open enrollment.

Students learn the business aspects of working at a vet practice and prepare for a career as a vet office manager.

Students have up to 12 months to complete the program.

The vet office manager program at the Community College of Rhode Island has three components.

The Microsoft Essentials component has three courses, including Introduction to Microsoft Word, Introduction to Microsoft Excel, and Intermediate Microsoft Excel.

Some courses in the Professional Bookkeeping with QuickBooks Online component include Getting Started with QuickBooks Online, The Chart of Accounts, and Adjusting and Reviewing the Books.

Students also complete Managing Projects and Sales, Banking Rules, Receipts, and Budgets.

Vet office managers usually do not provide medical care to animals.

They may sometimes assist other vet support staff or veterinarians if they are needed to do so.

The Vet Office Manager program also has a Veterinary Assistant component.

Students learn how to care for animals.

Some courses include Veterinary Team Culture and Communication, Veterinary Anatomy, Physiology, and Terminology, and Hospital Safety and Infection Control.

Salary

The average salary for Rhode Island’s vet office managers, as of March 1, 2025, is $89,078.

Some vet office managers in the state earn more than $100,000 a year.

The salary for vet office managers varies for several reasons, including the location where they work.

Vet office managers who work in Charleston earn an average of $90,272.

Work as a vet office manager in Kingston and earn an average salary of $90,016.

Vet office managers who work in Providence earn an average of $89,504.

Regional Salary in Rhode Island

Sources

https://rules.sos.ri.gov/regulations/part/216-40-05-14