Open to opportunities

samantha castro-palomino

@samanthacastro-palom

Compassionate, bilingual Veterinary Assistant graduate delivering confident animal care, lab support, and clinical assistance in fast-paced settings.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking for a fast-paced veterinary setting where I can support animal health through patient intake, lab work, and medication administration, while learning from a dedicated team and applying my bilingual communication to deliver excellent care.

I’m a motivated and compassionate Veterinary Assistant graduate (CVA) from Southern Technical College, where I built hands-on experience in animal handling, clinical procedures, and lab work. I’m dedicated to supporting animal health and providing excellent care.

During my Veterinary Assistant program, I logged over 100+ credit hours of classroom and lab training. I performed patient intake (rooming animals, examining patients, recording vitals), used animal restraint techniques, and supported basic diagnostics including EKG and X-rays.

I’ve strengthened my clinical toolkit through hands-on training and an externship at Haines City Pet Hospital. I assisted with taking tests (heartworm, fecal, ear cytology, parvo), administered hourly medication, restrained patients for X-ray, and supported daily kennel tasks like cleaning cages and refilling food and water.

Alongside my training, I’m Owner/Operator of gentlepaws.petservices, providing nail trims and grinds, loose hair brushing, ear cleaning, cage cleanings, and pet sitting. I bring bilingual communication (English and Spanish), strong customer service, and a positive attitude to every team and patient interaction.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Mobile Pet Services Owner

Current

GentlePaws Pet Services

Feb 2026 - Present (3 months)

Operates a mobile pet services business providing nail trims and grinds, loose hair brushing, ear cleaning, cage cleanings, and pet sitting. Manages scheduling and client communication while delivering hands-on animal care and time-sensitive services.

Nail Trimming & Grinding Ear Cleaning Loose Hair Brushing Cage Cleaning Pet Sitting Scheduling Customer Service Time Management

Veterinary Assistant Externship

Haines City Pet Hospital

Sep 2025 - Oct 2025 (1 month)

Completed 100+ hours in a clinical externship, assisting with patient history (English/Spanish) and running common in-clinic tests including heartworm, fecal, ear cytology, and parvo. Assisted with hourly medication administration, X-rays, and daily kennel care.

Laboratory Testing Heartworm Test Fecal Testing Ear Cytology Parvo Test

Veterinary Assistant Student

Southern Technical College

Jan 2025 - Oct 2025 (9 months)

Logged 100+ credit hours of veterinary clinical training, performing patient intake, recording vitals, and practicing animal restraint. Supported diagnostic workflows including EKG and X-rays, along with injections, blood draws, lab testing, and vaccine administration.

Patient Intake Vital Signs Venipuncture Laboratory Testing Vaccine Administration

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Southern Technical College

Veterinary Assistant Certificate, Veterinary Assisting

Grade: GPA: 4.0 (President’s List)

Activities and societies: Perfect Attendance Award (2x); President’s List. Coursework included Introduction to Veterinary Assisting, Medical Terminology, Anatomy & Physiology, Laboratory Procedures, Pharmacology, Radiology, Veterinary Clinical Procedures, and Hospital & Surgical Procedures.

Completed a Veterinary Assistant Certificate program at Southern Technical College, covering medical terminology, anatomy & physiology, lab procedures, pharmacology, radiology, and veterinary clinical and hospital/surgical procedures.