Job Description

The Veterinary Technician has many important responsibilities and plays many roles within the hospital. They apply their professional skills in anesthesia, surgery, dentistry, laboratory testing, patient nursing and client education.

The technician is routinely entrusted with patient assessments, anesthesia, procedures and treatments. He or she must be detailed oriented and make good decisions, respond quickly and calmly to crisis, and maintain high standards of patient care. Techs need to communicate clearly with the doctors, other hospital personnel and clients to ensure that patients receive the care they need.

Techs should enjoy working with diverse people and animals and be friendly and flexible in the face of varying expectations from clients and co-workers. They must share a firm belief in the quality of care we provide and communicate this sense of assurance to clients. It is important to know and understand our services and recommendations and be able to clearly convey the value of the services to clients. Excellent communication skills and a commitment to outstanding client service are essential.

This position is in most instances a full time position: scheduled days and hours may vary based on hospital need. Weekend and evening work is possible. This position requires standing for long periods of time and heavy lifting is involved. An employee in this position must have a sense of caring for animals, be able to lift approximately 50 pounds, walk dogs of up to 130 pounds.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Client Service: During a Visit:

• Provide compassionate care for pets
• Greets clients with a cheerful and professional attitude and makes them feel welcome during their entire time in the clinic. This includes assisting them in a timely manner and ensuring that someone is in contact with the client from arrival to departure.
• Collect a history on what the patient is presented for
• Monitor patients’ behaviors and note potentially aggressive behaviors. Use caution when handling aggressive or potentially aggressive pets. Request assistance when needed.
• Using aseptic procedures draw up vaccines and/or injections that doctors will administer.
• Assist the doctor with the exam and any treatment that must be administered.
• Effectively restrain patients and ensure the safety of clients and personnel during exams .
• Enter charges and patient notes into AVImark as directed by veterinarian

• Fill prescriptions with appropriate medication, providing routine instructions to owners on the proper administration of the medication as needed.
• Assist in the taking of x-rays
• Monitor and collect urine and fecal samples as needed
• Answer any questions and educate clients about basic pet care and procedures including nutrition, internal and external parasite control, immunization protocols, and the administration of medications, spay and neuter procedures, behavior and training. Refer questions you cannot answer to appropriate colleagues.
• Assists emotional and/or grieving clients when necessary by escorting them to a private area. Demonstrates empathy for clients’ companion animals.
• Maintain all equipment and make sure it is cleaned regularly and routine maintenance is performed in order to keep it in good working condition.

Client Service: Following a Visit:

• Educates clients on products and services and responds to routine medical care questions (for example, vaccination schedules for puppies and kittens, worming, or flea treatment) in person or over the phone.
• Follows up with clients via phone after a patient visit/surgery or to schedule a doctor recommended treatment (This responsibility may be shared with a reception and veterinarian).

Operational:

• Follows time clock procedures for clocking in and out at the start and end of the shift and reports to work on time for each shift.
• Ensures the front office is clean and tidy, maintaining a professional appearance at all times.
• Assists the Hospital Manager with special projects as required.
• Clean cages, runs, boarding area and/or hospital facilities, including exam rooms, treatment room, exotics and isolation area, employee lounge, and bathrooms.
• Do laundry
• Wash and sanitize pet dishes
• Re-stock ward with food and supplies
• Retrieve pets that are being discharged
• Take incoming pets to appropriate areas
• Provide clean bedding, water and litter pans for pets
• Feed hospitalized/boarded pets as needed
• Exercise hospitalized/boarded dogs as needed
• Assists the Client Service Specialist when necessary. It may be necessary for this position to assume the CSS’s responsibilities in her/his absence; therefore you must be familiar with many of the duties of this position.
• Perform other duties as assigned by Hospital Manager

Financial:

• Provides treatment plans and prepares client invoices while informing clients of credit policies, deposits, and any outstanding balances.
• Enters charges accurately into the computer using appropriate codes and take client payments.

Medical:

• Knowledge of medical terms and pharmaceutical names
• Knowledge of patient breeds and temperaments

• Prioritize tasks to maximize clients’ satisfaction and patient’s health.
• Monitor patients for vomiting, blood, urine, and feces in the cage, water and food consumption. Record any unexpected incidents or changes in record and report to a doctor.
• Follow isolation procedures. Prevent contact between contagious animals and others. Using the designated products and dilutions for disinfectants, properly disinfect your shoes, hands, and clothing before leaving isolation areas.
• Prior to discharge, remove patients’ catheters, clean patients so that no body fluids are detectable.
• Understand the mechanics and application of basic standards of asepsis.
• Place IV catheters, maintain IV catheters so fluids flow freely; flush and clean as needed.
• Administer IV, IM, SQ, oral and topical medications and note in patient record.
• Assist in the application of wound dressings and treatments.
• Swab, clean, flush and treat ear canals without causing trauma.
• Perform suture and staple removals and nail trims.
• Identify a patients’ level of pain and possible causes of pain, and understand the medications and methods used to control pain.
• Medicate and treat patients here for medical observation.
• Perform venipuncture in a manner that minimizes trauma to patients and injury to veins in order to collect non-hemolyzed samples for diagnostics.
• Perform in house diagnostic blood tests and prepare samples to be sent out to referral laboratories.
• Conveys the clinic message related to Quality Patient Care and helps educate the client with medical as well as non-medical patient care.

Surgical Assistance:

• Know the name of instruments and where they are stored.
• Prepare surgery suites for incoming patients.
• Perform pre-op exam collecting and recording the weight, temperature, heart rate and respiration. Notify doctor of any abnormal findings.
• Prepare preoperative and anesthetic drugs according to hospital and doctor protocol.
• Administer or assist in administering preoperative medications.
• Intubate pet with proper size of endotracheal tube, avoiding trauma to pet. Connect to anesthesia gas machine and administer gas at an appropriate level until patient is fully anesthetized. Maintain at lowest level possible to keep pet anesthetized.
• Prepare patients for surgery, clipping surgical sites, scrub and prepare sites. Maintain clean fields when moving patients.
• Properly position and align patients for surgery.
• Attach cardiac and respiratory monitors, pulse oximeters, or ECG monitors to anesthetized patients.
• Monitor patients during surgery for depth of anesthesia, color, temperature, respiratory rate and heart rate. Alert doctors to changes in conditions.
• Monitor patients’ recovery. Protect patients from aspiration and hypothermia. Deflate cuffs and remove endotracheal tubes as gag reflexes return.
• Clean surgical instruments by hand and/or ultrasonic cleaner.
• Operate and maintain autoclave.
• Pack and autoclave instruments. Ensure that packs contain the proper number and types of instruments and that they are labeled with dates and pack types. Apply pressure and temperature sterilization tape and verify effectiveness of autoclaving afterwards.

Qualifications:

• Client Service Excellence
• Veterinary medical knowledge, including products and services, is desired
• English language and written skills required
• Familiar with the use of policies, reports, and form completion

Skills:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Interpersonal skills including working in a team environment
• Handling difficult situations including emergencies
• Basic computer skills (Microsoft Office, E-mail, and AVImark experience preferred)
• Strong organizational skills with ability to multi-task and still attend to details
• Typing skills (accuracy)
• Payment handling and basic finance skills

Abilities:

• Professional and courteous
• Flexible
• Willingness to learn
• Ability to remain calm under pressure
• Attention to detail
• Time management
• Works well in team and fast-paced environment
• Adherence to procedures and protocols
• Takes initiative

Education/ Experience:

• High school degree preferred

• AVMA accredited training school or program license a plus
• Maintain license by receiving required hours of C.E. every 2 years.
• Bachelors degree a plus