Veterinary Assistant

Title: Veterinary Assistant

Reports to: Hospital Manager Department: Emergency

Location: Emergency Pet Clinic of Longmont

Position Overview: The veterinary assistant supports the veterinarians and technicians in their daily tasks by cleaning and maintaining equipment, feeding, exercising, and grooming patients, preparing and sanitizing surgery suites, restraining and handling patients, and performing clerical and administrative work. They deliver quality care for all patients and provide exceptional service.

Essential Functions:

• As a vital part of our team, you will provide compassionate care to all patients, ensuring their comfort and well-being.

• Greet patients and their owners as they arrive and show them to an examining room, taking the patient’s weight and other vital signs upon arrival

• Triage patients, perform physical exams and treatments, and administer medication as directed by the registered veterinary technicians (RVTs).

• Your role will also involve calming and soothing anxious patients, showing them the care and understanding they need during their time with us.

• Assist doctors and technicians with the administration of medications or with patient restraint

• Perform laboratory tests and take radiographs

• Operate and maintain hospital equipment, including EKGs, fluid pumps, syringe pumps, scales, anesthetic monitors, and machines.

• Fill prescriptions and administer medication as directed by the registered veterinary technicians (RVTs)

• Feed patients as prescribed by the attending doctor or as the client has requested; record appetites; recognize and report any unusual conditions or abnormal behaviors

• Communicate positively with clients and ensure that they feel comfortable leaving their pet(s)

• Maintain the cleanliness of the hospital each day; clean equipment, kennels, and facilities using chemicals and supplies; ensure the safe use of chemicals; complete laundry

• Bath and care for patients who stay overnight; ensure that every animal released is clean and groomed adequately before their release

• Adhere to the hospital’s safety and wellness regulations

• Understand and carry out oral and written directions

• Maintain accurate medical records

• Shows up for work regularly; full-time presence at work is essential for every shift

• Promote hospital products and services and support the organization

• Respond respectfully and urgently to directions given by a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT).

• Perform any other duties as assigned by the Manager

Competencies:

• Care and Compassion – displays a desire to build rapport, provide personal assistance and emotional support

• Animal Restraint and Safety – uses sound judgment when handling patients and always takes appropriate precautionary steps when needed

• Communication – uses effective and appropriate methods of interacting with others

• Team Orientation – works cooperatively with the team to address tasks and accomplish goals

• Dependability – demonstrates responsibility in completing all job tasks

• Cleanliness Standards – consistently follows sanitization and sterilization policies and procedures

• Energy and Productivity – completes tasks quickly and thoroughly without prompting

• Time Management – manages time and prioritizes work tasks effectively

• Technical Skills and Learning – keep up-to-date with new technical skills and knowledge in the field

• Care and Use of Equipment – takes appropriate steps to perform operation checks and maintenance of equipment

Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent

• One to two years experience in a veterinary environment, preferably in ER, successfully performing all of the duties of this position

• Veterinary assistant certification preferred

• Experience with surgical monitoring, radiology

• May consider an equivalent combination of education, certification, training, and/or experience

Position Requirements:

• Maintains current knowledge in the field of expertise and actively seeks opportunities for continuing education and skill improvement.

• Ability to restrain animals, fill prescriptions, and monitor sedation procedures

• Ability to work with or around sick animals, potentially hazardous materials, cleaning chemicals, gas anesthetics, zoonotic diseases, and unpleasant odors

• Requires knowledge of hospital procedures, policies, and services; client andPatient treatment protocols, hospital computer systems, and the standard procedures, records, and terminology used in a veterinary hospital are also discussed.

• Must be flexible with scheduling and able to work days, swings, overnights, weekends and holidays

• Depending on the functional area of the assignment, tasks may involve extended periods of time at a keyboard or workstation and/or extended periods of standing and/or walking.

• This strenuous job requires a lot of lifting, cleaning, and constant motion. It may involve some climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, or crawling

• Some tasks involve the periodic performance of moderately physically demanding work, usually involving lifting or carrying moderately heavy animals (up to 50 pounds)

Additional Information:

The list of essential functions, as outlined in this job description, is intended to be representative of the tasks performed within this classification. The omission of any job function does not preclude management from assigning duties not listed herein if such functions are a logical assignment to the position.

Pet Vet is an equal-opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, religion, citizenship, national origin/ancestry, physical/mental disabilities, military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. EOE, M/F/D/V