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 ANIMAL HEALTH TECHNICIAN I
The University of Alabama at Birmingham

General Responsibilities:
The Animal Health Technician 1 is an entry-level health technician position that primarily focus is to assist in providing clinical care and nursing support for a variety of laboratory research animals. This is the first level of a four-level series. It is distinguished from the higher levels by reduced responsibility for performing complex animal care protocols, veterinary diagnostic and treatment procedures, with an emphasis on providing veterinary clinical care and nursing support of sick and/or injured animals. At this level, greater supervision and focus on training is provided. As experience is obtained and if there is interest, there is potential to advance to additional responsibilities.

Clinical care experience that allows for effective assessment of injury, illness, or behavioral changes of colony animals. Ability to be flexible with/open to working with multiple non-traditional animal species. A solid understanding of the principles of aseptic technique is required. Ability to respond to changing circumstances by being innovative and altering behavior to better fit different situations. Familiar with standardized medical terminology and nomenclature; able to communicate and record patient information in appropriate formats. Experience operating a variety of equipment used in clinical practice, veterinary nursing skills with sick patients; excellent eye-hand coordination. Data entry of veterinary health reports into a centralized database with data queries, as needed. Perform facility cleaning, maintenance, stocking, and inventory, as needed.

Key Duties & Responsibilities: 
1.    Assists veterinary staff in daily clinical and preventive medical rounds at various sites. Assesses and diagnoses daily clinical cases. Manages clinical cases from start to finish, including discussions with the research staff and formulating plans for medical treatment of research animals. 
2.    Provides surgical support assistance to the research staff. Provides treatment, post-operative care, and euthanasia to the ARP research animal population. 
3.    Organizes and manages special projects as assigned. Organizes and runs hands-on courses, creates, optimizes, and maintains ARP eLearning videos, spearheads investigations into research staff complaints, and manages other similar projects as they arise.  
4.    Assists and educates ARP and research staff with proper husbandry and experimental techniques, including observational skills, basic handling and restraint, anesthesia, proper medical treatment, and euthanasia of the research animal population. 
5.    Maintains monthly inventory of drugs and supplies, discards outdated drugs, and maintains reports concerning the distribution and use of federally regulated drugs. 
6.    Maintains animal health and United States Department of Agriculture records. 
7.    Receives and assigns animal shipments that arrive at ARP, performs examinations, notifies veterinary staff of any health-related problems, and notifies the appropriate research scientists of their arrival. 
8.    Maintains clinical minor procedure areas with medical supplies. Maintains and inventories the supply stock room. Orders supplies as needed. Maintains general upkeep and cleanliness of areas of responsibility. 
9.    Provides surgical assistance to research scientists, such as scheduling resources, administering and monitoring anesthesia, post-operative observation of the animal, and sterilization of the equipment used following the operations.
10.    Performs other duties as assigned.

Hourly Pay Range: $15.00 - $24.40
 

Minimum Requirements:
Graduate from an accredited American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) technologist program, or two (2) years of related experience required.

Licenses / Certifications / Registrations:
Active Veterinary Technician Certification/Registration/License is preferred. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) at the Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT) level is desired.

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities:
    Effective oral and written communication skills with members of the UAB workforce, including scientists, graduate students, clinicians, technical, and veterinary staff.  
    Ability to interact in a positive, productive, and effective manner to build respectful relationships within and outside of the department. 
    Strong customer service-oriented approach to communication and animal care support. 

UAB is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution dedicated to providing equal opportunities and equal access to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, sex (including pregnancy), genetic information, age, disability, and veteran's status. As required by Title IX, UAB prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to UAB's Assistant Vice President and Senior Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX notice of nondiscrimination is located at uab.edu/titleix.