Veterinary Technician Assistant

Sano Hospital for Animals

Conifer, CO

Expired: over a month ago Applications are no longer accepted.

$18 to $20 Hourly
Vision , Medical , Dental , Retirement
Full-Time

Job Description

Veterinary assisting covers a range of tasks which depend of previous experience and aptitude of the new team member. Previous experience is helpful but is not required.

Over the first 12 weeks the team member starts with cleaning and animal restraint. Cleaning includes proper disinfection of floors, kennels and surgical equipment. Animal restraint involves being taught to safely and comfortably hold animals for tasks such as vaccines, x-rays, administering medication, drawing labs samples and placing IV's.

Training would progress to assisting the veterinarian in exam rooms and learning to invoice clients.

Assistants then learn to prepare lab samples for outside labs and process samples in-house via automated machines.

Final phase of training involves direct care of patients. As directed by the technicians and doctor assistants learn to administer medications both orally and intravenously, adjust IV lines and fluid pumps, and finally assist in surgery with documenting anesthesia parameters and safely recovering anesthesia patients.

As a veterinary assistant not every aspect of the job is glamorous, but every aspect of the job is imperative to the lives and wellbeing of our patients. Assisting in emergencies will be part of the job and can be extremely interesting and rewarding. Communication skills, empathy and sound judgment are vital. The position isn't just about animals. During euthanasias and emergencies we see clients in delicate emotional states who need our care, support and understanding. Supporting and understanding clients during these times is vital while also caring for their loved (furry) family members.

Job benefits are listed below. Paid time off is accrued so all staff receive two weeks (80 hours) PTO per year. Additional unpaid time off is accommodated on a case-by-case basis. Staff receive a $2500 credit to use toward veterinary care of personal animals (or animals of friends and family) annually. Retirement plan is offered with 3% match. Paid holidays include Memorial and Labor day, Independence day, Thanksgiving, Christmas day and New Year's day. Maternity leave is paid 100% for six weeks with additional six weeks unpaid if desired.

Most staff prefer to work 4 ten hour shifts so that has traditionally been our scheduling strategy, but we are open to other scheduling options. Surgery (10a-1p) and end-of day are the times that require the most coverage. We are open Mondays through Fridays and at this time don't anticipate re-opening weekends, but cannot rule it out in the future.

Company Description

Sano Hospital for Animals opened in 1975 and has been owner by the current owner since 2003. The practice sits at 8500 feet and an easy 15 minute commute from C470. We have, and have had many staff who drive up from Denver because the commute is much easier than navigating metro traffic We are two minutes from multiple mountain parks and ten minutes from national forest.

The hospital offers a full range of small animal care. Advanced services (diagnostic ultrasound and orthopedic surgery) are done onsite by a boarded radiologist. We have the normal up to date equipment including Abaxis in-house lab and ISTAT, Sound radiology, Butterfly ultrasound, Heska digital fluid pumps, Cardell surgical monitors. Checkouts are done in the exam room to minimize traffic at the front desk and the clients love it.

We focus on high quality care but keeping a mid-range fee structure. Given our location we see a higher number urgent care and trauma cases than metro practices so the day is seldom boring. We accommodate urgent care by keeping a large number of appointments blocked off for same day emergencies. We schedule our last appointment of the day one hour before closing. The final hour of the day is for surgical discharges and closing procedures. It is rare that staff stay past closing time. Surgeries are done 10a-1p with lunch being taken from 1- to 2p. Again, it is rare that staff don't receive a full lunch.

We are heavy on patient comfort and staff safety. We have five exam rooms, three of which have lift tables. We do zero rough handling of animals and employ sedation for the comfort of the patient and safety of the staff. Pain management for surgeries is a priority with animals receiving preoperative injectable NSAID and balanced preoperative pain regiment. Patient-dependent but dogs most often receive preoperative carprofen, α-2 agonist and pure μ-agonist. Cats typically receive the same in addition to dissociative NMDA-agonist in the form of ketamine for smooth placement of IV catheter and keeping all handling low-stress prior to induction.

Feedback from staff is always welcome. We have SOP's for how we do things that have been developed from AAHA, various management resources and experience but we always want to keep evolving and creating the best experience for our team members and patients.