Overview
Overview / About the clinic
Anchorage Veterinary Clinic and Urgent Care is looking to hire a full/part time Licensed Veterinary Technician or Veterinary Assistant (with min of 2+ years experience) to assist with animal care procedures and patient care.
Clinic Hours: Mon-Fri 8a-6p
Core Values:
– Collaboration and cooperation among team members
– Professional development, innovation, and advancement
– Positive work atmosphere
– Advocate for the animals and provide excellent patient and client care
– Clear client communication
Pay range
$20-$30/ hr
Who we are
We are a growing 5 doctor privately owned practice that offers competitive wages, benefits, and a positive work culture. Our clinic has partnered with the State of Alaska to offer a certified apprenticeship program that is a hybrid of on the job training and online related instruction, is approved as a clinical externship site for both Penn Foster and Mat-Su colleges, and winner of ADN’s Best of Alaska Veterinary Clinic 2023 & 2024.
Mission Statement: We are a privately owned small animal veterinary clinic focusing on same-day urgent care services to pets in need. We fill the gap between emergency and routine wellness care for pets in Alaska; we provide same-day services to ill patients that would otherwise suffer due to a lack of available veterinary care.
Who we need
Highly motivated individuals who are willing to flexibly take initiative where needed within our clinic. The ideal candidate would be motivated to continue their education and be willing to train those with less experience. The individual would be comfortable collaborating with their team on the most up to date best practices, be willing to advocate for their patients where needed, and be open to receiving constructive feedback given in a respectable manner.
Job Summary
Veterinary Assistants are under the direct guidance and supervision of a Veterinarian and Licensed Veterinary Technician on staff. Veterinary Assistants are experienced team players who provide veterinary care by assisting the doctors with technical functions, and also performing functions outside of the technical realm that enhances the practice, including housekeeping duties when needed. They must have a minimum of 2+ years of experience working as a Veterinary Assistant, ideally in a fast paced environment.
Skills required / Additional responsibilities
– Be Comfortable rooming general practice, and urgent care appointments as well as triaging cases both in person and over the phone. Be able to take a thorough history from clients, take / record patient vitals, and summarize this in a concise manner for the attending veterinarian.
– Admit and discharge patients on the doctor’s orders, being especially careful to ensure that patients being discharged are in a medically appropriate state, well-groomed, and looking better than on arrival. Provide and review discharge paperwork with clients for post surgical and hospitalized patients.
– Be comfortable with performing common outpatient treatments (including but not limited to administering SQ fluids, medication administration via various routes, writing and filling prescription medications under the direction of a veterinarian, etc).
– Be comfortable restraining for and taking x-rays on both awake and sedated patients, adjusting settings as needed to obtain a clear image, following all safety and OSHA regulations.
– Take initiative in performing duties needed to keep patients safe and comfortable in the clinic, even when they are not assigned to you (ex. Providing bedding where needed, replacing food / water, cleaning a soiled patient / kennel, etc).
– Administer treatments as directed by the attending veterinarians including, but not limited to: administering medications (oral, topical, aural, and parenteral routes), cleansing, prepping, and/or bandaging wounds. Perform the full range of “tableside” assistance to the practitioners.
– Be comfortable with client communication in aspects previously listed as well as provide client education on various topics including but not limited to patient care / husbandry, reviewing discharged medications / answering questions that may arise, nutrition, vaccinations, behavior, allergies, etc, under the direction of a veterinarian.
– Be comfortable with running anesthesia on surgical cases and all that may come with it including but not limited to setting up surgery / anesthesia machine, preparing patients for anesthetic procedures, intubation, monitoring the anesthetized patient, scrubbing in to assist when needed, and gathering sterile instruments / supplies as needed throughout the surgery while maintaining sterility using aseptic technique. The candidate should additionally possess the knowledge necessary for how to manage or correct issues related to patients vital parameters while under anesthesia.
– Be comfortable monitoring hospitalized patients and performing treatments as directed by dvm (ex. Administering IV fluids, running lab work, administering medications via various routes, etc).
– Able to properly clean, pack and autoclave various materials as needed by the hospital.
– Able to perform common clinical laboratory procedures including, but not limited to, fecal flotations, obtaining and reading various types of cytologies, fungal cultures, and utilizing in house lab machines for sample analysis (ex. Idexx chemistry analyzer, urine sediment analyzer, SNAP tests and coag dx analyzer). Prepare samples for shipment to outside laboratories, prepare laboratory forms and communicate with CSR’s to arrange delivery.
– Takes initiative in performing duties necessary to allow the hospital to run smoothly, including but not limited to, keeping the clinic generally tidy, disinfecting / sanitizing areas as needed, re-stocking and anticipating / gathering supplies that will be needed for an upcoming case or procedure.
– Comfortable with restraining both cats and dogs for examination and treatment.
– Understand signs of fear and aggression in both cats / dogs and knowledgeable on various methods to handle a fractious patient including utilizing restraint tools in a manner that keeps the patient and staff safe.
– Assist the customer services representatives when necessary, i.e. answering phones, adding a new client / patient into our system, checking clients in / out, etc if you notice they are busy or short staffed)
Why you should choose us
Our clinic prides itself on our focus toward education. We are very supportive of our veterinary technicians in their goals of furthering both their career and education. Our team works collaboratively with one another to keep ourselves informed on the most up to date practices in treating and caring for our patients. We do our best to utilize our technicians as much as possible within the scope of their practice.
Benefits
– Medical/dental/vision
– Disability (both short and long term?)
– Life insurance
– PTO
– Matching 401k
– Employee discounts
– Opportunities for career growth and to obtain licensure if needed / wanted
– CE allowance
– Annual uniform reimbursement
– Paid licensure renewal
– Reimbursement for a portion of moving expenses
– Profit sharing after 1 year of employment
- Min 2 years of consistent work as a veterinary assistant, ideally within a faster paced envirment such as urgent or emergent care.
- Be able to lift at minimum 50 lbs
- Be able to sit or stand for extended periods of time where necessary
- HS diploma
