Veterinary Assistant

Overview

Position Purpose:

The purpose of this position inherently involves providing excellent medical care to our Vetco Total Care full-service hospital patients and phenomenal customer care to their owners. The Veterinary Assistant represents the mission and values to all clients. Our Veterinary Assistants set the tone for the technical and customer support in the hospital, and are responsible, like all team members, for fostering cohesion and motivation within the practice.

All hospital staff are responsible for performing their duties in a way that creates an environment in which:

• The patient’s needs always come first.
• Every team member understands that they have the power to do what it takes to create an exceptional customer experience.
• Contentious issues are dealt with and resolved as they occur when possible, or as soon as is possible.
• Exceptional teamwork and commitment to shared goals benefit the entire organization.

Essential Job Functions

The incumbent must be able to perform all the following duties and responsibilities with or without reasonable accommodation:

• Greet clients and patients arriving for appointments and escort them into an exam room, obtain weight and vital signs (temperature, pulse, respirations), and record the electronic medical record. Veterinary Assistants will collect thorough patient histories and document the patient visit in the EMRs.
• Assist doctors with appointments (routine and emergency), surgery, dentistry, and euthanasia, under supervision from the veterinarian, credentialed veterinary technician, HOM, and HLOD.
• Perform patient restraint, obtain and process laboratory samples, handle and dispense medications at the direction of the veterinarian, and help maintain the electronic medical record.
• Schedule appointments, provide client education, relay test results to the doctor and clients, and maintain and update client/patient records.
• Help prepare patients for surgical and dental procedures and assist the doctor and/or veterinary technician in anesthetizing patients. Under the supervision of the veterinarian and/or veterinary technician, assistants will maintain patients safely under anesthesia while monitoring vital parameters, help monitor patients during recovery, and prepare them for hospital discharge or transfer to an overnight care facility.
• Under the supervision of the veterinarian and/or veterinary technician, perform in-hospital treatments for sick patients, including giving injectable and oral medications as well as intravenous fluid therapy; keep patients clean, watered, and fed (when indicated and directed by a doctor), safely walk canine patients when necessary for elimination.
• Under the direction of the HOM/HLOD, assist in the training of new staff members and general dissemination of knowledge as required.
• Keep the hospital environment neat and clean; perform regular cleaning of the environment based on necessity as well as based on a pre-determined maintenance schedule.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• Perform additional duties as assigned
• Provide backup phone and front desk support as needed

Nature of Supervision

In all activities related to the care of individual patients, the incumbent will take direct supervision from the veterinarians as well as the  Veterinary Technician. For purposes of overall supervision, the incumbent takes direction from the HOM/HLOD or from the supervising technician for the shift.

Planning and Problem Solving

Like all team members, the Veterinary Assistant plays a crucial role in ensuring that the day-to-day operation of the hospital is efficient and provides an optimal experience for our patients and clients.

Impact

This position will impact the organization by contributing to the growth of productive practice while focusing on a high-quality standard of care. From an overall hospital organizational standpoint, this position is critical to ensuring that we have a cohesive, well-trained, and motivated technical team. The desired result is the creation of an optimal environment that ensures employee retention, patient well-being, and customer satisfaction.

Supervisory Responsibility

This position has no immediate supervisory duties.

Work Environment:

The majority of job duties are conducted in the Veterinary Hospital. Position requires bending, kneeling, lifting (up to 30 pounds, as necessary) and standing for long periods of time.  A large amount of this partner’s time will be spent in direct contact with clients and their pets.

Contacts

This position will regularly communicate with clients, veterinary specialists, and companies that provide products and/or services that the practice utilizes.

Education/Experience

Preferred to have at least 1 year of previous experience working in veterinary practice or sufficient relatable animal care experience to ensure excellent performance at the above-listed skills
Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills
Must be compassionate and sympathetic, and be able to maintain a professional attitude and demeanor during emotional and stressful situations
Must have telephone and computer skills
Must be a team player willing to learn