Veterinary Assistant

Position Overview: The veterinary assistant provides support to the veterinarians and technicians in their daily tasks by cleaning and maintaining equipment, performing treatments, preparing and sanitizing surgery suite, restraining and handling patients, as well as entering charges and typing doctor notes. 

Essential Functions:

• Provide compassionate care to all patients and clients
• Greet patients and their owners on arrival to hospital or field appointments
• Perform physical exams, treatments, and administer medication as directed by the licensed veterinary technicians (LVT's) and doctors.
• Calm, competent and safe equine handling
• Perform laboratory tests, assist taking radiographs
• Operate and maintain hospital equipment, including EKG, fluid pump, syringe pump, scales, anesthetic monitors, and machines, etc.
• Fill prescriptions, administer medications, maintain proper documentation in the medical record.
• Feed patients as prescribed by the attending doctor, record appetites; recognize and report any unusual conditions or abnormal behaviors
• Communicate in a positive manner with clients and ensure that they feel comfortable with us handling their horses.
• Maintain the cleanliness of the hospital each day; clean equipment, and facilities using chemicals and supplies; ensure the safe use of chemicals; complete laundry
• Groom patients who stay overnight; ensure that every animal released is clean and properly groomed prior to their release
• Adhere to the hospital's safety and wellness regulations
• Understand and carry out oral and written directions
• Maintain accurate medical records
• Show up for work regularly; full-time presence at work is essential for every shift
• Respond respectfully with urgency to directions given by Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or Licensed Veterinary Technicians (LVT).

Additional Functions: Assignment to the areas below may include the following additional job functions:

Dentistry:

• Assists with dental floats, extractions and radiographs
• Take careful care of the dental kits and equipment

Emergency:

• Assists veterinarians with a variety of emergency procedures and critical care situations
• Maintain a calm and proffessional demeanor during stressful times
• Be capable of following chart to administer treatments for inpatients
• Some on call/overnigth availability is required.  If preferred, there is a full time overnight position available. 

Internal Medicine:

• Care of the endoscope and it's equipment, loading of images, packing it up for the field
• Care of ultrasound machine
• Assisting in advanced internal medicine procedures (internal biopsies, transtracheal washes etc)

Neurology:

• Handling of patients for neurologic exams, CSF taps, spinal films

Ophthalmology:

• Assists veterinarians with ocular exams
• Assists with diagnostic testing (Schirmer Tear Testing, Tonometry, Ocular Ultrasounds, Electroretinogram testing, etc.)

Radiology:

• Assists veterinarians with providing high-quality diagnostic imaging services to inpatient, outpatient, surgical, and emergency patients

Surgery:

• Provides extensive surgical assistance by preparing patients, scrubbing, shaving, acting as a surgical nurse, and operating specific surgical equipment and supplies

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 – keeps 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 or more years' experience in a veterinary environment successfully performing all of the duties of this position
• Vet Assistant degree preferred but not required
• 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 and patient treatment protocols; hospital computer systems; and the standard procedures, records, and terminology used in a veterinary hospital.
• Must be flexible with scheduling and able to work some weekends and holidays
• Depending on the functional area of assignment, tasks may involve extended periods of time at a keyboard or workstation and/or extended periods of time standing and/or walking.
• This is a strenuous job that requires a lot of lifting, cleaning, and constant motion. Capacity to run with horse in hand required.  May involve some climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, or crawling
• Some tasks involve the periodic performance of very physically demanding work, involving moving very large animals.
• Ability to type in moving vehicle without motion sickness required.

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.