Veterinary Assistant

SPCA of Wake County • Full-time • Raleigh, North Carolina, United States • USD $26 / hour • 2d ago

Summary: The Veterinary Assistant plays a key role in the care of animals at the SPCA of Wake County and is responsible for the daily medical monitoring, care, and treatment of all pets at the SPCA Adoption & Intake Centers and foster care. This position is also responsible for assisting in surgeries, including prepping before, and monitoring during & after surgery. The medical team works closely with the staff veterinarian & surgeon, in addition to multiple departments, to provide routine health care, vaccinations, bloodwork, medical assessments, and treatments of pets in the care of SPCA Wake.

Duties include ensuring that every animal’s medical needs are met, serving as a liaison between the staff veterinarian/surgeon and other shelter staff and foster volunteers, and providing compassionate, humane treatment to animals under the guidance of the Medical Team Supervisor.

Qualification Requirements: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily, with or without accommodations. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Required Qualifications:

Minimum 2 years experience working in veterinary hospital as veterinary assistant or technician
Passion for the mission and core values of the SPCA of Wake County
Highly organized and detail-oriented, with flexibility for fast-paced, daily change
High degree of professionalism and customer service skills
Passion for animal welfare, shelter pets, and spay & neuter
Must have a positive attitude and collaborative, team-oriented spirit
Must be high energy, self-starting and able to work with little supervision

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Strong animal handling skills for canines, felines and small mammals
Knowledge of or willingness to learn fear free animal handling techniques
Knowledge of animal health, care and welfare
Previous experience in the field of animal sheltering preferred
Understanding of animal biosecurity and disease control
Knowledge of basic spay & neuter surgery protocols preferred
Ability to help teach other staff members in basic medical care and low-stress handling techniques
Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and accurate data entry
Strong time and priority management abilities
Ability to work on evenings and weekends

Essential Duties:

Handle and restrain animals in a low stress and safe manner for medical care

Perform medical care as requested by the Medical Team Supervisor in a timely manner

Create and maintain detailed medical records for each animal upon arrival at the shelter and continue to maintain detailed medical records while in the shelter

Provide routine and minor health care for animals housed at the SPCA, keep an accurate and timely record of medical treatment for each animal, ensure that daily treatments are completed as prescribed, monitor the progress of treatment, and complete follow up action as needed

- Perform laboratory procedures such as venipuncture, fecal flotation exams, heartworm tests, FeLV/FIV tests, Parvo tests, skin scrapings, urinalysis, and fungal cultures
- Work directly with the Medical Team Supervisor & staff veterinarian/surgeon to assure the safety and health of animals at the SPCA and ensure that all procedures are performed in a highly efficient and effective manner
- Serve as liaison between animal care staff and staff veterinarian
- Assist in the scheduling of offsite appointments, including some after-hours needs, and communication with offsite vet clinic staff
- Coordinate with the foster team to assess foster placement needs for pets, provide education and training as needed to foster volunteers, communicate directly with foster volunteers to answer questions, relay information, and schedule medical appointments

Provide in-person and telephone customer service to foster volunteers

Assist with contacting and scheduling medical appointments for pets in foster

Assist in the medical treatment of SPCA animals. Perform and document routine health checks; recognize and properly assess an injured or ill animal and provide supportive care as needed

Assist in the spay & neuter surgery of SPCA and public pets
Provide post-operative instructions to foster volunteers during spay/neuter post-op discharge
Maintain medical inventory and supplies
Responsible for the daily cleaning and sanitization of the medical treatment area
Understand and implement biosecurity protocols to help prevent disease outbreak

Physical Demands and Work Conditions:

Must be able to meet all physical requirements including: standing, walking, lifting (50 lbs) carrying (50 lbs), pushing (50 lbs), pulling (50 lbs), climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching overhead, handing, seeing, depth perception, and hearing
Exposure to fractious animals
Able to work in an environment with high noise level and foul odors
Able to work with canines and felines of all ages
Must be able to work in very cold and very hot temperatures, indoors and out
Is likely to be exposed to parasites, viruses, bacteria, and fungi which could be zoonotic
Fast paced and changing workload which at times can be stressful

Benefits:

Medical and Dental: Employer pays 90% of employee coverage (full-time)
Insurance includes wellness, dental, vision, life, mental health care, prescriptions, emergency & urgent care, chiropractic care, and physical therapy
Telemedicine options, 24/7 access to virtual health & wellness care and virtual behavioral health care
PAID TIME OFF –
All part-time and full-time staff receive paid time off.
Paid Holidays - 9 paid holidays per year (full-time)
Vacation Time - 10 paid vacation days per year (full-time) with scheduled increases at milestone anniversaries of hire date
Sick Time - 6.5 paid sick days per year (full-time)
FINANCIAL –
Healthcare: Flexible Spending Account
401k Plan
Coastal Federal Credit Union Membership
20% discount on pet adoptions and in SPCA Wake retail store
OTHER –
Bereavement time off
Federal & State Leave of Absence options

Only the most qualified candidates will be contacted for interviews. No phone calls or emails, please — we’ll have our people call your people!

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