Under direct supervision, the Registered Veterinary Technician assists the Veterinarian in the medical care and treatment of impounded animals; provides medical and surgical pre-operative and post-operative procedures for shelter animals; maintains sanitary condition of medical caging equipment and facilities; administers medications, drugs, tests and vaccines to the City’s Animal Care Services shelter animals.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
This is an advanced journey-level classification. The Registered Veterinary Technician classification is primarily distinguished from the Animal Care Technician by its responsibility for assisting licensed Veterinarians in providing medical and surgical pre-operative and post-operative procedures to animals. Whereas, the Animal Care Technician is responsible to feed and care for impounded animals, to clean kennels, equipment and other areas at the City Animal Care Services shelter. The Registered Veterinary Technician is distinguished from the Senior Animal Care Technician in that the latter provides direct supervision of Animal Care Technicians.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED
Direct Supervision is received from the Veterinarian. Indirect supervision is received from other management staff. The Registered Veterinary Technician does not supervise.- Assist the Veterinarian with impounding, quarantining, and restraining animals; emergency treatment and care of injured or diseased animals, including external hemorrhage control; perform CPR, intubation, and first aid on animals as required.
- Examine animals and make referrals to Veterinarian as needed; prepare animals and assist Veterinarian with surgery; apply casts or splints as necessary; staple or suture existing skin incisions.
- Induce and monitor anesthesia using either injectable or inhalant anesthetics; perform euthanasia by injection, as directed; supply post-surgical and treatment information to the public; microchip animals.
- Responsible for the control and use of euthanasia drugs, including Drug Enforcement Administration log maintenance; maintain inventory of medical supplies.
- Perform dental care including prophylactic evaluations, cleanings, and uncomplicated tooth extractions, as directed.
- Autoclaves and maintains all surgical packs; perform routine cleaning and general maintenance of medical equipment, facilities and caging; order medical supplies.
- Communicate with animal owners regarding post-operative care and other medical conditions of their animals; assign and oversee medically related duties to volunteers and Animal Care Technicians; participate in community events involving Animal Care Services.
- Enter data and produce computer generated reports relating to surgeries, treatment of shelter animals, and medical supply inventory; write memos and letters as necessary.
- Assist the Veterinarian with the development of policies and guidelines pertaining to the care, medical treatment and medical screening of animals at the shelter, including euthanasia by injection, handling and restraint, vaccination and microchipping, and medical screening and provide training to Animal Care Staff in these areas as necessary.
- Other related duties may also be performed; not all duties listed are necessarily performed by each individual.Knowledge of:
- Aseptic surgical techniques, animal care and husbandry.
- Autoclaving and surgical pack preparation.
- Disease symptoms of domestic animals.
- Physical behavior characteristics of common breeds of dogs, cats, exotics, livestock and wildlife.
- Euthanasia techniques.
- Kennel and cage protocols
- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) required record keeping for Schedule II narcotics.
- SHARPS biohazard waste requirements
- Laboratory analysis and emergency aid techniques.
Skill in:
- Preparing animals for surgery.
- Inducing and monitoring animals given anesthesia.
- Providing technical guidance and training, monitoring, and certifying staff on euthanasia procedures.
- Removing tissues from dead animals to aid in the diagnosis of
pathology.
- Micro-chipping animals
- Performing follow-up treatments
- Prophylactic evaluations, cleanings, and uncomplicated tooth extractions.
- Restraining fractious animals.
- Catheterizing animals.
- Computers, computer applications, and software.
Ability to:
- Obtain and maintain the Drug Enforcement Administration licensure as required.
- Properly store and maintain medical supplies and Schedule II narcotics.
- Identify normal and abnormal animal behavior and symptoms of rabies and other animal disorders.
- Safely handle, care for and feed animals, and clean kennels.
- Safely handle and apply common disinfectants such as bleach, Phenolics and Quats.
- Provide court testimony on animal cruelty cases.
- Provide customer service, including dealing with people under stress.
- Communicate effectively, orally and in writing.
EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION
Any combination of education and experience that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:
Experience:
One year of experience assisting a licensed veterinarian in providing medical treatment to animals, including surgical procedures and medical examinations, in a clinical environment. One year of experience in an animal shelter assisting a licensed veterinarian in surgical procedures and medical examinations is desirable.
-AND-
Education:
Thirty semester units from an accredited college or university in veterinary technology, animal science, the biological sciences, chemistry, or a closely related field.
Substitution:
One year of qualifying experience may be substituted for the required education.
PROOF OF EDUCATION:
Should education be used to qualify for this position, then proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and degrees should be submitted with your application and will be required at the time of appointment.Unofficial documents and/or copies are acceptable.An applicant with a college degree obtained outside the United States must have education records evaluated by a credentials evaluation service. Evaluation of education records will be due at time of appointment. 
SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS
Driver License:
Possession of a valid California Class C Driver License at the time of appointment. Loss of the license is cause for discipline. Individuals who do not meet this requirement due to physical disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Registration:
Possession of Registration as a Registered Veterinary Technician by the California Board of Examiners in Veterinary Medicine is required at the time of appointment. Failure to maintain the Registered Veterinary License in good standing and completion of any required continuing education units is cause for termination.
PROOF OF REGISTRATION
Proof of the required registration and/or license should be submitted with your application and will be required at the time of appointment. Unofficial documents and/or copies are acceptable. 
License:
The Registered Veterinary Technician incumbent is required to obtain Drug Enforcement Administration licensure as part of their function as a Registered Veterinary Technician within six (6) months of employment. Failure to obtain the Drug Enforcement Administration licensure is cause for discipline, up to and including termination.
PROBATIONARY PERIOD:
 
Employees must complete twelve (12) months of probation at a satisfactory performance level prior to gaining permanent status.Please note, the City of Sacramento's preferred method of communication with applicants is via e-mail. As such, please ensure you verify the e-mail address on your application, and check your e-mail frequently, including your spam and junk folders. All e-mail notifications can also be accessed through the governmentjobs.com applicant inbox. 
1. Application: (Pass/Fail) – All applicants must complete and submit online a City of Sacramento employment application for further consideration by the next posted cut-off date;

• Employment applications must be submitted online; paper applications will not be accepted. 
• Employment applications will be considered incomplete and will be disqualified: 
  • If applicants do not list current and/or past job-related experience in the duties area of the "Work Experience" section. Note: Qualifying experience is based on full-time experience (40 hours per week). Qualifying experience is calculated to the full-time equivalent (pro-rated if less than 40 hours/week).
  • If "see resume" is noted in the "Work Experience" section; a resume will not substitute for the information required in the "Work Experience" section.
• Proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and degrees should be submitted online with your application. Proof of education will be required at time of appointment.
• Proof of registration and/or license should be submitted online with your application. Proof of registration and/or license will be required at time of appointment.
• Position/job titles will not be considered in determining eligibility for meeting the minimum qualifications for this position. 
• If you’re requesting Veteran’s credit, a copy of your DD214 must be submitted online with your application, or sent to the Employment Office by email/fax or mailed by the next posted cut-off date. Information regarding the use of Veteran’s credit can be found in the Civil Service Board rules under rule 4.9C.
• Applicants are responsible for attaching a copy of their DD214 to each position for which they apply.

2. Training and Experience Exam: (Weighted 100%) – The questions located at the end of the application are the Training and Experience (T&E) Exam. Responses to the T&E questions will be rated and scored. This exam will evaluate the relevance, level, and progression of a candidate's education, training and experience. The exam score will determine your ranking on the eligible list for this job. When completing the T&E questions, please note:

• Responses to the T&E questions must be submitted online; paper questionnaires will not be accepted. 
• A resume will not substitute for the information required in the T&E questions.

3. Eligibility: Candidates who pass the Training and Experience Test will be placed on the eligible list. The hiring department may contact candidates for interview at any time during the life of the one-year list. Candidate’s eligibility expires one year from the date of notification of a passing score for the Registered Veterinary Technician Examination.
 
4. Screening Committee: (Pass/Fail)– All candidates that pass the examination and are in one of the top three ranks will have their application forwarded to the hiring department for review. The hiring department will select the most competitive applications for further consideration. Human Resources will only evaluate employment applications for the minimum qualifications, as stated on the job announcement, for applications selected by the hiring department.
 
5. Conditional Hire: Upon receipt of a conditional offer, the selected candidate must complete and pass Live Scan/fingerprinting. If applicable, candidates may also need to pass a pre-employment medical exam, controlled substance and/or alcohol test, and possess any required licensure or certification prior to receiving a start date from the Department. Failure to meet these prerequisites will be grounds for withdrawal of your conditional offer of employment.
 
QUESTIONS:
 For questions concerning this job announcement and the application process: 

• Please visit https://www.governmentjobs.com/Home/ApplicationGuide for a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to the application process. 
• For technical support between 6 AM - 5 PM PT, contact Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627. 
• Visit the City of Sacramento Human Resources Department website at http://www.cityofsacramento.org/HR/Career-Opportunities; 
• Send an email to employment@cityofsacramento.org; or
• Call the Human Resources Department at (916) 808-5726