NHAH Veterinary Assistant/RVT, Job Description

Veterinary Assistant/Registered Veterinary Technician

REPORTS TO:

Manager, Cassidy Hawthorne, RVT

Manager, Erica Martinez

Manager, Gina Murphy

POSITION OVERVIEW

We are one of Orange County's oldest Animal Hospitals serving the pet health care needs of the Costa Mesa/Newport Beach/Irvine and surrounding cities since 1947. We are a very high pace, busy hospital with 9 full-time doctors and are looking for a Veterinary Assistant/RVT to join our team. Veterinary Assistant/RVT staff members are responsible for patient care taking, handling and restraining animals for doctors and other VA/RVT’s, carrying out treatments, filling medications, feeding and medicating animals, maintaining patient husbandry. Client communications include, but not limited to, making appointments and recheck appts, going overestimates, charges and all treatment and medications recommended to owner, taking phone calls and helping clients with technical questions, and calling in Rx’s for clients.

AGE REQUIREMENT

• Minimum of 18 years old

EDUCATION AND LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) desirable but not required

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Minimum two years of on-the-job experience as veterinary assistant or RVT

PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Must uphold our core values of: Integrity, Compassion, Self-Improvement, Reliability, Positivity and Team Spirit
• Must enjoy working with animals and be able to deal with them even when they are stressed, ill or in pain
• Ability to stay calm and efficient during a medical crisis
• Is well-spoken and approaches his/her job duties in a mature nature
• Experienced in the teamwork approach and works well with all levels of hospital team members; avoids gossiping
• Has excellent client communication skills and is able to handle complaints without getting upset or frustrated
• Ability to take verbal or written directions and perform treatments to patients accordingly
• Knowledgeable of veterinary medicine and treatments to be able to go over estimates efficiently and effectively
• Must be able to answer phone calls to help clients and call in RX’s
• Able to take constructive criticism well
• Willingness to be flexible to help cover shifts when needed
• Perform all other duties assigned

NURSING CARE

• Medicates patient either orally, by giving injections, or applying transdermals; understands proper techniques for handling the patient while medicating.
• Monitors and records observations regarding all patients in the hospital and reports observations to a doctor.
• Documents all conversations, observations, and status reports regarding patients, conversations with clients, and doctor’s instructions in medical records.
• Demonstrates proper use and set-up of medical equipment, following safety guidelines.
• Understands medical terminology, including dosage instructions, and is familiar with drugs prescribed for treatment.
• Communicates with doctors in a professional manner.
• Understands and carries out instructions as directed and in a timely fashion.
• Performs IV catheterization, programs IV pump according to doctor’s instructions.
• Fills prescriptions according to instructions, properly documents in the medical record, and calls in prescriptions to pharmacies when needed.

SURGERY AND DENTAL

• Performs surgery prep accurately on all patients as per doctor’s instructions and in a timely manner to ensure doctor remains on schedule and is productive.
• Performs anesthesia induction of animal according to hospital protocol and doctor specifications.
• Prepares surgery room and equipment.
• Monitors animals during surgery; observes heart rate, respirations, and blood pressure during the procedure and reports to the doctor.
• Recovers patient after anesthetic procedure to ensure the patient is safe and properly cared for at all times.
• Performs dental procedures, immediately documents activity in the medical record, and reports medical information, including abnormalities, to the doctor.
• Performs proper instrument cleaning and sterilization techniques; wraps packs for autoclaving, and safely uses autoclave to sterilize instruments for the next days’ surgery cases.
• Performs laser therapy treatments on patients with thorough knowledge of how to program and use the laser machine according to safety guidelines.

LABORATORY

• Obtains blood, urine, and other samples from the patient, ensuring patient safety and well- being.
• Runs blood samples on in-house laboratory machines, documents results in medical records, and reports results to the doctor.
• Prepares and analyzes urinalysis, fecal flotations, cytology tests, smears, stains, and combo test accurately and in a timely fashion.
• Prints lab forms, prepares requisitions, and processes reference lab blood work in a timely fashion to ensure samples are ready for daily pickup by lab personnel.

RADIOLOGY

• Wears protective equipment and follows safety guidelines when taking x-rays.
• Positions the animal correctly for different views.
• Uses digital x-ray equipment according to guidelines.
• Enters information on x-ray computer and transfers images to viewer.
• Completes radiology procedures in a timely fashion; documents results in the medical record and provides images to doctors.

CLIENT SERVICES

• Greets clients with a professional, courteous, and friendly demeanor.
• Discusses discharge instructions thoroughly with client, goes over medications and instructions, recommends recheck or other visits, and verbally communicates doctor recommendations.
• Discusses diet, medications, and various treatment recommendations with client in a professional, compassionate, and comfortable manner.
• Instructs and gives demonstrations to clients on how administer subcutaneous fluids or give insulin injections.
• Records conversations in medical records. Animal Restraint
• Instructs all team members on appropriate restraint techniques to ensure patient, doctor, and team member safety.
• Performs various restraints for procedures needed to be done to the animal, making sure the safety of the animal and the doctor or technician performing the procedure is of primary concern.
• Ability to answer phones professionally and speak clearly to help clients make appointments.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Must be able to lift and carry animals and food bags (will be assisted by other staff members in lifting animals over 40 lbs).
• Ability to walk or stand for extended periods or time, up to 10 hours.
• Must be able to frequently work in a bent position, restraining a patient, can be up to 10 minutes or more.
• Must be able to reach above your head, and perform sweeping and mopping for every shift
• Must be able to walk and restrain dogs of all sizes, from small breeds (Chihuahua/Poodle) to large breeds (Mastiffs/Great Danes).
• Must be able to restrain and handle feline patients.
• Must have the ability to speak with authority to Clients of patients.
• Must use computers and other like devices for up to 75% of each day.

WORK CONDITIONS

• May be exposed to unpleasant odors, noises and animal feces
• May be exposed to bites, scratches and contagious diseases
• May be exposed to radiation from hospital equipment
• Must be able to work unaffected in an environment where dogs are barking
• Must be available to work weekends and some holidays
• Must be available to work shifts ranging in length between 6am until 7pm
• Must be able to work shifts between 6 and 10 hours in length, depending on scheduling needs

Experienced RVT Salary: $20.00 to $28.00 /hour

Experienced VA Salary: $18.00 to $24.00 /hour

Pay rate is based on experience and skill level

COVID-19 considerations:
We currently have cleaning and sanitizing protocols in place to help keep everyone safe. We provide masks and gloves to our employees along with having hand sanitizer all around hospital. We are currently providing curbside service to our clients.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Pay: $18.00 - $28.00 per hour

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 10 hour shift
• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Experience:

• Veterinary assistant: 1 year (Preferred)
• Blood draws and IVC: 1 year (Preferred)

Language:

• English (Preferred)

License/Certification:

• Veterinary Technician Certification (Preferred)

Work Location: In person