What are the responsibilities and job description for the Technician Assistant - Surgery & Sterile Processing position at ANIMAL EMERGENCY & REFERRAL CENTER OF MINNESOTA?
Technician Assistant – Surgery & Sterile Processing
Some people love the excitement of surgery. Others love organizing, preparing, and making sure everything is exactly where it needs to be. If you're the kind of person who gets satisfaction from creating order, supporting a team, and knowing your work directly impacts patient outcomes, this might be your perfect role.
At Animal Emergency & Referral Center of Minnesota (AERC), we're looking for a Technician Assistant – Surgery & Sterile Processing to support our Surgery Service while becoming an essential part of our hospital's sterile processing program.
This is a unique opportunity to combine hands-on veterinary patient care with specialized surgical support in one of Minnesota's busiest emergency and specialty hospitals.
What You'll Do
No two days are exactly alike, but you can expect to:
Support Our Surgery Team
- Assist veterinarians and veterinary technicians with patient restraint, anesthesia preparation, treatments, diagnostics, and surgical procedures.
- Prepare patients and operating rooms for scheduled and emergency surgeries.
- Monitor patient comfort and communicate concerns to the medical team.
- Assist with admissions, discharges, and recovery support.
Be the Expert Behind the Sterile Instruments
- Clean, inspect, assemble, package, and sterilize surgical instruments and equipment.
- Build and maintain surgical packs for a variety of specialty procedures.
- Operate autoclaves, ultrasonic cleaners, and other sterilization equipment.
- Verify sterilization quality and maintain required documentation.
- Help ensure every surgeon has exactly what they need—when they need it.
Keep Surgery Running Smoothly
- Stock supplies and monitor inventory.
- Clean and maintain equipment.
- Help organize treatment and surgical areas.
- Support pharmacy tasks within hospital policy.
- Work closely with multiple specialty departments to ensure surgical readiness.
More Than Just Surgery
While your primary home will be our Surgery Service, you'll also:
- Help support sterile processing needs across the hospital.
- Assist other specialty departments when operational needs require.
- Participate in after-hours support through an on-call rotation or by assisting our Emergency & Critical Care team during weekends, holidays, or other high-volume periods.
Qualifications:
What We're Looking For
We're looking for someone who is:
- Organized and detail-oriented
- Calm under pressure
- Passionate about patient care
- Curious and eager to learn
- A team player who enjoys helping others succeed
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced specialty hospital
Preferred Qualifications
- Veterinary Technician Assistant experience
- Surgery or specialty hospital experience
- Experience with sterile processing or surgical instrumentation (we're happy to train the right person!)
- Fear Free Certification
- RECOVER CPR Certification
Why You'll Love This Role
This isn't just another technician assistant position.
You'll become an integral part of both our Surgery Service and our growing sterile processing program—developing specialized skills that are highly valued in advanced veterinary medicine.
If you enjoy precision, organization, teamwork, and making a meaningful impact behind the scenes, you'll thrive here.
Why AERC?
We're Minnesota's only locally owned emergency and specialty veterinary hospital. For more than 40 years, we've provided advanced care to pets while fostering a workplace built on collaboration, kindness, and continuous learning.
We offer:
- Advanced specialty medicine
- Opportunities to learn new technical skills
- Supportive leaders and teammates
- Continuing education and career growth
- A culture where every role matters
Salary : $18 - $21