Part-time Veterinary Assistant - Urgent and Convenient Care

Provide basic patient care in a professional and courteous manner under the supervision of a veterinarian or veterinary technician.
 • Work as a team with veterinary technicians, students, interns, residents and faculty to provide care for patients which may include, but is not limited to post-surgical, chronic conditions, and isolation, which may include methicillin resistant organisms and zoonotic diseases.
 • Provide food, water and exercise as directed by either written hospital orders or given verbally by veterinarian or veterinary technician.
 • Use problem solving skills to assist with patient care in non-emergent situations.
 • Directly monitor patient status, under veterinary supervision, including those hospitalized and recovering from anesthesia.
 • Recognize and report physical abnormalities such as, but not limited to; respiratory difficulty and distress, change in mentation, abnormal physical exam findings, and signs of shock.
 • Recognize and report pulmonary or cardiopulmonary arrest.
 • Restrain patients using appropriate restraint techniques.
 • Facilitate patient transport between clinical areas.
Provide support to veterinary technicians using basic monitoring equipment such as indirect blood pressure (doppler and oscillometric), electrocardiogram (ECG), pulse oximetry, and continuous temperature monitoring.
 • Complete and review patient monitoring and treatments as directed on the patient’s care plan, such as a patient care flow sheet or patient record.  Report abnormal findings when something is not within the set call parameters.
 • Report issues and assist veterinary technicians with the set up and maintenance of indwelling urinary catheters, Jackson-Pratt grenade style drains, intravenous catheters, feeding tubes, nasal oxygen, nebulization, fluid and syringe pumps.
 • Assist veterinary technicians with the set up of IV fluids, continuous rate infusions (CRI’s) and other medications as directed by the veterinarian.
 • Provide support to veterinary technicians in set-up and administration of enteral feedings through nasogastric (NG), nasoesophageal (NE), esophagostomy (E)-tube, gastrostomy (G)-tube, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), or jejunostomy (J)-tubes, as directed by the veterinarian.
 • Assist with set up for patient treatments and procedures under the direct or written orders of the veterinarian.

Facilities Maintenance
 • Maintain the cleanliness of animal and work areas, instruments and equipment based on set infection control protocols and hospital standards, as well as complete daily, weekly and monthly cleaning assignments.
 • Stock and maintain clinical supplies and maintain inventory records.
 • Assist with documenting and troubleshooting issues with equipment.

Patient admission, discharge, record keeping and client communication processes.
 • Register patients and clients into the hospital HIS.
 • Answer phone calls and make appointments.
 • Assist in the discharge of patients, including taking payment.
 • Enter clinical signs, treatments, and other information in the medical records in the Health Information System under the direction of a staff veterinarian.
 • Review daily patient monitoring sheets frequently to ensure accuracy and completion.
 • Enter supplies used and procedures performed on patients into the Health Information System

Clinical service, facilities support
 • Record treatments, procedures, supplies, and thorough notes on patient’s medical record.
 • Record and enter charges for supplies and procedures into the Electronic Medical Record (EMR).
 • Perform electronic submission of samples to clinical pathology and the diagnostic laboratory.
 • Facilitate processing of laboratory samples such as venous and arterial blood gases, packed cell volume (PCV)/total solids (TS), blood glucose (BG), lactate, ketostick etc. and outside referral labs.
 • Facilitate mailing of samples to outside labs.

To perform other duties as assigned
 • May be asked to assist in other areas of the hospital