Veterinary Technician

Summary: Performs highly technical veterinary skills in the care of animals within the research facilities to ensure compliance with SOPs, federal, state, and local guidelines and regulations. Provide faculty animal researchers, staff and students with animal research support while ensuring animal welfare. Provides a critical interface between the Attending Veterinarian (AV), faculty researchers and investigative staff, students, and the IACUC office. Supports the Guide for the care and use of Laboratory Animals, Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC), while supporting customer needs and enhancing operational efficiencies regarding the proper care and maintenance of laboratory animals, biosafety, biosecurity, and physical plant oversight within UTEP vivarium and other animal use areas.

Essential Functions

Assist in the development and modification, as needed, of animal care policies, procedures, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and practices, which promote the high quality, cost-effective operation of the animal facilities.

Routinely convene with staff and the AV for continuous updates, coordinate the training of animal care staff for their animal care responsibilities; help prepare staff for AALAS certification.

Interact with faculty and staff to provide high quality, responsive animal care services; advise on technological changes affecting laboratory animal research and care.

Perform medical surveillance, diagnostic support, and treatment of clinical cases, which include identification of sick animals, contacting investigators, following veterinary orders, and documentation of cases/treatments.

Coordinate sentinel testing program and animal health monitoring, including environmental and water testing.

Coordinate with the IACUC office to track and provide training for animal care & use and the Occupational Health & Safety Program, including but not limited to hands on and classroom training.

Help ensure compliance with federal, state, and local animal regulatory requirements.

Prepare for and facilitate inspections by internal/external parties (announced and unannounced).

Assist with animal procurement/shipping, including animal records, placement, tracking and census.

Demonstrate care and use of vivarium equipment and provide training and application of current and new equipment, coordinate and facilitate surgical and minor procedural trainings (necropsy, injections, phlebotomy, anesthesia, euthanasia, etc.).

Provide veterinary support for research projects, pre- and post-surgical care, anesthesia, and post-surgery treatments.

Provide anesthesia equipment training, scheduling, maintenance and set up for PI use and assist in the coordination of the annual certification of gas anesthesia equipment of all researchers and LARC systems.

Perform routine veterinary technical skills including administration of various therapeutic measures by IV, IM, SQ, topical, or oral routes, demonstrate proficient animal restraint techniques, tissue sampling, and other routine animal manipulations.

Visit animal holding and use areas within the vivarium and other animal use areas regularly to identify specific, new and refresher animal-use training needs and assure proficiency with routine animal handling and techniques, as well as ensure that all research and LARC staff are kept abreast of new (or changes in) IACUC policies pertaining to animal use and the Occupational Health and Safety Program (OHSP) while fostering good rapport between laboratory and LARC personnel as an ambassador of the LARC Department.

Demonstrate proficiency in ABSL1, ABSL2 procedures and successfully complete training provided to work in an ABSL3 environment if not already proficient.

A strong knowledge of veterinary medicine, technical skills, and animal husbandry standards and regulatory guidelines and requirements, standard operating procedures for species of animals used in behavioral and biomedical research, and special handling techniques for biohazardous or infectious materials; ABSL3 experience is desirable, and certification is required within 12 months of hire.

Weekend and holiday work may be required.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge of all Microsoft Office software and able to learn and use institutional software systems.

Complies with all State and University policies.

Supervisory Responsibilities: May assist manager with quality assurance verification or general supervision of staff members.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Required Qualifications:

Education: Veterinary Technician License OR a Bachelor’s degree in the life sciences (e.g., animal science, biology, microbiology) or equivalent with veterinary technician or laboratory animal experience. OR LAT (or higher) AALAS certification

and

Experience: At least 3 years of animals experience (laboratory animal preferred)

Able to undergo and receive approval for access to select agents: a Security Risk Assessment by the Criminal Justice Informational System to obtain FBI/CDC clearance, and an internal Suitability Assessment.

Applicant Should Demonstrate

Experience or understanding of the function of barrier animal facilities

Knowledge of a wide variety of common laboratory animals

Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing

Good organizational skills and be able to work independently with minimal supervision.

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to talk or hear, sit; use hands to feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and walk. Ability to stand for long periods of time. The employee must occasionally lift and move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and color vision.

The noise level for this work environment is usually moderate.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to fumes or airborne particles. The employee is occasionally exposed to wet or humid conditions; toxic or caustic chemicals; and outdoor weather conditions. The noise level for this work environment is usually quiet.

Standard animal resources environment and in a Biosafety Level 3 containment laboratory that pose additional biohazard due to the use of highly contagious pathogens in this environment. Must not be allergic to animal dander or have immunodeficiency diseases. Pregnancy may become a personnel safety factor in some laboratory animal duties. Potential exposure to radiation and biohazards. In addition, incumbent will be required to work safely and effectively in non-containment and the animal biosafety level 2 and 3 containment laboratories.

In keeping with its access, excellence and impact mission, The University of Texas at El Paso is committed to an open, diverse, and inclusive learning and working environment that honors the talents, respects the differences, and nurtures the growth and development of all. We seek to attract faculty and staff who share our commitment.

The University of Texas at El Paso is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity in employment or the provision of services in accordance with state and federal law. Discrimination on the basis of sex includes an employee’s or prospective employee’s right to be free from sexual harassment under Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972. Inquiries—including the filing of a Formal Complaint or reporting an incident—about the application of Title IX may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, who can be reached by phone at (915) 747-8358, by email at titleix@utep.edu, or by mail at 500 W. University Ave., El Paso, TX, Kelly Hall, Room 312.

For accommodation information for employees and applicants with disabilities, please contact UTEP's Equal Opportunity Office at eoaa@utep.edu.