Patient care

Support and assist Veterinarians, Veterinary Technicians, Veterinary Assistants and other hospital Associates through direct care and maintenance of kennel, hospital, and surroundings, feeding and general husbandry of hospitalized or boarding pets, and other functions and tasks involved in patient care and operations of a veterinary hospital.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITY/TASK

• Complete basic animal husbandry tasks such as maintaining pets’ care and comfort, basic grooming and handling, feeding and walking, and patient transport.

• Perform routine housekeeping and maintenance in the hospital.

• Communicate effectively with clients and other Associates.

• Follow standard hospital procedures including the ability to read, understand and follow proper healthcare documentation guidelines for basic medical records.

• Other responsibilities as assigned.

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Ability to effectively and safely perform basic pet care, grooming, handling, and transport.

• Ability to read, understand and follow proper healthcare documentation guidelines for basic medical records.

 • Ability to effectively communicate with others about patient condition and care.

• Ability to accurately interpret basic patient body language.

• Ability to maintain a clean and disinfected facility including treatment rooms, patient care areas and patient housing locations.

• Ability to understand basic unit of measure (lb., kg., tablet, capsule, mL)

CORE AND FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES

• Promote the VCA brand and culture, as well as important initiatives such as Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity, within the greater context of The Essence of Mars.

• Hospital Procedures and Medical Record Management – Demonstrate knowledge and adhere to hospital processes and procedures including medical record and system maintenance, scheduling and inventory policies, legal regulations and other policies and procedures dictated by regulatory agencies.

• Housekeeping and Maintenance – Demonstrate commitment to cleanliness and sanitation of hospital environment (inside and outside) and maintain a healthy environment for the hospital team, clients, and patients.

• Verbal and written communication skills to support patient and client care – Respectfully listen to others to gain a full understanding of issues; comprehend written material; present information in a clear and concise manner orally and in writing to ensure others understand their ideas; appropriately adapt their message, style, and tone to accommodate a variety of audiences.

 • Basic Patient Care, Handling and Comfort – Demonstrate knowledge and effective execution of compassionate patient care, handling, and medical responsibilities as appropriate for maintaining health and comfort of and providing care for our hospitalized, sick, and well patients.

WORKING CONDITIONS

● Ability to sit, stand, walk, bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, and climb as well as manipulate (lift, carry, and move) up to 40 pounds. Lifting higher weights requires requesting assistance from another Associate.

● Requires good hand-eye coordination, arm-hand-finger dexterity with the ability to grasp, and visual acuity to use a keyboard and operate necessary equipment.

 ● Visual acuity sufficient to complete accurate records, recognize people and animals, as well as understand written directions.

● Occasionally exposed to airborne particles and illness from patients and chemicals related to animal care, cleanliness, and office equipment.        

● The noise level in the work environment is normally moderate to high; hearing must be sufficient to hear coworkers and pets (growling dog, etc.) in a moderate to high noise level environment.

● Environment where pets are present. Any allergies to animals must be controlled by medication.

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

● No travel is required for this position.

If you are a current associate, you will need to apply through our internal career site. Please log into Workday and click on the Jobs Hub app or search for Browse Jobs.

Benefits: We offer competitive compensation along with a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision and paid vacation/sick days, 401(k), generous employee pet discounts and more!

The information in this position description indicates the general nature and level of work to be performed. It is not designed to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of associates assigned to this job. Management reserves the right to revise the job description or require that other tasks be performed when the circumstances of the job change (for example, emergencies, change in personnel, workload, or technical development)

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer - Veterans / Disabled. For a complete EEO statement please see our career page at vcacareers.com