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13 Oct 2021
Full-Time Foster Animal Medical Case Manager (vet tech)
Job Description
Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is one of Austin’s most dynamic and best-loved nonprofits. The organization is the leader in the no-kill movement nationally and is considered a national thought leader in animal welfare. APA! locally rescues, treats, and adopts out 10,000 homeless dogs and cats each year, providing the safety net for Austin’s most at-risk shelter pets, which helps Austin to be a no-kill city, while also assisting other communities in saving homeless animals. The organization is distinguished by the scrappiness of its grassroots, non-traditional community-based animal rescue work. Austin Pets Alive! continues to innovate best practices to save sheltered lives and teaches its renowned no-kill lifesaving model to 400 students annually, who attend apprenticeships at APA!’s Maddie’s® Learning Academy both onsite and online, and hundreds of animal welfare professionals through our outreach efforts with American Pets Alive and the Human Animal Support Services (H.A.S.S.) initiatives.
Our Foster Program asks community members to open their doors to our animals who need some TLC outside of the shelter. We believe that the young, abandoned, sick, abused, and stressed animals that enter our shelter deserve to have the best possible chance at finding a loving, permanent home. A foster parent has one of the most important jobs at the shelter, helping our animals to receive individualized care and attention as they wait for adoption.
As we continue moving the organization closer to 100% foster housing, this position is integral in functioning as the main point of contact for medical questions and concerns from foster caregivers. Case managers train and support foster caregivers and provide them the tools to properly handle the medical needs of foster pets in their care. By aiding foster caregivers in keeping their foster pets healthy, our Foster Medical Case Managers are crucial in the success of our foster program.
The basic function of the Foster Medical Case Manager is to oversee pets in foster care that require additional medical training, individualized attention, communication, and guidance. This position will also provide animal caregivers with the planning and education needed to help the pets in and under their care as best as possible.
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
This position reports to the Medical Clinic Management team. This position will work closely with fosters, volunteers, and the APA! veterinary staff. This position also requires communication with all other teams in the organization to provide quality patient care.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Manage a variety of complex medical cases for the dogs and cats in APA!’s care, including maintaining communication with the animals’ caretakers
- “Enroll” and onboard new medical fosters in a timely manner, under the direction of the Clinic Manager and/or veterinarians
- Utilize ShelterLuv software to review, interpret, and summarize lengthy and complicated medical records for all assigned cases; update medical summaries as needed while maintaining chronology of records
- Host group training classes (and record for distribution) for fosters around: sub-q fluids, IM injections, pill swallowing, range of motion, lime dip, fading kitten/puppy protocol, bandage changes, etc. Create a library of video resources.
- Using tele-medicine protocols, provide a minimum of 8 hours each a week doing video consults with foster parents
- Recruit, train and lead a team of volunteers/mentors to handle basic medical classes, training, information requests, etc.
- Conduct medical consults with potential foster parents
- Provide excellent customer service to all APA! stakeholders, maintaining a professional and positive attitude through all interactions
- Coordinate routine and non-routine medical procedures and appointments with APA! Clinic; provide support for clients through appointments as needed
- Coordinate and implement treatment plans, following veterinarian directions and advice
- Coordinate appointments with partner clinics and specialists
- Release resolved cases in a timely manner as directed by Clinic Manager or veterinarians
- Help provide leadership and guidance to clinic staff as needed, under the direction of the Clinic Manager
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of all APA! medical protocols and procedures
- Maintain a safe, clean, and sanitary work environment
- Attend and participate in all required training sessions and meetings
- Maintain open and consistent communication with Program Manager or designee, supervisor, and other colleagues
- Meet established 30/60/90-day goals identified at time of hire
- Able to react to change productively and perform other related duties as assigned
- Able to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and on-call as needed
- Able to work in a high volume, fast-paced, high-stress environment
- Other duties as assigned
PHYSICAL JOB REQUIREMENTS
- Must be able to routinely lift 40-50 pounds
- Must be able to work around dogs and cats of varying temperaments and health statuses, including diseased, injured, and/or potentially aggressive animals
- Must be able to work in a medical clinic environment and be witness to a variety of animal medical conditions and procedures
- Must be comfortable working around unpleasant smells, loud noises, indoors, and outdoors in all weather
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Minimum of 1 year of experience working in the veterinary field in a customer-facing role
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including via email, phone, and in-person
- Strong organization, critical thinking, and planning skills
- Must be knowledgeable in various canine and feline procedures, conditions, illnesses, and medications
- Proficiency in standard veterinary technician skills, including but not limited to proper handling and restraint techniques, blood draws and diagnostics, skin scrapes, TPR, SQ/IM/IV injections, and catheter placement
- Strong organization, critical thinking, and planning skills
- Ability to work independently in a busy and dynamic environment
- Experience working with emotional or distressed clients; conflict resolution skills and ability to work through difficult situations
- Fluency in English and Spanish preferred
EXPECTATIONS
- Must embody APA!’s core values of innovation, respect, drive, resourcefulness, and inclusion
- Commitment to APA!’s customer experience expectations
- Commitment to APA!’s no kill mission and care philosophies
- Willing and committed to working well with volunteers and staff in all roles
PHYSICAL JOB REQUIREMENTS):
- Must be able to routinely lift 40-50 pounds
- Must be able to work around animals (including diseased, injured, and/or potentially aggressive animals), loud noises, chlorine or other chemicals, and inclement weather
- Must be able to comfortably interact with cats/dogs of various health levels, including those who may carry zoonotic diseases such as ringworm, scabies, intestinal parasites, etc.
- Able to be on your feet for multiple hours of the day
- Must be able to visually observe people and animals from up to 150 feet away
- Ability to hear normal speech at close contact and shouting up to 150 feet away with the ability to hear and discern dog vocalizations both soft and loud
- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
- Must be able to pass all required dog handling training required for this position
- Must be able to focus in a loud and busy environment despite distractions
- Must be able to walk around shelter as needed – uneven ground, keeping a safe distance from dogs and handlers
- Will sit, stand, walk, talk, hear, stoop, bend, stretch, squat, kneel, grasp, grip, put fingers together firmly and reach above and below shoulder level, lift and/or carry up to 30 pounds and push and pull up to 50 pounds for situations of moving supplies and setting up for events; repetitively use hands to operate computers; flex the neck upward and downward; twist the neck and the waist.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
- Occasional after-hours or weekend work as required to support program needs
- Work is normally performed inside; some outside work is required
- Exposure to unpleasant odors and noises.
- Exposure to bites, scratches and animal waste
- Possible exposure to contagious diseases
- Rapid pace with exposure to potential hazards including animal waste, disinfectants, and high levels of noise
TIME COMMITMENT: This is a full-time, exempt position with an average of 45 hours per week.
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS: This position reports directly to the Clinic Management team, and works closely with all foster and adoption staff.
LOCATIONS:
- APA! Main – Town Lake Animal Center 1156 West Cesar Chavez Austin, TX 78703
- APA! Cat Adoption Center and Gift Shop 3108 Windsor Road Austin, TX 78703
- Tarrytown Dog Adoption Center, Play Yard & Gift Shop 3118 Windsor Road Austin, TX 78703
- APA! Neonatal Nursery 3102 Windsor Rd, Suite D Austin, TX 78703
- Remote
- May travel to offsite locations as needed.
BENEFITS:
All employees are eligible for a discounted gym membership and access to an Employee Assistance Program. Full-time employees are eligible for insurance benefits including medical, dental, vision, voluntary short-term life insurance, and voluntary short-term disability, as well as Paid Time Off.
All employees are eligible for a discounted gym membership and access to an Employee Assistance Program. Full-time employees are eligible for insurance benefits including medical, dental, vision, voluntary short-term life insurance, and voluntary short-term disability, as well as Paid Time Off.
How to Apply
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