Full-Time Veterinary Technician
Job Description
Veterinary Technician (Full-time)
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. The organization 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® Lifesaving Academy, and to hundreds of animal welfare professionals who attend the organization’s annual American Pets Alive! conference.
The APA! Medical Clinic works on the cutting edge of shelter medicine, treating the most critical and vulnerable animals that other shelters and even some private clinics don’t have the resources to help. This makes APA! the ideal learning environment for anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of veterinary medicine and no-kill animal sheltering, with the added benefit of knowing you are helping homeless animals from all over Texas!
Our technicians rotate through different roles in the clinic including Appointment Technician, Emergency Technician, Hospital Technician, and Prescription Technician. Our veterinary technicians are crucial to the success of our lifesaving programs, providing hands-on care and treatment to the 10,000+ animals who come through our doors every year. The ideal candidate is passionate about creating the best experience for the public, adopters, and volunteers who visit APA!, all while making a difference for Austin’s most vulnerable pets. This is a full-time, nonexempt position and reports to the Medical Clinic Manager on duty or another individual designated by APA!. This position typically works four days a week with a 10-hour shift each day. Some weekends and holidays may be required.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
General: APA! Veterinary Technicians work closely with all fosters, adopters, animal program teams, and other clinic staff to provide excellent care to all patients.
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of all APA! medical protocols and procedures
- Maintain a safe, clean, and sanitary work environment
- Provide excellent customer service to all clients and stakeholders
- Provide quality and timely medical care for scheduled medical clinic clients
- Follow vet-approved protocols for diagnostics and treatment of routine medical concerns
- Seek vet involvement for all non-routine or chronic patients
- Provide fosters, adopters, and animal program staff with clear communication and information regarding the animals in their care, including relevant APA! handouts when applicable
- Prepare for daily appointments in advance, including reviewing medical history for each patient
- Maintain updated animal records through immediate data entry during and after each appointment
- Provide Clinic Case Management Coordinator with updates as needed, including notification of potential new medical cases needing attention
- With veterinarian, provide quality and time-sensitive medical care for emergency and urgent medical clinic clients
- Triage and react accordingly to urgent, critical, and contagious animals
- Report declining patients and urgent needs to veterinary staff immediately
- Follow veterinarian instructions or approved protocols for diagnostics and treatment of medical concerns
- Work with receptionists and clinic managers to coordinate intake and care for all animals needing hospitalization
- Provide fosters, adopters, and animal program staff with clear communication and information regarding the animals in their care, including relevant APA! handouts when applicable
- Prepare for daily appointments in advance when applicable, including reviewing medical history for each patient
- Maintain updated animal records through immediate data entry during and after each appointment
- Provide Clinic Case Management Coordinator with updates as needed, including notification of potential new medical cases needing attention
- Provide scheduled treatments to all hospitalized animals
- Request and administer all assigned medications appropriately and within acceptable time frames, as directed by clinic protocols and the veterinary staff
- Maintain proper care of all hospitalized animals, including identifying, monitoring, and documenting illness symptoms and changes
- Work with receptionists and clinic managers to coordinate intake and care for all incoming animals needing hospitalization
- Triage and react accordingly to urgent, critical, and contagious animals
- Report declining patients and urgent needs to veterinary staff immediately
- Provide Clinic Case Management Coordinator with updates as needed, including notification of potential new medical cases needing attention
- Efficiently and accurately fill all approved medical prescriptions for the APA! medical clinic in a timely manner
- Review medical records as needed to ensure all requested prescriptions are accurate and appropriate for the specific animal
- Follow veterinarian-approved protocols and written medical instructions regarding medication use
- Communicate with animal caregivers regarding prescriptions, as needed
- Maintain updated animal records through immediate data entry
- Attend and participate in all required training sessions and meetings
- Maintain open and consistent communication with Program Manager or designee, supervisor, and other colleagues
- Able to react to change productively and perform other related duties as assigned
- Able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed
- Able to work in a high volume, fast-paced, high-stress environment
- 6 months of experience working as a veterinary technician or surgery experience, preferably in a customer-facing role
- 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
- Must possess moderate to expert veterinary pharmacy knowledge
- Must have basic knowledge of common dog and cat illnesses, injuries, conditions, and diagnostics and run basic medical tests
- Ability to do precise drug calculations and create accurate prescription labels
- Must be able to transcribe veterinarian notes
- Ability to work independently in a busy and dynamic environment
- Current Valid Driver’s License desired for occasional transport needs
- Understand current APA! medical protocols
- Must embody APA!’s Core Values of Innovation, Respect, Drive, Resourcefulness, and Inclusion
- Commitment to APA!’s customer experience expectations
- Willing and committed to working well with volunteers and staff in all roles
- Must be able to routinely lift 40-50 pounds
- Must be able to work around cats and dogs with varying temperaments, including those that are diseased, injured, and/or potentially aggressive
- Work is normally performed inside the APA! Medical Clinic, with exposure to environmental conditions that include working with and near animals
- Must be comfortable working indoors and outdoors, around unpleasant smells, loud noises, and a variety of standard cleaning supplies and chemicals
- Rapid pace with potential for animal bites and scratches and diseases that can be transmitted from animals to people as well as exposure to unpleasant odors and noises
- Must be comfortable witnessing veterinary surgical procedures
- Uses own transportation to travel and transport
- APA! Main – Town Lake Animal Center 1156 West Cesar Chavez Austin, TX 78703
- Occasional travel to offsite locations may be required
How to Apply
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