Vet Technician

SUMMARY

The Veterinary Technician’s primary role is to support and assist the doctors of the hospital. The Veterinary Technician will begin the physical examination and continue to assist the doctor throughout the examination, diagnosis and treatment phases of the pet’s visit. Vet Techs will also interact closely with client’s communicating; general information, home care and other information in regards to the pet’s care.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Performs all duties in accordance with government regulations and hospital policies and procedures.
• Prepares and maintains the exam rooms and treatment areas.
• Assists the doctor in medical, surgical and dental procedures; prepares patients for surgery; assists the doctor in administering anesthetics; monitors patients during surgery and recovery; administers fluids.
• Gives injections and administers oral medications.
• Performs emergency procedures such as control of bleeding, resuscitation with oxygen, and external cardiac massage.
• Assists in restraining pets when necessary.
• Performs clinical laboratory procedures such as fecal flotation exams, heartworm checks, skin scrapings, urinalysis, and fungal cultures; draws blood for laboratory analysis; maintains file of lab test results and ensures that test results are recorded in patient records.
• Takes radiographs and performs EKGs.
• Admits and discharges patients on the doctor's orders. Counsels clients on various aspects of animal care; explains dosage/purpose of medications; reinforces the proper care and procedures that should be followed at home; makes follow-up calls to clients.
• Understands usage and dosage for commonly used prescription drugs including heartworm preventative and prescription flea control products and can readily explain them to clients.
• Properly cleans all surgical materials after they are used; keeps the operating room stocked and prepared for surgery.
• Maintains an appropriate inventory of all drugs and medical supplies.
• Assists other staff members as required.
• Performs other duties as determined by the doctors.
• Prepares estimates for clients

PREFERRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Previous veterinary practice experience is preferred

COMPETENCIES

• Compassion and Empathy
• Technical Capacity.
• Ability to carry out verbal and written directions
• Strong communication skills
• Ability to stay calm and efficient during times of high tension
• Collaboration and teamwork

COMPUTER SKILLS

To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of; MS Excel Spreadsheet software and MS Word; MS PowerPoint Word Processing software. Previous experience with veterinary practice software is a plus.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

No travel is expected for this position.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands 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 regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 40 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision and ability to adjust focus.