Lead Certified Veterinary Technician

New Hampshire SPCA

Job Description

JOB DESCRIPTION

TITLE: Lead Certified or Licensed Veterinary Technician

REPORTS TO: Veterinary Center Manager

HOURS: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:00pm

Hourly (non-exempt), full-time at 40 hours/week

COMPENSATION: $28/Hour

Agency and position overview:

The NHSPCA is excited to announce the open position for a Lead Certified Veterinary Technician as part of our growing team. This position will fill a crucial gap in current operations, providing guidance to Vet Center volunteer and staff and facilitating patient flow throughout the workday.

Founded in 1872, the NHSPCA is one of the first animal welfare organizations established in the USA.  In 2021, we completed a comprehensive renovation and upgrade to our animal housing, a new community space for programs, a new Veterinary Center for Community Wellness programs, and much more.  By joining the NHSPCA, your talents, experience and education will make a difference in the lives of companion animals.

The NHSPCA core values include respect, compassion, and cooperation. We are an equal opportunity employer.

Job Function:

As a member of our medical team, you will be providing the best medical and surgical care to our shelter population seeking new forever homes and also providing access to veterinary care to our community in need, including low cost spay/neuter, dentals and preventative medicine. This individual filling this role has responsibility for assisting veterinarians and the coordination of clinic care in accordance with NHSPCA’s policies, procedures or laws that apply. 

Specific Responsibilities: Outline the various aspects of the role with a summary to describe each

Leadership

Identify shelter animals needing medical services and schedule them for their needed services in a timely manner to reduce length of stay

Train and assign daily responsibilities to volunteers, veterinary assistants, and other veterinary technicians

Provide suggestions to increase safety, efficiency, and impact

Ensure all veterinary machines are regularly serviced

Monitor inventory in conjunction with the Clinic Manager

Clinical Care 

Coordinate and cooperate as the lead on daily Clinic flow and act as a liaison between the Clinic staff, Veterinarian, Manager and Director of Animal Services. 

Administer daily treatments and feeding as needed in Clinic under Veterinarian’s supervision. 

Perform all necessary diagnostic testing utilizing multiple diagnostic tools and platforms (including, but not limited to CBC, blood chemistry, X-Rays, urine testing, leukemia, FIV/FeLV, parvovirus, heartworm, fecal, intravenous catheters initiated, intravenous fluid administration, intubation) and monitor animal treatment progress. 

Prepare animals for surgery. 

Assist Doctors in anesthesia induction, monitoring animals’ vital signs during surgery, and iso-fluorene and oxygen level in anesthesia machine daily. 

Check recovery state after surgery. 

In an emergency, administer life-saving medication under Doctor’s supervision. 

Perform or assist in the euthanasia of animals in the Clinic. 

Consistently demonstrate appropriate use of PPE when in quarantine / isolation spaces and provide information to other staff at the agency on best practices using PPE. 

Utilize high quality, high volume techniques on spay/neuter days. 

Medical Support, Maintenance & Recordkeeping 

Fill prescriptions and prepare medications, medication monitoring charts, dosage changes. Coordinate and communicate medication administration requirements with the other Clinic and animal care staff. 

Accurately calculate and record all medications and injections administered. 

Promptly report any irregularities of controlled drug records to the Doctor in charge of the Clinic. 

Log controlled drugs as necessary. 

Assist with the maintenance of inventory of pharmaceuticals, equipment, and supplies and collaborate with other Clinic and Adoption Center staff on medication logs and overall inventory management. 

Assure monitoring and support equipment such as anesthetic machines, cardiac monitors, scopes and breathing apparatus are in good working condition. 

Clean and maintain facility daily. Including: Clean and sterilize instruments and other material daily; Refill bottles with chemical solution daily; Clean exam, surgery rooms and other spaces in the Clinic as needed. 

Other Duties as assigned

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will have 3+ years of experience as a technician, have passed the VTNE and is a certified or licensed veterinary technician or nurse, experience with high volume, high quality spay/neuter and strong leadership experience working with volunteers, veterinary assistants, and other technicians is preferred.

To fulfill this role 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. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

· Excellent demonstrated leadership skills, able to build bridges between departments and coordinate a team to achieve goals. 

· Excellent communication skills including the ability to effectively present information to others through verbal or written reports, business correspondence and procedures. 

· Demonstrate clear, professional and appropriate communication skills with colleagues and clients pet owners. 

· Ability to read, analyze and interpret technical procedures and other business correspondence. 

· Ability to remain calm in the face of various types of pressure, not allowing emotions to overwhelm attitude or performance. 

· Demonstrate consistent and proactive follow-through and completion of tasks given through various methods of communication. 

· Ability and willingness to learn new technologies and use different tools and platforms throughout the course of the day. 

· Ability to work in a high stress environment that changes rapidly. 

· Willing to be delegated to and work independently. 

· Willing to contribute to decision making and pathway management. 

· Comfortable with Doctor and management decisions regarding euthanasia. 

· Dependable with attendance and timeliness. 

· Must be present for workdays in the Vet Center at the NHSPCA. 

*Current clinic software is ClinicHQ.

Benefits:

Employees will be able to participate in our benefits programs as outlined in our Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual. Some highlights include:

Paid Time Off – Full-time Employees receive (16) paid days off in their first year. Part-time employees also accrue PTO relative to hours worked. Available following the first 90-day introductory period.

Holidays - nine (9) paid holidays and (1) float day during the year to all full-time employees. 

Health Benefits - Full-time employees may participate in our medical insurance plan.  Coverage becomes effective the first day of the month following completion of the first thirty (30) days of employment for the NHSPCA (or as required by the health insurance carrier).  The NHSPCA currently pays 75% of the premiums of a policy for the employee.

Life Insurance – Each employee working 30 or more hours has a life insurance policy through the agency, matching their annual earnings up to $50K.

Retirement Plan – A 401K plan with up to a 4% match by the employer. This has a six-year vesting schedule.

Employee Assistance Plan – An EAP is available to all employees and their families.

Multiple voluntary benefits, including dental, vision, pet, disability, and accident insurance.

Possibility of government student loan debt forgiveness as part of working for a non-profit.

Staff Pet Wellness – Providing low-cost wellness and some surgical procedures for staff pets.