Medical Care Coordinator

Morris Animal Refuge

Job Description

SUMMARY: The Medical Care Coordinator is primarily responsible for overseeing the coordination of the daily activities of the Morris Animal Refuge's (MAR) Medical Department, which includes, but is not limited to, facilitating the veterinary care of the animals housed in the shelter and our foster care program. This position works closely with the MAR Shelter Veterinarians and Shelter Managers to assure the humane care of the shelter animals currently residing in our shelter and foster homes. The medical care coordinator also works in conjunction with the shelter population team to assist with coordinating pathway plans for resident animals and assist with intakes as needed, including both transfer and public surrenders.
PRINCIPAL DUTIES
Assists the Director of Operations with the oversight and coordination of the day-to-day operations of the MAR Medical Department.
Provide veterinary nursing care to all resident animals housed in the MAR shelter, including conducting medical examinations and communicating any findings to the shelter veterinarians.
Acts as the main liaison for external veterinary programs, such as the Community Cat Program for the general public.
Assist the shelter management team with general animal pathway planning, including but not limited to identifying animals with long lengths of stay and helping determine animal flow within the shelter.
Work closely with the lifesaving team to facilitate the medical care of the animals in our foster care program, including management of the MAR foster clinic, coordination of the surgery schedule, and on-call availability for any foster-related medical emergencies.
Assist with the training of new animal care attendants on how to perform intake examinations, administer vaccines, and administer preventative treatments.
Assist with the training of new veterinary nurses, medical volunteers and coordinating their workflow as needed as the department team lead.
Assisting the veterinarian with general surgeries, including but not limited to inducing and prepping patients for routine spay, neuter, dentals, and other specialty procedures as needed.
Keeps track of all medical supply inventory and equipment; facilitates the ordering of new supplies as needed under the direction of the Director of Operations and Staff Veterinarians.
Assists the Director of Operations with managing the budget of the medical department and tracking all relevant expenses related to medical.
Perform, read, and interpret laboratory tests, complete forms for out-of-house laboratory, filing and scanning of laboratory tests, cleaning up of laboratory areas, and data entry.
Assist the Director of Operations with coordinating any external veterinary services needed for MAR animals, including any off-site veterinary appointments at hospitals/clinics, specialists, or diagnostic procedures (such as radiographs or ultrasounds).
Performing daily rounds to check the welfare of animals housed at MAR, checking daily monitoring sheets, and constantly checking medical records of long-term residents and updating treatments as needed.
Assist the shelter veterinarian with the daily maintenance and upkeep of the controlled substance logs.
Treat people and animals with respect; contribute to effective teamwork; and foster public relations beneficial to Morris Animal Refuge and its programs; promote a humane and caring attitude toward all animals and treat all animals humanely, properly and with compassion at all times, regardless of circumstances including those that are sick, injured, feral or aggressive.
Assist when needed in all areas of the shelter, including but not limited to the adoption floor for general counseling regarding medical records.
Assist when needed with animal transports from outside animal welfare organizations.
This job description intends to provide a representative level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.
AS THE MEDICAL CARE COORDINATOR, YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO KNOW THE FOLLOWING:
Medication administration: oral, topical, aural, ocular, subcutaneous and intravenous. Equipment use: centrifuge, refractometer, heating pads, pulse ox,imeter ECG, microscope, glucometer. Patient Monitoring: TPR/CRT/MM color assessment, anesthetic depth, heart rate, pulse quality, maintaining charts properly, post-surgical assessment, and hydration.
Medical Care: feeding amounts, cleanliness, minor wound bandaging, suture/staple removal, ear cleaning/flushing, triage patients, and therapeutic bathing
Client/Patient care: review discharge instructions with the owner, demonstrate routes of medication to the owner, answer basic client questions, obtain history from the client for healthy animals, and follow-up calls with owners. Medical Records: scan in and attach medical records, update records for weights, data, pictures, properly log history and client communication, and enter notes as directed by a veterinarian.
Pharmacology: prescription labels, proper routes of administration, proper handling and storage of drugs, can convert mg dosing to ml volume for treatment, dose calculations, reconstitute and label IV properly. Medical Terminology: vaccine protocols, parasite preventives, retrovirus risks and testing protocol and heartworm testing protocol
Laboratory skills: read direct fecal float and smear, read fecal cytology, read skin scrape, read urine
sediment, set up blood smear and stain, set up/read gram stains of ear/skin samples, knowledge of blood tubes, perform PCV/TS, able to run dilution for chem machine when needed, run snap screen for combo, 4dx, parvo etc., prepare antech/idexx forms and samples.
Surgical skills: CPR, reversal drugs and doses, anesthesia/monitoring skills, knowledge of anesthesia machine operation, knowledge of appropriate size ET tube, 02bag, 02 line, understand the need for
exhaust, proper use of heating pad when indicated, maintain sodasorb and isoflorane/sevoflorane chambers, proper cleaning and disinfection techniques, aseptic technique/sterile procedures, names and uses of surgical instruments, surgical assisting, proper extubation of patients, and understanding of "tank" induction.
Patient restraint: restraint of non-fractious and fractious or fearful animals for vaccines/injections, cephalic blood draw, anal gland/ear assessment, and micro-chipping.
Dentistry skills: identify and stage dental disease, be aware of canine and feline dental formula, can teach owners proper home care, and perform dental cleaning/polishing.
EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum: High School diploma or GED required; some college, trade, vocational school, college or further education preferred.
Must be proficient in using the computer. Knowledge of the Internet, Microsoft Word, and Excel required; knowledge of Pet Point Animal Management System, VIA software, and web-based software a plus.
CVT or a minimum of three years of experience in the veterinary field, working as a veterinary assistant or technician.
Prior experience working in animal shelters is required.
EXPERIENCE, ABILITIES, AND QUALITIES REQUIRED
Ability to problem solve and work cooperatively in a team environment; affection for animals and concern for their welfare.
Comfort and ability to work humanely with animals of unknown disposition and those who may exhibit medical and other problems, as well as aggressive tendencies.
Ability to accommodate varied work assignments and schedules.
Ability to communicate skillfully and effectively with a culturally diverse staff, volunteers, and community in a professional, pleasant, respectful, courteous, and tactful manner at all times.
Maturity, good judgment, and professional personal appearance, including the wearing of neat and clean uniforms.
Physical strength and ability to lift and carry a pet or other object weighing up to fifty (50) pounds without assistance; must be able to assist in lifting patients or other objects weighing more than fifty (50) pounds.
IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR: Operations Manager
HOURS FLSA STATUS: -EXEMPT POSITION Full-time position requires 7.5 hours per day, 37.5 hours per week. Part-time position hours are dictated by the needs of the organization. Daily hours and days of the week (for both full and part-time positions) may vary according to the needs of the department schedule. Includes weekends, nights, and holiday work.
INTRODUCTORY ASSESSMENT PERIOD The introductory assessment period runs from the date of hire for three months thereafter. For employment in any position with Morris Animal Refuge, this introductory assessment period is the period during which the specifics of the job are learned. During this period, either the employee or Morris Animal Refuge may end the employment relationship without notice or prejudice.
EMPLOYMENT There is no minimum period of employment guaranteed or implied by acceptance of an employment offer. It is the policy of Morris Animal Refuge that even exempt positions are governed by the needs of the agency, which means that employment is for no specified term and either Morris Animal Refuge or the employee may terminate that employment at any time. The Executive Director has final authority over these decisions and determinations.