On-Call Veterinary Assistant

Position Title:                            On-Call Veterinary Assistant

Hours:                                      On-Call and/or seasonal/temporary, no regularly scheduled hours

Supervisor:                               Clinic Manager

Classification:                          Non-exempt, Hourly 

Supervisory Responsibilities:    none

SUMMARY

The On-Call Veterinary Assistant is responsible for assisting daily operations and flow of care while providing medical treatment for owned and shelter animals. On-Call Veterinary Assistants may also assist in providing customer service. The Veterinary Assistant plays a crucial role supporting veterinarians and working with pet owners and other staff. This is an hourly position with a wide range of responsibilities. This is an ideal position for a person who takes great pride in helping animals and wants to find an environment that will empower them to do so. Initial responsibilities and tasks can vary based on experience and established skills of the individual.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

The On-Call Veterinary Assistant position requires previous experience as a vet assistant and skills that would make stepping into a new clinic and providing service possible. Must be an energetic and caring individual with excellent communication skills, who can thrive in a high stress, fast-paced environment and remain calm under pressure. Must also have great organizational skills and the ability to work individually and as a part of a team. The right candidate will be solution-oriented and deeply committed to the education of owners and the treatment of animals. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Like all Veterinary Assistants employed by HSHV, On-Call staff are expected to provide outstanding customer service and strong teamwork within the department. Duties may vary slightly based on the skill set of the person in this role.

Primary Duties:

1. Assisting with surgery and dental client check-ins and check-outs/discharge providing accurate instructions for animal care and medications. 
2. Accepting and processing surgery payments
3. Communicating with other clinics to obtain previous vet records.
4. Entering surgeries into medical software.
5. Assist with opening and closing the clinic prep area, exam rooms, and recovery cages that have been used —this includes general cleaning, stocking, and maintenance of these areas.  
6. Support the flow of surgeries by assisting with prep, surgeries, stocking supplies, communicating with other departments and patient owners’
7. Support clinic staff with animal handling and animal moves throughout the clinic and within our shelter.

Other Assigned Duties, Based on Experience:

1. Aiding the veterinarians as assigned based on your experience; duties may include: taking radiographs, cytologies, administering vaccines, dispensing medications, venipuncture. performing dental cleanings and assisting with euthanasia. 
2. Gathering an accurate medical history and discussing any health or surgery related issues as directed by the veterinarian with pet owners. 
3. Enter data from all examinations and client interactions correctly, completely, and in a timely manner. 
4. Run/prepare/relay bloodwork, fecal tests and prep urinalysis. 
5. Other duties as assigned, including but not limited to, assisting all clinic teams, answering phones, and providing clinic support as needed. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing this job, you will be required to continually walk, stand, squat, twist, and kneel, reach and grab with your hands and arms, in addition to being able to lift and move animals, materials and equipment weighing 40 lbs. or more. You will be exposed to the kennel/shelter setting, mainly indoors but sometimes outdoors in the care of animals. You will be exposed to various weather conditions when working outdoors. You will be exposed to disinfectant solutions while cleaning. You will be consistently exposed to animals and animal allergens. You may also be subject to potential danger including parasites and infectious diseases, animal bites and scratches.

MENTAL DEMANDS

While performing this job, you will be regularly required to use written and oral communication skills; observe and interpret situations; analyze and solve problems; learn and apply new information and skills; perform repetitive work on multiple, concurrent tasks; fulfill intensive deadlines; and interact with staff, the public, volunteers and others encountered in the course of work. 

Please note: This job description reflects the assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

The Humane Society of Huron Valley is an at-will employer.