Veterinary Assistant

Summary of Job Purpose and Function

The veterinary assistant assists the veterinarian with office visits and exams, takes care of the everyday needs of pets in the hospital ward and boarding facility, if applicable, and helps maintains the hospital facility, keeping it neat and clean. 

Essential Responsibilities and Tasks

• Provide compassionate care for pets
• Restrain pets for veterinarians and technicians
• Assist in the taking of x-rays
• Monitor and collect urine and fecal samples as needed
• Monitor, record, and report physical signs of hospitalized/boarded pets
• Clean cages, runs, boarding area and/or hospital facilities, including exam rooms, treatment room, exotics and isolation area, employee lounge, bathrooms and doctor’s office
• Maintain reception area in a neat and sanitary condition
• Provide clean bedding, water and litter pans for pets
• Feed hospitalized/boarded pets as needed
• Exercise hospitalized/boarded dogs as needed
• Take incoming pets to appropriate areas
• Bathe pets and prepare pets for dismissal
• Retrieve pets that are being discharged
• Re-stock ward with food from food room
• Bring retail food to reception area
• Re-stock reception area shelves
• Do laundry
• Wash and sanitize pet dishes
• Perform other duties as assigned

Hiring Qualifications

Leadership Competencies

• Action-Oriented: Enjoys working hard; is action-oriented and full of energy for the things he/she sees as challenging; not fearful of acting with a minimum of planning; seizes more opportunities than others.
• Customer Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
• Listening: Practices attentive and active listening; has the patience to hear people out; can accurately restate the opinions of others even when he/she disagrees.
• Peer Relationships: Can quickly find common ground and solve problems for the good of all; can represent his/her own interests and yet be fair to other groups; can solve problems with peers with a minimum of noise; is seen as a team player and is cooperative; easily gains trust and support of peers; encourages collaboration; can be candid with peers.

Functional Competencies

• Communication Skills: Reads, writes, and speaks in fluent English, using appropriate grammar, style and vocabulary. Demonstrates ability to stay focused on current issues being discussed; Listens carefully to others (both clients and staff), asks open-ended questions and is empathic.
• Priority Setting: Spends his/her time and the time of others on what’s important; quickly zeros in on the critical few and puts the trivial many aside; can quickly sense what will help or hinder accomplishing a goal; eliminates roadblocks; creates focus.

Capabilities

• Ability to Multi-task: Manages multiple tasks at one time, quickly and accurately shifts attention among multiple tasks under distracting conditions without loss of accuracy or appearance of frustration.
• Organizational Ability: Demonstrates a systemic approach in carrying out assignments. Is very orderly and excels at cutting through confusion and turning chaos into order.
• Intellectual Ability: Accurately and consistently follows instructions delivered in an oral, written or diagram format. Provide directions. Commitment to continual learning.
• Mathematical Ability: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide, and to compute rate, ratio and percent; ability to convert units of measurement.
• Computer Skills: Comfortably and confidently uses a computer and specialized software.
• Sales and Marketing Skills: Educates clients on preventive care, pet health needs and hospital services.

Attitudes

• Initiative: Shows willingness and aptitude to use own discretion in taking appropriate steps in finding solutions to problems; presents options and ideas to enhance current processes or procedures. Takes on additional responsibility when big and small tasks need to be done; seeks out the most valuable work to do during times when the hospital faces low client demand.
• Integrity: Firmly adheres to the values and ethics of the Hospital. Exhibits honesty, discretion, and sound judgment.
• Cooperativeness: Willing to work with others, collaborating and compromising where necessary; promptly shares relevant information with others.
• Flexibility: Is open to changing situations and opportunities and is willing to perform all tasks assigned.
• Independence: Able and willing to perform tasks without supervision.
• Tolerance for Stress/ Resiliency: Maintains a positive “can do” outlook, rebounds quickly from frustrations and unpleasantness, and maintains composure and a friendly demeanor while dealing with stressful situations.

Special Working Conditions

• Employee should expect to spend nearly all of their workdays standing, sitting and typing at a computer.
• They should have a physical strength and the ability to safely lift objects weighing up to 50 pounds without assistance.
• Able to assist in lifting patients weighing more than 50 pounds. 
• Must possess sufficient strength and assertiveness to effectively restrain patients and ensure the safety of clients and personnel.
• Ability to be confident around pets (ex: dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, etc.)
• The noise level in the work environment is moderately high.
• Ability to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagram form and to solve problems involving several variables.
• Requires ambulatory skills sufficient to perform duties while at hospital.
• Ability to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and climb as well as manipulate (lift, carry, move) up to 50 pounds.
• Requires good hand-eye coordination, arm-hand-finger dexterity with the ability to reach and grasp, and visual acuity to use a keyboard, operate equipment and read information.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
• Staff is routinely exposed to pets that may bite or scratch, and on occasion, exposed to anesthesia, radiation, biological hazards and medication/ controlled substances.

Experience, Education and/ or Training

• This position requires a high school diploma or further education. 
• Possesses excellent computer skills
• Previous back and/or front office work experience preferred

A professional resume is a must—please submit yours and a completed application on the main Employment Opportunities page. We ask that you Google our location before applying. We are interested in a variety of skill levels ranging from fresh graduates to experienced veterans.