Temporary/Full-Time Veterinary Assistant - City of Farmington

JOB OPENING

CITY OF FARMINGTON

JOB POSTING #191: TEMPORARY/FULL-TIME VETERINARY ASSISTANT

NUMBER OF VACANCIES: 1

DEPARTMENT: Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs

WORK LOCATION: Farmington Animal Shelter

HIRING RANGE: $16.00 to $18.00 per hour DOE

PAY GRADE: Temporary

TYPE OF POSITION: Temporary, Full-Time

DAYS WORKED: Monday through Friday

HOURS WORKED: 7:30am to 4:30pm

APPLICATIONS WILL BE RECEIVED UNTIL: Until Filled, First Review in Two Weeks

JOB DUTIES

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Works under the direct supervision of the Registered Veterinary Technician, and the Staff Veterinarian.

Work as part of team in a fast paced, high-volume veterinary medical environment.

Assists registered veterinarian technician and veterinarian in performing patient exams.

Assist veterinary team in all areas during morning surgeries to include, but not limited to; prep, induction and recovery.

Must be able to learn all skills necessary for these areas including, but not limited to: subcutaneous, intramuscular and intravenous injections, assessment of vital signs of animals and ability to recognize when they are abnormal, sterile preparation for surgery and surgical instruments, etc.

Will learn how to calculate drug dosages and IV drip rates. Will fill prescriptions following the staff veterinarian's directions and/or medical department protocols.

Cleans and maintains kennels and surgical facility. This includes cleaning and disinfecting all kennels daily, cleaning and disinfecting surgery room daily, mopping floors, cleaning and sanitizing surgical instruments, and maintaining a clean triage area including countertops and all work areas.

Assist with and/or conduct diagnostic tests and procedures including reading slides under a microscope, drawing blood and performing rapid tests.

Operate and maintain various types of medical and diagnostic equipment used daily in the medical department.

Maintains all surgical packs and drapes. This includes cleaning and sanitizing all surgical instruments, creating surgical packs, and operating two autoclaves.

Safely transfers animals between shelter and medical department as needed. May be required to transport animals to outside facilities on an as needed bases.

Will professionally convey medical information to owners of adopted or owned pets in a manner that is clear and easily understood by the owner.

Additional duties within professional standards of practice as needed or asked.

NON-ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Must demonstrate knowledge of and adherence to FRAS policies and procedures.

Must ensure a safe work environment, follow all safety guidelines, and model safe work practices.

Must take immediate action to address any safety concerns that could put a staff member, volunteer, customer, animal or the organization at risk.

Must be able to follow direction of a contract veterinarian as well as the staff veterinarian.

The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statement of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

QUALIFICATIONS

This position is subject to the City of Farmington's Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy which includes: pre-employment testing, post-accident testing, random testing, reasonable suspicion testing, return to duty testing, and follow-up testing.

Must have a high school diploma with preference given to applicants with veterinary assistant experience and/or education.

Must have ability to hear, understand, and execute directions from supervisors.

Must have ability to lift 50 pounds or more onto a table with assistance.

Must have ability to work in direct contact with animals without experiencing allergy symptoms.

Must have ability to cope with euthanasia's and medical deaths.

Must have knowledge and concern for animals.

Must have ability to communicate effectively with supervisors, coworkers, and public pet owners.

Must have ability to physically restrain animals for procedures with assistance when needed.

Must have ability to multitask and handle stressful situations.

Must have ability to handle high volume of daily surgical procedures.

Must have a desire to learn and be open to constructive criticism regarding medical protocols and procedures.

Must have a valid driver's license with acceptable driving record for the past three years.

Must have a phone.

Must have excellent organizational skills with the ability to multitask and prioritize medical cases.

Must be self-motivated while being unsupervised.

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT USED

Animal capture equipment, police radios, first aid equipment, leashes, gloves, cleaning materials in shelter maintenance and disinfecting including chlorine bleach and hydrogen peroxide, as well as chlorhexidine. Needles and syringes, surgery tables and lights, blood chemistry machines, surgical instruments.

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 the 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 frequently required to sit and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand, used hand to handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

Ability to use a computer.

Ability to work around animals without severe allergic reactions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounter while performing 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 frequently will need to walk quickly and communicate with coworkers in a high noise environment. The employee will be exposed to noxious odors, animal blood, urine, feces, saliva and may encounter zoonotic diseased such as ring worm, leptospirosis, tick-borne diseases, coccidiosis, mange, helicobacter, campylobacter, rabies, and brucellosis.

WE ARE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER, M/F/D/V.