Patient Care Assistant

CVS Veterinary Group; Woking; On-site; GBP 12,000 - 15,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

5 weeks annual leave + BH

Staff discount on vet bills

Private healthcare

Employee Assistance Programme

Mental Health First-Aiders

Job summary

CVS Veterinary Group is hiring a Veterinary Patient Care Assistant at our Woking Veterinary Centre. This permanent role is 20 hours per week with a Saturday and Monday shift, 8am–7pm, including a 1-hour unpaid lunch. The practice offers modern facilities, a large team, and no night shifts.

You will support RVNs and vets with nursing tasks, animal handling, lab work, and reception duties to ensure excellent patient care and client service.

Qualifications

• Excellent communication and empathy to support the care team.
• Strong customer service skills in a veterinary context.
• Experience in animal welfare and welfare needs of animals.
• Resilient with the ability to cope with distressing situations.
• Positive attitude and strong teamwork in a busy practice.
• Experience in looking after animals in a veterinary environment is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Nursing care to patients.
• Assisting Vets and Nurses in restraining animals for treatment.
• Cleaning, walking, and feeding of patients.
• Preparation of emergency and operating facilities.
• General cleaning and maintenance duties.
• Running internal lab samples.
• Answering emergency calls.
• Covering the receptionist desk and bookings/payments.

Skills

Excellent communication

Empathy

Customer service

Animal welfare

Resilience

Teamwork

Experience with veterinary setting

Job description

Are you passionate about making pets a priority? So are we!

We are seeking an enthusiastic individual with a passion for animals to join us as a Veterinary Patient Care Assistant at our Woking Veterinary Centre.

Location

Woking Veterinary Centre

Contract

Permanent

Hours

20 hours

Shift Pattern

Every Saturday and Monday. 8am - 7pm, 11hrs with a one hr unpaid lunch

Discover Our Practice

This is an exciting time to join our team. Following a complete practice refurbishment, we now have exceptional facilities, including our own CT scanner, and are actively working towards hospital status. Our spacious, modern practice features three operating theatres, five consulting rooms, dedicated dental, x-ray and CT suites, and separate wards for canine, feline and exotic patients. You'll be joining a large and welcoming team across two sites, including 7 vets, 7 nurses and a PCA. Everyone participates in a Saturday rota, giving you the chance to work with and get to know the wider team. Best of all, we have a dedicated out-of-hours team, so there are no night shifts, allowing you to enjoy a healthy work-life balance.

About CVS

CVS Group plc is one of the largest integrated veterinary services providers in the UK encompassing four main business areas; our veterinary practices, diagnostic laboratories, pet crematoria and e-commerce division.

Our success is derived from the passion our people have for animals and for making pets a priority, it's what is at the heart of our work, every day.

Take a look at our short film to recognise the remarkable work that our Vets, Nurses, Care Assistants and Receptionists do on the front line every day in the UK: CVS Ode to Veterinary Professionals

About the role

The Patient Care Assistant role is one of the foundations of an outstanding veterinary practice, and as a PCA you will be involved in supporting our team of qualified RVNs and Vets to provide outstanding care to our patients.

• Nursing care to patients
• Assisting Vets and Nurses in restraining animals for treatment
• Cleaning, walking, and feeding of patients
• Preparation of emergency and operating facilities
• General cleaning and maintenance duties
• Running internal lab samples
• Answering emergency calls
• Covering the receptionist desk, including answering queries, booking appointments and taking payments

What we’re looking for in our Veterinary Patient Care Assistant

• An excellent communicator with strong empathy
• Excellent customer service skills and experience in dealing with members of the public
• Experience in animal welfare, including feeding, cleaning, medicating and handling and a high level of understanding of how to meet the welfare needs of animals
• Resilient with the ability to cope with potentially distressing and emotional situations
• A positive attitude and excellent teamwork skills
• Experience in looking after animals in a veterinary environment would be desirable

What we can offer you

We know that benefits are key and that your personal benefits priorities will differ from others, so please see some of what we offer below:

• Salary will be in line with the National Minimum Wage
• Generous annual leave entitlement of 5 weeks per year plus Bank Holidays
• Staff discount scheme on Veterinary bills and products
• A range of health benefits including private healthcare
• Employee Assistance Programme and access to over 400 Mental Health First-Aiders
• and more!

Or, if easier, you can find a full list here: CVS Employee Benefits.

Unfortunately, we are unable to accept and progress applications from candidates without the Right to Work in the UK as we cannot provide visa sponsorship, due to our clinical support roles not meeting the criteria set out by the Home Office to be eligible.

CVS is committed to being a fully inclusive place to work where all our colleagues are encouraged and supported to be themselves, where difference is celebrated and where everyone feels able to deliver their best. We are also determined to build a workforce that is more representative of our diverse communities and the people we provide our services to.