Experienced Emergency Veterinary Assistant

AAVMP; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K with company match

Generous paid time off

Mental Health Resources

Company-paid bonding leave

Pet care discounts

Job summary

Midcoast Animal Emergency Clinic is seeking an experienced Veterinary Technician or Advanced Veterinary Assistant to join our emergency team in Maine. This non-entry-level role requires calm, clear communication, and the ability to handle a fast-moving caseload, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.

You will perform advanced nursing tasks, assist with stabilization, anesthesia, and diagnostic procedures while guiding less experienced staff and maintaining organized treatment areas.

Qualifications

• Experience in veterinary emergency or urgent care with high-volume caseload.
• Ability to manage fast-paced shifts and prioritize patient care.
• Strong communication with clients and team under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Rapidly assess emergency patients and prioritize care.
• Document findings, treatments, and updates.
• Prepare patients, equipment, and meds for procedures.
• Provide advanced nursing care for hospitalized patients.
• Assist with stabilization, procedures, and monitoring.
• Support anesthesia induction, monitoring, and recovery.
• Mentor junior staff and coordinate the assistant team.

Skills

Emergency nursing

Anesthesia monitoring

Venipuncture

Catheter placement

Clinical leadership

Client communication

Education

Veterinary Technician Certification (CVT) or LVT license

Maine license eligibility/transfer

Tools

In-house lab equipment

Digital radiography

Ultrasound

Job description

Midcoast Animal Emergency Clinic is looking for an experienced and highly skilled Veterinary Technician or Advanced Veterinary Assistant to join our emergency team. This is not an entry-level position. We are seeking a confident veterinary professional who can independently manage a fast-moving emergency caseload, recognize changes in patient condition, anticipate the needs of the medical team, and help guide less experienced assistants during busy shifts. The ideal candidate remains calm under pressure, communicates clearly with both clients and coworkers, and takes pride in delivering thorough, efficient, and compassionate patient care. Available shifts will vary, and availability for evenings, weekends, and holidays is required. Midcoast Animal Emergency Clinic is a community-founded after-hours emergency hospital serving Warren, Maine, and the surrounding area. Our hospital provides emergency and urgent care on nights, weekends, and holidays, as well as overnight care for patients from local veterinary practices. Our state-of-the-art facility is equipped with comprehensive in-house laboratory testing, digital radiography, ultrasound, a surgical suite, and an on-site pharmacy.

What You'll Do

• Rapidly assess incoming emergency patients, recognize changes in clinical status, and help prioritize care based on patient needs
• Perform thorough physical assessments and accurately document findings, treatments, medications, and patient updates
• Anticipate the needs of veterinarians and prepare patients, equipment, medications, and treatment areas accordingly
• Provide advanced nursing care to hospitalized, urgent, and emergent patients
• Assist with emergency stabilization, diagnostic procedures, surgical preparation, and patient monitoring
• Confidently perform venipuncture, catheter placement, fluid therapy, sample collection, medication administration, and other advanced technical procedures within the scope of the role
• Support anesthesia induction, monitoring, and recovery while recognizing complications and responding appropriately under veterinary direction
• Maintain situational awareness during high-volume shifts and proactively address workflow or patient-care needs
• Assist in coordinating the veterinary assistant team by assigning responsibilities and helping ensure appropriate patient coverage
• Communicate patient conditions, treatment plans, estimates, discharge instructions, and updates to pet owners with clarity, compassion, and professionalism
• Remain composed and exercise sound judgment during emotionally charged or high-pressure situations
• Serve as a clinical resource and mentor for less experienced team members
• Maintain clean, organized, and fully stocked treatment, exam, and surgical areas
• Support client service responsibilities in person, by phone, and through email as needed

What We're Looking For

• Significant hands-on experience in veterinary emergency, urgent care, specialty, or high-volume clinical practice
• Strong emergency triage and patient-assessment skills
• Confidence working with critically ill, injured, or unstable patients
• Experience with anesthesia induction, monitoring, recovery, and recognition of anesthetic complications
• Advanced veterinary nursing and technical skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities
• Strong medical record documentation and attention to detail
• Ability to work independently with initiative, accountability, and good clinical judgment
• Ability to quickly adapt to changing caseloads, patient priorities, and team needs
• Demonstrated leadership skills and the ability to coach or support less experienced team members
• Ability to remain calm, organized, and compassionate in a fast-paced emergency environment
• Availability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays

A current Maine Veterinary Technician License or eligibility to obtain licensure is strongly preferred. Highly experienced, unlicensed veterinary technicians or advanced veterinary assistants will also be considered.

BENEFITS

We're passionate about helping you reach your greatest potential - both at work and at home:

• Great pay with competitive medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage
• 401K with a company match of up to 4%- after 6 months of service
• Generous paid time off
• Mental Health Resources
• Company-paid bonding leave

Plus, special benefits to utilize for your own pet:

• Pet Care: Discounts on veterinary services and products
• Pet Diagnostics: Discounts on reference lab testing
• Pet Food: Discounts on Purina pet foods
• Pet Insurance: Discounts available with our preferred vendor

REQUIREMENTS

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Veterinary Technician Certification (CVT) or License (LVT) in the state of Maine (or eligible for transfer) a bonus for this role, but experienced unlicensed technicians or assistants will be considered

Rarebreed Veterinary Partners

Rarebreed Veterinary Partners is a purpose-driven team that places talent first by supporting professionals to thrive in our industry and empowering hospital teams to provide exceptional care for pets and their owners. We pride ourselves on going the extra mile to create exceptional work experiences for our hospital teams. We focus on providing our hospitals with the best culture, tools, and support to allow the staff to focus on what they love most: caring for our animal companions.

Joining our fun and team-first atmosphere comes with a level of support that's hard to find anywhere else. Everything we do is with purpose - down to the way we invest in our people and create long-overdue change in the industry. We're hyper-focused on supporting our professionals, so they can focus on bringing the gold standard of medicine to our patients and their families.

Employment will require the successful completion of references and a background check.

Rarebreed Veterinary Partners provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, mental or physical disability, medical condition, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, marital status, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other characteristics or classifications protected by applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Learn more about our career opportunities at: https://rarebreedvet.com/careers/

Where uncommon support partners with joy.