Rural Veterinary Practice Assistant

Oregon State University; Corvallis (OR); On-site; USD 27,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Oregon State University is hiring two full-time Rural Veterinary Practice Assistants for the Lois Bates Acheson Veterinary Teaching Hospital. You will assist ambulatory service on farm calls and in hospital appointments, handling large animals from dairy to equine cases while supporting students and clinicians.

We seek self-motivated individuals with a passion for teaching, able to thrive in a fast-paced team environment and provide excellent client service.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in large and/or small animal handling and restraint.
• Attention to detail and ability to work in a fast-paced hospital setting.
• Ability to work productively and cooperatively in a team.

Responsibilities

• Drive a truck to appointments and assist with large animal handling.
• Support ambulatory service on farm calls and hospital appointments.
• Assist students and clinicians with appointments and maintain vehicle readiness.

Skills

Large animal handling

Animal restraint

Team collaboration

Job description

Department

Lois Bates Acheson Veterinary Teaching Hospital

For Additional Information Please Contact

Garland Burdock
[e-mail]

Job Summary

This recruitment will be used to hire 2 full-time Rural Veterinary Practice Assistants for the Lois Bates Acheson Veterinary Teaching Hospital within the Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State University. Oregon State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital is adding talented veterinary assistants to the Large Animal Rural Veterinary Service. You will be assisting our ambulatory service on farm calls and hospital appointments. The appointments can range from visiting a dairy to working up an equine lameness. We are looking for self-motivated people with a passion for teaching. It is a fast paced, team-oriented hospital that focuses on an optimal level of patient care while providing supportive instruction to our students, and excellent customer service to our clients.

Key Responsibilities

• Driving a truck to appointments
• Large animal patient handling
• Stocking and cleaning the RVP vehicles
• Assisting students and clinicians with appointments

Qualifications

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Demonstrated experience in large and/or small animal handling and restraint AND one year of knowledge and experience or training in a large and/or small animal facility.

Demonstrated Knowledge Of

• drugs and medications typically used in veterinary care
• patient preparation, medical procedure assistance;
• medical terminology;
• animal anatomy;
• veterinary care procedures;
• basic mathematics (add, subtract, multiply, divide); Demonstrated high level of attention to detail.
• animal restraint technique and devices.

Demonstrated ability to work productively and cooperatively in teams, and to contribute to an inclusive, respectful, and welcoming team culture where individuals with a range of different backgrounds, identities, perspectives, and/or life experiences feel valued and respected.

Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to communicate professionally with a variety of students, faculty, staff, and clients.

This position is designated as a critical or security-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a criminal history check and be determined to be position qualified as per University Standard: 05-010 et seq. Incumbents are required to self-report convictions and those in youth programs may have additional criminal history checks every 24 months.

This position requires driving a university vehicle or a personal vehicle on behalf of the university; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a motor vehicle history check, possess and maintain a current, valid driver's license in their state of residence, be determined to be position qualified and self-report convictions as per University Policy 05-030.

Preferred Qualifications

At least 1 year of experience providing medical care for equines and other large animal species in a veterinary teaching hospital or veterinary clinic.

Extensive knowledge and experience working with large animals in all aspects of veterinary assistance.

Demonstrated ability to effectively instruct others in veterinary techniques.

Working Conditions/Schedule

• The VTH is a seven day per week, 24 hour per day hospital; therefore, weekend and holiday work may be required. Shift assignment may change based on operational needs and/or to maintain appropriate staffing levels.
• This is a float position and work schedule will typically include at least one weekend day.
• This position is located in an extremely busy Veterinary Teaching Hospital and works primarily with large animals.
• This position may be exposed to noxious odors, infectious diseases, chemicals, gas anesthetics, radiation, loud noises, wet and slippery floors and machinery.
• This position has access to controlled substances, is responsible for maintaining controlled drug logs, and witnessing the dispensing of drugs out of the cubex machine.
• This position will often be required to move, which may include lifting and/or carrying, up to 50 pounds, as well as pushing or pulling objects weighing up to 200 pounds.
• This position requires walking, standing, running, stooping, bending, squatting, kneeling, and crawling on hard or uneven surfaces as necessary to provide care to animals.
• Working with and around large animals has certain inherent risks. Animal handling and restraining can lead to injury. To minimize risk to the employee in this positions, Oregon State University offers a rabies vaccination at the employer’s expense (acceptance/declination at the discretion of the appointee)
• Overtime, evening, on-call, and/or weekend hours required.
• This position is deemed essential. The employee in this position may be expected to report to work during inclement weather, emergency, and other University work curtailments or closures.

Salary Range

Min $19.36 - Max$28.75

Anticipated Start Date

2026-10-19

Anticipated End Date

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability, protected veteran, and other protected status.

OSU will conduct a review of the National Sex Offender Public website prior to hire.

OSU is a fair chance employer committed to inclusive hiring. We encourage applications from candidates who bring a wide range of lived experience including involvement with the justice system. If this position has “critical or security-sensitive” responsibilities and/or driving duties and you are selected as a finalist, your initial job offer will be contingent upon the results of a job-related pre-employment check (such as a background check, motor vehicle history check, sexual misconduct reference check, etc.). Background check results do not automatically disqualify a candidate. Take a look at our Background Checks website including the for candidates section for more details. If you have questions or concerns about the pre-employment check, please contact OSU’s Employee and Labor Relations team at [e-mail].