Small Animal Veterinary Assistant

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

Job summary

Oregon State University’s Lois Bates Acheson Veterinary Teaching Hospital seeks two full-time Small Animal Veterinary Technicians. The role supports veterinarians with medical care, basic treatments, and lab duties in a busy teaching hospital setting.

Key responsibilities include restraining animals during procedures, assisting with treatments and diagnoses, maintaining clean treatment areas, and ensuring supplies are stocked.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in large and/or small animal handling and restraint.
• Knowledge of drugs and medications typically used in veterinary care; patient preparation and medical procedure assistance.
• Ability to communicate professionally with a variety of individuals; excellent verbal and written communication.

Responsibilities

• Provides restraint for specialty procedures and diagnostics for small animal patients.
• Provides basic treatments and feeding as directed by veterinarians.
• Performs routine lab testing and maintains supply inventory and equipment.
• Cleans and disinfects treatment areas and kennels; launders patient bedding.

Skills

Animal handling

Restraint technique

Medical terminology

Attention to detail

Teamwork

Job description

Department: Lois Bate Acheson Veterinary Teaching Hospital

Job Summary:

This recruitment will be used to fill two full-time Small Animal Veterinary Technician positions for the Lois Bates Acehson Veterinary Teaching Hospital within the Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State University (OSU). The Lois Bates Acheson Veterinary Teaching Hospital exemplifies the highest standards in patient-focused care and develops industry-leading professionals through the research and practice of evidence-based medicine that supports our local, regional and global community. The VETERINARY ASSISTANT provides general medical and emergency care assistance to veterinarians and veterinarian technicians. This position assists with and provides basic medical care and treatment to small animal patients and ensures a clean and organized hospital care environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provides restraint for specialty medical procedures and diagnostics for small animal patients (dogs and cats)
• Provides basic treatments and feeding as directed
• Performs routine lab testing
• Maintains supply inventory and equipment
• Cleans and disinfects treatment areas, kennels, floors, counters, etc
• Launders patient bedding

Qualifications:

Demonstrated experience in large and/or small animal handling and restraint AND one year of knowledge and experience or training in 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); animal restraint technique and devices. Demonstrated high level of attention to detail; Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills; must have the ability to communicate professionally with a variety of individuals; Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment and collaborate effectively with students, staff, faculty, 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.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Demonstrated ability to effectively instruct others in veterinary techniques.
• A demonstrable commitment to promoting and enhancing inclusive excellence.

Working Conditions/Schedule:

This position is located in an extremely busy Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Individual has possible exposure to noxious odors, infectious diseases, chemicals, gas anesthetics, radiation, loud noises, wet and slippery floors, and machinery. These positions have access to controlled substances. The employee in this position will often be required to lift and/or carry objects weighing up to 50 pounds, as well as push or pull objects weighing up to 200 pounds. Employee will also be required to stoop, bend, and kneel on hard floors as necessary to provide care to animals. Working with and around small and large animals has certain inherent risks; animal handling and restraint can lead to injury. To minimize risk to the employee, Oregon State University offers a rabies vaccination at the employer's expense (acceptance/declination at the discretion of the appointee). Overtime, evening and weekend hours required.

Salary Range:

Min $19.36 - Max $28.75

Anticipated Start Date:

2026-09-21

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].

Locations:

Oregon State has a statewide presence with campuses in Corvallis and Bend, the OSU Portland Center and the Hatfield Marine Science Center on the Pacific Coast in Newport. Oregon State’s beautiful, historic and state-of-the-art main campus is located in one of America’s best college towns. Corvallis is located close to the Pacific Ocean, the Cascade mountains and Oregon wine country. Nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley, this beautiful city offers miles of mountain biking and hiking trails, a river perfect for boating or kayaking and an eclectic downtown featuring local cuisine, popular events and performances.

Facts:

• Top 1.4% university in the world
• More research funding than all public universities in Oregon combined
• 1 of 3 land, sea, space and sun grant universities in the U.S.
• 2 campuses, 11 colleges, 12 experiment stations, and Extension programs in all 36 counties
• 7 cultural resource centers that offer education, celebration and belonging for everyone
• 100+ undergraduate degree programs, 80+ graduate degrees plus hundreds of minor options and certificates
• 35k+ students including more than 2.3k international students and 10k students of color
• 217k+ alumni worldwide

For more interesting facts about OSU visit: https://oregonstate.edu/about

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

At Oregon State University, no qualified person shall, solely by reason of disability, be denied access to, participation in, or the benefits of, any program or activity operated by the University. If requested, OSU will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants in order to provide access to the application, interviewing and selection process. You are not required to note the presence of a disability on your application to receive an accommodation. Please request any reasonable accommodations for disability as early as possible in the application and search process. Requests may be directed to the hiring unit, or to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access at [phone]. See Request an Accommodation Procedures for the OSU policy.

Oregon State University, in compliance with state and federal laws and regulations, including Title IX and its regulations, does not unlawfully discriminate and prohibits discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates, including in academic admissions and employment. The university prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin (including ancestry and ethnicity), citizenship, marital or family status, pregnancy or related conditions, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status / service in the uniformed service, or any other status protected by law or OSU policy.

Inquiries about Title IX may be referred to OSU’s Title IX Coordinator, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (link to https://ocrcas.ed.gov/contact-ocr), or both. OSU’s Title IX Coordinator is the Executive Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (EOA). For information on OSU’s nondiscrimination policy and procedures, including how to report information about conduct that may constitute discrimination or make a complaint of sex discrimination under Title IX, contact EOA by phone: [phone], email: [e-mail], mail/location: 330 Snell Hall, Corvallis OR 97331, or visit EOA’s website: eoa.oregonstate.edu.

Know Your Rights Oregon Family Leave Act: Department of Labor Family and Medical Leave Act: