Veterinary Assistant

Star Valley Veterinary Clinic; Los Gatos (CA); On-site; USD 33,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid sick, vacation & holiday time

Discounted Veterinary services

Employee Assistance Program

Continuing education for professional

40-Hour Work Week - $2.25/hour

Job summary

Adobe Animal Hospital in Los Gatos is seeking a Veterinary Assistant to join a fast-paced, open-hospital team. You will support outpatient care, manage appointments, assist veterinarians, and perform essential nursing duties with strong communication and client service skills.

Base wage is $24–$36 per hour depending on experience, with weekend and holiday shifts required. Los Gatos home base; occasional travel to Los Altos Hospital; benefits include paid time off, discounted services, and CE

Qualifications

• Offer genuine client service and maintain a professional, courteous attitude.
• Strong dedication and commitment to quality care.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with incredible attention to detail.
• Ability to make independent thoughtful decisions and solve complex problems.
• Ability to work as part of a team under stressful situations toward patient care goals.
• Multitask in a fast-paced environment and proactively help where needed.
• Willingness to train and share skills; maintain a strong work ethic and integrity.
• Must be able to lift or move 40 lbs and be available for weekends/holidays.

Responsibilities

• Direct workflow and provide advice to owners in person or over the phone.
• Perform veterinary technician skills efficiently with minimal supervision.
• Assess patient status, review plans, and document treatments per doctor orders.
• Interact with clients and patients, obtain histories, vital signs, and explain treatments.
• Give IM, IV, and SQ injections; obtain blood samples as needed.
• Monitor radiographs, sedated or anesthetized patients, and ensure safety standards.
• Use diagnostic equipment and perform in-house tests like blood smears and cytology.
• Maintain cleanliness and organization of treatment areas; assist in training new technicians.
• Provide staff leadership for tasks and promote a positive, mission-focused environment.
• Be willing to train and share knowledge; adapt to open hospital policy and varied shifts.

Skills

Client service

Communication

Attention to detail

Independent decision making

Teamwork under pressure

Multitasking

Initiative

Willingness to learn

Physical strength

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

Job Type: Support Staff

Description & Requirements

Position Title: Veterinary Assistant

Job Type : Non-Exempt

Schedule : Varies based on hospital

Hourly Rate: Varies based on hospital and experience

Are you looking for an environment to expand your veterinary nursing skills while working with a supportive team of RVT’s, Veterinary Assistants and Doctors? Adobe is unlike any other hospital for many reasons, and one of them is our Open Hospital policy. Our Open Hospital allows our clients to stay with their pet throughout their visit. This policy also creates a unique learning experience that will not only allow you to gain knowledge and experience with your technician skills but also in client interaction and education.

Our hospital is very fast paced! We see a mix of scheduled appointments like wellness and general practice visits as well as elective soft tissue surgeries and the patients that need dental procedures. Outpatient Team Members are responsible for all outpatient care and procedures. You will manage all scheduled technician, wellness and urgent care appointments and any care associated with them . This position requires technician experience .

This position is perfect for someone who is looking to gain experience in all aspects of veterinary medicine. This often requires multi-tasking and a n excellent critical thinking ability. The technician must be a detail-oriented person who can make good decisions, respond quickly and calmly to crises and always maintain high standards of patient care. Technicians need to communicate clearly with the veterinarians and other practice personnel as well as with clients to ensure that patients receive the care that they need. Technicians should enjoy working with people and animals.

This position requires at least working one weekend shift (Saturday or Sun days) per week and working two holiday shifts every year.

Veterinary Nursing Responsibilities

Able to help direct the workflow and accurately and efficiently provide advice to owners in person or over the phone, relay phone messages to doctors and clients of scheduled appointments, technician appointments, urgent care appointments, and any patient care needed for patients

Able to perform veterinary techni cal skills efficiently, accurately, and with little supervision

Assess patient care status, review patient plan, perform treatments according to the veterinar i an’s orders and document as necessary

Interact with clients and patients, take an efficient and accurate history, and obtain patient vitals, explain treatments, procedures, medications, and disease processes

Give IM, IV, and SQ injections, ability to obtain blood samples from multiple sites

Understanding of vital parameters ( HR, RR, MM/CRT), ability to accurately obtain them, and knowledge of what abnormalities need to be reported to the doctor

Understand common disease processes and ability to use appropriate medical terminology

Familiarity with common medications and their applications, standard doses, and contraindications , accurately calculate dosages, administer medications

Monitor, assess, and treat critical care patients as well as updating doctor and client on patient status and be able to place IV catheters

Perform radiographs and evaluate for proper positioning and exposure. Adhere to all safety standards

Monitor sedated or anesthetized patient

Know how to use common diag no stic equipment and perform in house lab tests including blood smears, PCV/TP, BG , skin/ear cytology including ELISA snap te sts

Maintain cleanliness and organization through the department including rooms, treatment area, cages and runs

Assist in training of new technicians as needed

Provide staff leadership for tasks in a professional and personable way.

Promote a positive attitude and demonstrate a commitment to the mission /visi on

Willingness to train and share your skills and knowledge

A thirst for knowledge obtained formally and informally

Strong work ethic , flexible and demonstrates high integrity

Initiative: Must have the ability to assess and initiate action to resolve or improve a situation independently.

Make suggestions for how to improve practice protocols

Essential Qualifications

Offer genuine client service and maintain a professional, courteous, and helpful attitude

Strong dedication and commitment to quality care

Demonstrate excellent communication skills (written and oral) and incredible attention to detail

Must be able to make independent thoughtful decisions and solve complex problems

Ability to maintain excellent teamwork and communication skills under stressful situations w orking toward a common goal of helping patients and clients

Perform multiple tasks simultaneously in a fast-paced environment

A willingness and ability to proactively jump in wherever help is needed and a drive to explore innovative ideas to improve things for the team, clients, and patients

High school diploma or equivalent and 18 years of age or older

Must be able to lift or move 40lbs independently

Ability to walk, stand, stoop, kneel, crouch, and feel using hands and arms on a regular and consistent basis, sitting, and standing for extended periods of time.

Must be available to work weekends and holidays as needed

Open to working at Los Altos An im al Hospital when needed

Background check when hired

Cover letters are encouraged but not required . If you are considering including a cover letter, we would love to get to know who you are and what you are looking for. Why are you interested in working for Adobe Animal Hospital as a Veterinary Technician, what skills and abilities make you an ideal applicant for this position and what do you hope to contribute to our medical department and Adobe Animal Hospital as a whole?

Base Wage: $24- $36 dependent on experience

Shifts: Day

Position Location: Los Gatos home base; travel to Los Altos Hospital when needed

Wages & Differentials

Base wages are determined by what skills you know on the Adobe competency skills list.

During the interview process we will ask you to review our competency list and complete a self-evaluation so we may assess your current Veterinary Technician skill level.

Differentials - additional pay that can be added onto your base wage for specific skills, projects, or shifts.

40-Hour Work Week- $2.25/hour

Paid sick, vacation & holiday time

Discounted Veterinary services

Employee Assistance Program

Continuing education for professional development

It is the policy of Adobe Animal Hospitals to afford equal opportunities for all qualified persons, regardless of their actual or perceived: race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status (including registered domestic partnership status), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), gender (including gender identity and expression), age (40 and over), sexual orientation, Civil Air Patrol status, military and veteran status, and any other consideration protected by federal, state, or local law (sometimes referred to, collectively, as “protected characteristics”).