Veterinary Assistant

NVA General Practice; Los Gatos (CA); On-site; USD 33,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

401k benefits

Discounted veterinary services

Employee Assistance Program

Continuing education

Job summary

Adobe Animal Hospital in Los Gatos, CA seeks a Veterinary Assistant to join a fast-paced team of RVTs, assistants, and doctors. The position supports outpatient care, maintains schedules, and participates in urgent care as needed.

You will gain experience across veterinary medicine, communicate with clients and doctors, and work with a supportive team in a hospital with an Open Hospital policy. Weekend availability is required; base wage ranges and shift differentials are outlined.

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 working 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 Animal Hospital when needed
• Background check when hired

Responsibilities

• Assist in directing the workflow and provide advice to owners in person or over the phone, relay messages to doctors and clients for appointments and care
• Perform veterinary technical skills efficiently, accurately, and with little supervision
• Assess patient care status, review patient plan, perform treatments according to orders and document as necessary
• Interact with clients and patients, take an efficient history, obtain vitals, explain treatments and medications
• Give IM, IV, and SQ injections, obtain blood samples from multiple sites
• Place IV catheter
• Understand vital parameters and report abnormalities to the doctor
• Understand disease processes and use appropriate medical terminology
• Familiarity with common medications, doses, and contraindications; calculate and administer dosages
• Monitor and treat critical care patients and update doctor and client on status
• Perform radiographs and assess positioning and exposure; adhere to safety standards
• Monitor sedated or anesthetized patients
• Use common diagnostic equipment and perform in-house labs (blood smears, PCV/TP, BG, cytology, ELISA)
• Maintain cleanliness and organization of the department

Skills

Client service

Communication

Attention to detail

Teamwork

Multitasking

Independent decision making

Physical stamina

Weekend/holiday availability

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

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 an 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 Sundays) 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 technical skills efficiently, accurately, and with little supervision
• Assess patient care status, review patient plan, perform treatments according to the veterinarian’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
• Place IV catheter
• 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 diagnostic equipment and perform in house lab tests including blood smears, PCV/TP, BG, skin/ear cytology including ELISA snap tests
• Maintain cleanliness and organization through the department including rooms, treatment area, cages and runs

Learning & Leadership

• 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/vision
• 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 working 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 Animal 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
• Weekend- $3/hour

Benefits

• Health benefits, dental, vision & more!
• Paid sick, vacation & holiday time
• 401k benefits
• 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').