Veterinary Assistant - Instrument Sterilization

Stryker Corporation; Austin (TX); On-site; Confidential; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

401(k) with employer match

Mental health resources

Paid parental leave

Pet discounts

Job summary

Pet Specialists of Austin in Austin, TX is seeking a Veterinary Assistant to support cleaning and sterilization of surgical instruments and essential equipment, working closely with technicians and doctors to ensure smooth daily operations.

We value teamwork, strong communication, and the ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced hospital. This full-time role offers a negotiable starting pay range of $18–$21 per hour, commensurate with experience and credentials.

Qualifications

• 1-2 years experience as a veterinary assistant or technician.
• Customer service experience required.
• Comfortable with independent work and teamwork.

Responsibilities

• Provide excellent customer service and log client communications.
• Support cleaning and sterilization of surgical instruments and essential equipment.
• Assist with general tasks and instrument handling, including wrapping and packaging.
• Follow DVM guidance and hospital protocols to ensure patient safety and efficient operations.

Skills

Animal husbandry

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Independent worker

Multitasking under pressure

Education

1-2 years veterinary assistant experience

Job description

Veterinary Assistant - Instrument Sterilization

Pet Specialists of Austin

Austin, TX

Full-time: Monday-Thursday 9am-6pm

Compensation is negotiable based on experience and credentials, with an expected starting range of $18 - $21 / hour. The final pay will carefully consider a wide range of factors including your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.

About You

In this role, your primary focus will be supporting the cleaning and sterilization of surgical instruments and essential equipment while working closely with our technicians and doctors to help keep daily operations running smoothly.

We’re looking for someone who takes pride in their work, values teamwork, and helps create a positive, professional environment. In this position, you’ll support doctors and teammates in the day-to-day success of the hospital while working alongside, or under the guidance of, our DVMs, Lead Surgical Technician, and Practice Manager. The ideal candidate is comfortable working independently, while also enjoying being part of a collaborative team.

Your Experience & Skills

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Animal husbandry - including walking, feeding, medication administration.
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and oral, provide excellent customer service.
• Is detail oriented.
• Works independently when assigned tasks, goal oriented.
• Able to handle multiple tasks at once and work well under pressure in an environment with continuously changing priorities.

Education and Experience

• 1-2 years previous experience as a veterinary assistant or technician
• Prior customer service experience required.

Core Job Duties

The following is a list of essential job requirements. This list may be revised at any time and additional duties not listed here may be assigned as needed.

• Customer service
  • Log all client communication as needed or directed by DVM on staff
• Run Diagnostics
• General tasks
  • Familiarize yourself with pack room processes
  • Know all the instruments and what they are used for
  • Know the difference in surgical packs and what they are in them
  • Complete the processes of surgical instrument cleaning
  • Utilize ultrasonic clear, gas sterilizer and autoclave
  • Properly wrap and pack all necessary surgical instruments
  • Run surgical laundry
  • Lint roll and fold towels and wraps

Physical Requirements

• Dependable attendance is required.
• Must be able to lift 40 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Must be willing to work long or irregular hours under high pressure conditions while maintaining composure.
• This position requires the ability to walk, bend, stand and reach constantly during a minimum of an 8-hour day.
• Visual acuity sufficient to maintain accurate records, recognize people and understand written directions.
• Ability to speak and hear sufficiently to understand, give information in person and over the telephone.
• Fine motor skills adequate for utilizing office equipment and hospital equipment such as laboratory equipment, radiology equipment, etc.

You’ll Grow with Us

Here, you can grow your career as best fits you through access to comprehensive learning and skillset programs. You can build your skills and earn credentials through:

• Our vast, diverse, and free library of continuing education courses - ThriveU
• Live, virtual interactive workshops to develop valuable leadership skills
• A program designed to teach you the fundamentals of running a pet hospital

And, with so many locations nationwide, you can find and move into any specialty, hospital type, or environment. Join us and provide your best care at a clinic that is deeply rooted within its community and bolstered by the resources of Thrive Pet Healthcare.

Benefits - our care in action

Thrive offers a suite of benefits to support team members’ emotional, physical, professional, and financial wellbeing. In addition to our health and life insurance, and short- and long- term disability plans, we offer eligible team members:

• Competitive pay
• 401(k) with employer match
• Mental health resources, including easy access to therapy through Lyra Health
• Paid parental leave
• Purr-ental leave for when you adopt a pet
• Subsidized backup childcare and elder care
• Expert advice, support and network discounts for fertility and family planning
• FREE CE courses
• Pet perks and veterinary service discounts
• Student loan support tools and assistance

*Some benefits shown are only for full-time team members who work 30 hours or more per week. Certain Benefits may be subject to waiting periods or length of service requirements.

About the Hospital

Opened in 2021, Pet Specialists of Austin is a 24-hour emergency and specialty referral hospital committed to investing in the growth and success of its team. We proudly serve the Austin area with high-quality care in emergency and critical care, neurology, surgery, internal medicine, and oncology. Our workplace fosters emotional intelligence, collaboration, and a strong work/life balance, ensuring a positive environment for both patients and team members.

About Thrive

Thrive Pet Healthcare creates the future of pet well-being through medical excellence, innovative technology, and a connected community of teams and partners. Today, its network of 360+ primary, emergency, and specialty hospitals across the U.S. cares for pets of all ages and health needs, while portfolio companies provide tools and technology that help veterinary teams work smarter and deliver better care. Thrive invests in its people-through mentorship, leadership programs, continuing education, and well-being initiatives-so teams can grow and feel supported. For pet owners, convenient solutions such as a mobile app, digital booking, Thrive PlusTM membership, HereFurYou Helpline, an online pharmacy and flexible financial options* make accessing quality care simpler- giving families the peace of mind their pets deserve. Learn more at thrivepetcare.com.

We welcome you to join our story and join where #WeThriveTogether.