Veterinary Technician - Surgery

Thrive Pet Healthcare; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 33,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

401(k) with employer match

Mental health resources

Paid parental leave

Pet perks and discounts

Job summary

Pet Specialists of Austin is seeking a Veterinary Technician – Surgery in Austin, TX. The role requires assisting surgeons, monitoring anesthesia, and maintaining sterile workflow in a busy hospital. Flexibility includes one Saturday per month and on-call duties with potential bonuses for on-call procedures.

Starting pay estimates range from $24-32/hour, negotiable based on experience and credentials. The position is full-time with shifts either Monday-Thursday or Tuesday-Friday and a

Qualifications

• Experience with board-certified surgeons or equivalent in a surgery setting.
• Ability to assist with anesthesia induction, monitoring, and recovery.
• Comfort with radiographs, blood draws, and catheter placement.
• Strong client communication and patient care skills.

Responsibilities

• Support surgeons during procedures and post-operative care.
• Maintain sterile workflow and hospital operations.
• Monitor anesthesia and patient vitals; assist with admissions and discharges.
• Document medical records and communicate care plans to clients.
• Assist with daily, weekly, and monthly clinic tasks.

Skills

Animal handling

Anesthesia experience

Surgical assistance

Emergency response

Communication

Teamwork

Physical stamina

Job description

Description

Veterinary Technician – Surgery

Pet Specialists of Austin

Austin, TX

Full-Time: Schedule will be either Monday-Thursday or Tuesday-Friday 7:30am-5:30pm with flexibility for late surgeries. One Saturday per month and on-call duties are required.

Compensation is negotiable based on experience and credentials, with an expected starting range of $24-32/hour. The final pay will carefully consider a wide range of factors including your skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Some on-call procedures are eligible for on-call bonuses.

About You

As a Surgery Technician, you’ll support board-certified surgeons with procedures, diagnostics, recovery, and anesthesia monitoring while helping maintain a safe, sterile, and efficient workflow. You’ll also assist with day-to-day hospital operations, provide excellent patient and client care, and support your team through both technical and administrative tasks.

Key Responsibilities (include but are not limited to):

• Veterinary Support: Assist veterinarians in delivering high-quality care, advocating for pets, and educating clients.
• Patient Flow & Medical Records: Maintain accurate medical charts, obtain client history, and ensure efficient patient flow.
• Diagnostics & Procedures: Perform blood draws, radiographs, doppler blood pressure checks, and catheter placements.
• Surgical Assistance: Induce, maintain, and recover anesthesia, following surgical suite protocols.
• Patient Admission & Discharge: Greet clients, take history and vitals, and provide clear post-procedure care instructions.
• Treatment & Facility Care: Ensure clean, sterile environments, safe restraining techniques, and proper disposal of medical supplies.
• Client Communication: Explain long-term care plans and provide compassionate support for pet owners.
• Daily Hospital Operations: Support supervisors and teammates with assigned daily, weekly, and monthly tasks while maintaining a clean practice.

Key Qualifications:

• Experience: Minimum 1 year experience working with a board-certified surgeon or equivalent experience is required.
• Animal Handling: Advanced skills in safe restraint and patient care
• Anesthesia Expertise: Advanced skills in all aspects of anesthesia protocols, induction, monitoring, ventilator, and recovery.
• Surgical Knowledge: In-depth understanding of operating room protocols
• Emergency Response: Ability to remain calm and focused in high-pressure situations
• Work Flexibility: Willingness to work additional hours as needed
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written skills for client and team interactions
• Physical Requirements: Must be able to lift up to 40 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation
• Client Care: Strong relationship-building skills with patients and pet owners
• Teamwork & Independence: Works well both collaboratively and autonomously
• Positive Mindset: Maintains a professional and resilient attitude under pressure

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.