Veterinary Technician - Surgery

ACCESS Specialty Animal Hospitals; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 28,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Parental leave

Bereavement leave

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Health savings account

Flexible spending account

Pet perks

Backup care support

Mental health benefits

401k

Job summary

ACCESS Specialty Animal Hospitals in Los Angeles is seeking a Veterinary Technician – Surgery to join our emergency, critical care and surgical team. You will perform rounds, assist in anesthesia, radiography, IV placement, medication administration and in-house labs alongside skilled clinicians.

The role requires 2–3 years of clinical experience and a degree from an AVMA-accredited veterinary technology program is preferred, with licensure preferred.

Qualifications

• Veterinary technician licensure preferred.
• 2-3 years of clinical experience.
• An Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree from an AVMA-accredited veterinary technology program preferred; or the equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Responsibilities

• Give accurate and detailed patient rounds.
• Admit and discharge a patient from the telemetry system.
• Administer oral medications to a dog or cat.
• Place IV catheters in dogs and cats and maintain IV lines.
• Provide nursing care and monitor patient comfort and cleanliness.
• Perform drug calculations and convert units (mg, ml, mcg, g).
• Prepare IV fluids and additives as ordered.
• Obtain radiographs with proper positioning.
• Assist with anesthesia setup and monitoring.
• Perform blood collection and basic lab tests in house.
• Demonstrate safe patient restraint during exams and procedures.
• Assist with CPR and emergency procedures when needed.

Education

AVMA-accredited veterinary technology program degree

Veterinary technician licensure (preferred)

Job description

Veterinary Technician – Surgery

Los Angeles, CA

Total Bonus Opportunity for Registered Veterinary Technicians: $10,000!

This position is eligible for:

• $5,000 Sign-On Bonus
• $2,500 retention bonus at 12 months
• $2,500 retention bonus at 24 months Subject to eligibility and bonus agreement terms.

Sign-On & Retention Bonus for Veterinary Assistants – Up To $5,000 Total!

Join our team and receive:

• $2,500 Sign-On Bonus
• $2,500 Retention Bonus after 1 Year

That’s up to $5,000 in total bonus opportunity for team members who grow with us.

Bonus eligibility and payout terms apply.

Who we are

ACCESS San Fernando Valley is comprised of emergency, critical care, cardiology, internal medicine, neurology and surgery providing the highest level of care for pets in our community.

There are multiple routes and opportunities for growth within our hospital, and organization. We have Technician Trainers to help set you up for success and continued development, work alongside you and present continuing education lectures and wet labs! We're looking for experienced, accountable and dedicated team members to grow with us! We have a diverse and unique mix of personalities, including many "lifers" who love our practice, our people and are proud of what we have created. We work as a close-knit team with the emphasis on providing a strong culture of teamwork and collaboration.

Role Responsibilities

• Give accurate and detailed patient rounds.
• Admit and discharge a patient from the telemetry system.
• Administer oral medications to a dog or cat. Have knowledge of the injectable medication administration sheet and of administering IV medications when the patient is on or off IV fluids.
• Set up and aseptically place IV catheter in dogs (cephalic and saphenous vein), cats (cephalic and medial saphenous vein). Perform IVC maintenance following in house protocol.
• Perform quality nursing care including ensuring that the patient has clean, comfortable bedding and is kept clean at all times. Check IVC for swelling around the tape and confirm patency.
• Correctly perform drug calculations and be able to calculate mg to ml, mcg to mg, g to mg.
• Set up and calculate IV fluid additives for administration (example KCl and Dextrose).
• Set up for and obtain radiographs with proper positioning.
• Correctly perform nebulization and coupage on patients.
• Obtain blood pressure with a doppler and understand normal parameters and when to alert the doctor.
• Understand perfusion parameters.
• Correctly identify basic cardiac arrhythmias such as a VPC and understand treatment.
• Wrap packs and pouches for surgical equipment.
• Perform basic operating room set up and have knowledge of the basic instruments.
• Set up and leak test anesthesia machines and monitoring equipment. Use the monitoring sheet in Smartflow.
• Identify and use correctly each blood collection tube. Collect blood from cephalic, lateral and medial saphenous veins and understand how to properly handle the sample.
• Administer Subcutaneous fluids to a patient.
• Run and read PCV/TS and understand what these numbers mean and what normal values are.
• Perform in house laboratory tests on the Idexx Procyte, Catalyst, Coag, Siemens Blood Gas Machine, Abaxus i-Stat, UA Analyzer, Sedivue.
• Perform blood typing and log blood products accurately.
• Demonstrate safe patient restraint for physical exam, blood collection, IV catheter placement, Abdominal Ultrasound and Cardiac Ultrasound.
• Understand and perform nursing care for non ambulatory patients including how to sling walk.
• Perform monitoring and patient recovery after surgery or anesthetic procedures.
• Dispose medical waste safely.
• Assist with and understand basic CPR.
• Responsible for upholding the spirit of ACCESS by handling all necessary tasks that require attention.

Experience Requirements

• Veterinary technician licensure preferred.
• 2-3 years of clinical experience.
• An Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree from an AVMA-accredited veterinary technology program preferred; or the equivalent combination of education, training and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

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 to designed to teach you the fundamentals of running a pet hospital.
• Earn your AVMA-CVTEA Accreditation and become a Vet Tech through our fully accredited distance learning program for veterinary technicians.
• Scholarship opportunities and tuition reimbursement.

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

We provide benefits spread comprehensively across your mental, physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing designed to meet your needs as a unique individual. Some key benefits include:

• Paid time off including 8-weeks of full-pay parental leave, bereavement to grieve both humans and pets, and time off for new pet adoptions.
• Top quality medical, dental, and vision insurance plus health savings account and flexible spending account.
• Pet perks including free exams, discounts on products and services, and more at all Thrive Pet Healthcare locations.
• Generously subsidizedbackup and ongoing care support for children, adults, and pets.
• Mental health benefits including coaching and therapy sessions.
• 401k with employer contribution.
• Continuing educationanddevelopment support through our library of free CE courses and paid time off to complete.
• Scholarship opportunities andstudent loan support program.
• and so much more!

Compensation

$20 - $36/hr based upon experience + $2/hr swing shift differential and $2/hr weekend differential.

*Must have a flexible schedule and able to work rotating weekends and holidays

At Thrive Pet Healthcare, we celebrate and embrace the uniqueness and diversity of all of our team members, pet parents, and pets. We strive to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture where all team members belong and feel empowered.