Hospital Leader on Duty

About Petco

We’re proud to be "where the pets go" to find everything they need to live their best lives for more than 60 years — from their favorite meals and toys, to trusted supplies and expert support from people who get it, because we live it. We believe in the universal truths of pet parenthood — the boundless boops, missing slippers, late night zoomies and everything in between. And we’re here for it. Every tail wag, every vet visit, every step of the way.

We are 29,000+ strong and together we nurture the pet-human bond in more than 1,500 Petco stores across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, 250+ Vetco Total Care hospitals, hundreds of preventive care clinics and eight distribution centers. In 1999, we founded Petco Love. Together, we support thousands of local animal welfare groups nationwide and have helped find homes for approximately 7 million animals through in-store adoption events.

About the Role

The Hospital Leader On Duty provides excellent veterinary care to our full-service hospital patients and phenomenal customer care to their owners. The Hospital Leader On Duty represents the mission and values of Petco to all pets and pet parents. This role sets the tone with the technical and customer support partners in the hospital and is responsible for fostering cohesion and motivation within the team.

Responsibilities

• Greet clients and patients arriving for appointments and escort them into an exam room, obtain weight and vital signs (temperature, pulse, respirations, pain score, body condition score) and record in the electronic medical record.
• Collect thorough patient histories and document the patient visit in the EMRs.
• Assist doctors with appointments (routine and emergency), surgery, dentistry, and euthanasia, under supervision from the veterinarian and the credentialed Veterinary Technicians.
• Perform patient restraint, obtain and process laboratory samples, handle and dispense medications at the direction of the veterinarian, and help maintain the electronic medical record.
• Monitor and answer telephone lines, route calls appropriately, schedule appointments, provide client education, relay test results to doctor and clients, maintain and update client/patient records.
• Help prepare patients for surgical and dental procedures and assist doctor and/or veterinary technician in anesthetizing patients.
• Under supervision of the veterinarian and/or veterinary technician, maintain patients safely under anesthesia while monitoring vital parameters, help monitor patients during recovery, and prepare them for hospital discharge or transfer to an overnight care facility.
• Perform in-hospital treatments for sick patients including giving injectable and oral medications as well as intravenous fluid therapy; keep patients clean, watered, and fed (when indicated and directed by doctor), safely walk canine patients when necessary for elimination.
• Train new staff members and disseminate knowledge as required.
• Keep hospital environment neat and clean; perform regular cleaning of environment based on necessity as well as a pre-determined maintenance schedule.
• Oversee inventory ordering, scheduling, and other hospital tasks.
• Monitor and answer practice phones, route calls appropriately, and schedule appointments.
• Monitor wait times and make accommodations as necessary during peak/busy times or when medical staff is dealing with an emergency situation.
• Uphold and enforce all policies of Petco and Vetco Total Care.
• Oversee operations of the hospital and supervise paraprofessional staff.
• Participate in the training of new staff members and general dissemination of knowledge as required.

Requirements

• Preferred to have at least 1-year previous experience working in a veterinary practice or sufficient experience to ensure excellent performance at the listed skills.
• Leadership capabilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Compassionate and sympathetic, able to maintain a professional attitude and demeanor during emotional and stressful situations.
• Telephone and computer skills.
• Team player willing to learn new techniques and treatments, offer creative ideas, and accept change.

Work Environment

The majority of job duties are conducted in the Veterinary Hospital. Position requires bending, kneeling, lifting (up to 30 pounds, as necessary) and standing for long periods of time. A large amount of this role’s time will be spent in direct contact with clients and their pets.

Benefits

For a more detailed overview of Petco Total Rewards, including health and financial benefits, 401K, incentives, and PTO, see Petco Benefits.