Lead Veterinary Technician: Emergency Room (ER)

About the role

The School of Veterinary Medicine, UW Veterinary Care (UWVC) Hospital is seeking a Lead Veterinary Technician to provide clinical leadership and operational support within the Emergency Service.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day clinical leadership to support efficient patient flow, high-quality patient care, and safe hospital operations within the Emergency Service.
• Coordinate patient triage, task prioritization, and communication between ER, CCU, ICW, Client Care, and Reception to optimize patient admissions and hospitalization capacity.
• Serve as the primary resource for staff questions, clinical workflow guidance, and operational problem-solving while ensuring compliance with hospital policies and Emergency Service SOPs.
• Mentor, train, onboard, and support new CVTs, veterinary assistants, and student hourly employees, including hiring, scheduling, and ongoing development of student staff.
• Provide clinical support on the floor during high-volume periods, staff shortages, call-outs, and coordinate staff breaks to maintain patient care coverage.
• Maintain expertise in ER equipment, ensuring equipment is operational, troubleshooting issues, coordinating repairs, and overseeing inventory, specialty orders, and supply management.
• Develop, implement, and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), including emergency protocols, sedation/anesthesia guidelines, after-hours procedures, and on-call processes.
• Cover after-hours operations by understanding on-call protocols, initiating appropriate staff call-ins, communicating with off-site clinicians, and assisting with patient referrals or deferrals when needed.
• Serve as the liaison between frontline staff, faculty, and supervisors by communicating operational concerns, identifying recurring issues, and recommending process improvements.
• Support financial stewardship by reviewing charge capture for accuracy and assisting with payment collection and deposits during after-hours operations when needed.

Qualifications

• Ability to lift a minimum of 50 pounds independently.
• Physical and manual dexterity to perform specialized technical tasks.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated experience developing or improving standard operating procedures (SOPs), workflows, and quality improvement initiatives.

Skills

• Experience with mentoring, training, or leading veterinary technicians and assistants.

Benefits

Compensation: The starting hourly rate for this position is $26.00/hour, with flexibility based on your experience and qualifications. You can further increase your hourly rate with: $3.00/hour for night shifts$4.80/hour for weekend shifts. With these incentives, you can earn up to nearly $8/hour in additional shift differentials, significantly boosting your total hourly compensation.

Sign-on Bonus of 3% of base pay (based on FTE) to be paid over the first year of employment!

UW Veterinary Care offers competitive wages (including night and weekend differential, if applicable), outstanding employee benefits, ample paid time off, financial support for continuing education and pursuing specialty certification, referral bonuses, an annual shoe allowance, and a yearly provision of hospital-branded clothing.

Pay

The starting hourly rate for this position is $26.00/hour, with flexibility based on your experience and qualifications. You can further increase your hourly rate with: $3.00/hour for night shifts$4.80/hour for weekend shifts. With these incentives, you can earn up to nearly $8/hour in additional shift differentials, significantly boosting your total hourly compensation.

Schedule

General work hours are from 8:00pm - 6:00am (Four 10-hour shifts). Rotating schedule with alternating weekend hours on Saturday or Sunday.