Veterinary Assistant

About the role

The purpose of this position inherently involves providing excellent medical care to our Vetco Total Care full-service hospital patients and phenomenal customer care to their owners. The Veterinary Assistant represents the mission and values to all clients.

Responsibilities

• Greet clients and patients arriving for appointments and escort them into an exam room, obtain weight and vital signs (temperature, pulse, respirations) and record 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 credentialed veterinary technician, HOM and HLOD.
• 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.
• Schedule appointments, provide client education, relay test results to doctor and clients, and 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, 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.
• Under direction of the HOM/HLOD, assist in the training of new staff members and general dissemination of knowledge as required.
• Keep hospital environment neat and clean; perform regular cleaning of environment based on necessity as well as based on a pre-determined maintenance schedule.
• Perform additional duties as assigned
• Provide backup phone and front desk support as needed

Requirements

• Preferred to have at least 1-year previous experience working in veterinary practice or sufficient relatable animal care experience to ensure excellent performance at the above-listed skills
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Must be compassionate and sympathetic, and be able to maintain a professional attitude and demeanor during emotional and stressful situations
• Must have telephone and computer skills
• Must be a 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 partner’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 https://careers.petco.com/us/en/key-benefits