Veterinary Assistant - Veterinary Services

About the role

We are looking for a Veterinary Assistant for our Veterinary Services team at our Mattawan, MI site. The role involves assisting veterinary staff in various tasks such as animal handling/restraint, housing maintenance, feeding procedures, collecting data, observing animals for health status, administering treatments, and developing treatment plans.

Responsibilities

• Maintains and monitors the health and physical environment of animals involving complex instructions and requiring technical expertise.
• Aids veterinary staff in documenting and triaging all laboratory animal health cases, and administering treatment to animals.
• May also perform anesthesia, surgery, enrichment, and behavioral tasks and technical in-life procedures.
• Supports IACUC/Ethics Committee including animal welfare regulatory compliance and related government/external funding agency requirements.
• Ensures good welfare and humane care for all animals worked with through gentle, positive human-animal interactions.
• Performs basic skills of the department which may include animal handling/restraint, housing maintenance, and feeding procedures, collecting data, observing the animals for health status, calculating dosages, administering treatments by various methods, recommending treatment plans, directing, and conducting euthanasia, collecting biological specimens for analysis.
• Collects, documents, reviews, and verifies data on forms, or in electronic data capture systems.
• Reviews documentation of functions performed as part of quality control requirements.
• Uses and maintains applicable instrumentation and equipment.
• Trains on basic veterinary medical examinations, assessments, and treatments; begins to work closely with trainer(s) or veterinarians on case management for more advanced cases.
• Assists co-workers and veterinarians with protocol or SOP driven physical examinations and/or neurological examinations.
• Completes Sedation Recovering Monitoring and Emergency Response Capabilities training and performs skills under supervision of experienced staff.

Requirements

• Education: High school diploma or General Education Degree (G.E.D.) required. Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) or equivalent in a biological science, preferred.
• Experience: At least six months of relevant experience.
• Certification/Licensure: None.
• Demonstrated ability to produce high quality results consistently and effectively, interpret protocol requirements, troubleshoot quality issues, and record accurate study and departmental data.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities to achieve goals.
• Computer skills (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite), commensurate with Essential Duties and Responsibilities.
• Ability to ensure that a safe working environment is maintained by observing all safety procedures and working methods by making proper use of protective clothing and equipment, and by reading, understanding, and following all safety documents issued or notified of.
• Ability to ensure the integrity of the studies and fulfill the regulatory agencies' requirements by performing the activities according to the Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), Business Operating Procedures (BOP), and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) rules.
• Ability to work extended hours beyond normal work schedule to include, but not limited to evenings, weekends, extended shifts, and/or extra shifts, sometimes on short notice.
• Ability to work under specific time constraints.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States without a sponsor visa, now or in the future.

Qualifications

• None specified.

Skills

• Animal handling/restraint
• Housing maintenance
• Feeding procedures
• Data collection
• Observing animals for health status
• Administering treatments
• Developing treatment plans
• Documentation and triage of health cases
• Performing anesthesia, surgery, enrichment, and behavioral tasks
• Quality control requirements
• Instrumentation and equipment maintenance
• Basic veterinary medical examinations, assessments, and treatments
• Protocol or SOP driven physical examinations and/or neurological examinations
• Sedation recovering monitoring and emergency response capabilities

Benefits

• Bonus/incentives based on performance
• 401K
• Paid time off
• Stock purchase program
• Health and wellness coverage
• Employee and family wellbeing support programs
• Work life balance flexibility

Pay

The pay rate for this position is $21.50/hr USD. Salaries vary within the range based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, education, certifications, and location.

Schedule

Not specified.