Veterinary Technician Medical Staff and Floor Manager
About the role
The ASPCA’s Community Medicine (CM) team provides expert veterinary care to support the welfare of animals and their people through our stationary and mobile veterinary clinics, serving underserved communities in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. We help pet owners overcome barriers to care, bringing quality services directly to the communities that need us most and partially or fully subsidizing the cost of basic and preventive care. CM treats people and pets with dignity and respect, assisting pet owners in making informed decisions about their pets’ health and wellbeing regardless of their financial circumstances. When you come to work at the ASPCA, you join a team of over 1,000 dedicated colleagues with deep knowledge, skills, and passion for the animals we serve.
Responsibilities
- Perform a broad range of veterinary technician functions, including venipuncture, anesthesia monitoring, surgical preparation and assistance, diagnostics, pharmacy and patient recovery
- Work side by side with staff veterinarians, technicians, and assistants to support both HQHVSN and PPC for cats and dogs
- Use low-stress, gentle animal handling techniques to provide a safe and compassionate environment for animals in our care, our staff, and for our clients
- Communicate effectively with clients using a kind, nonjudgmental approach - assist with intake, obtain history and discharge patients
- Oversee workflow on the clinic floor and ensure that all medical staff are efficiently using their time and skills to help the optimal number of patients daily
- Be a consistent and visible presence in the clinic to answer questions, make timely adjustments, offer support, receive/give feedback, lend a hand, and foster understanding and commitment to ASPCA’s mission
- Ensure staff consistently delivers high-quality patient care and adheres to CM’s standard operating procedures and guidelines
- Coach nursing staff to handle patients in a gentle, low-stress manner; instill the guiding principle that everyone can – and should – actively support the animals’ behavioral and mental health in everything they do
- Coach staff to communicate effectively with clients, to accurately relay information and to gather patient history and other information using open ended questions and a non-judgmental approach
- Ensure technicians comply with DEA regulations and CM protocols for handling and dispensing controlled drugs. Monitor drug logs for accuracy and completeness; correct and report issues to clinic director
- Ensure staff take all mandatory rest and meal breaks and adhere to time and attendance guidelines
- Train and onboard new nursing team members, including hands-on skills training and weekly online training modules
- Monitor and assess trainees’ progress, provide regular developmental feedback and coaching
- Aid in the training of rotating Interns and Residents and veterinary and technical students through coaching, discussion and demonstration
- Serve on the CVC Leadership Team
- Support a culture of kindness, respect, belonging and teamwork through regular 1:1s, recognition, developmental coaching, performance evaluation and feedback
- Work with the CVC Leadership Team to achieve daily clinic goals
- Lead a culture of safety and security in the clinic – report safety incidents promptly and address root causes to prevent future injuries or accidents
- Assist with hiring new staff
- Schedule nursing staff for optimal coverage
- Manage team time and attendance - review time sheets for accuracy, review and approve time off requests according to clinic guidelines
- Facilitate daily huddles to ensure staff have information they need each day
- Meet regularly with the CVC management team; provide open communication, feedback and solutions when things aren’t working as they should
- Attend required workshops or meetings
Qualifications
- Must have graduated from an accredited school of veterinary science technology (2 or 4 year program) or the equivalent as determined by the New York State Education Department
- Minimum five years experience as a Registered Veterinary Technician in small animal medicine and surgery; experience in shelter medicine and/or high volume spay/neuter surgery strongly preferred
- Minimum two years people management experience
- Must have current New York State Veterinary Technician License
- Ability to work well within a team and communicate effectively with all levels of staff
- Desire to serve clients in a kind, helpful and nonjudgmental manner
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, challenging environment
- Strong interest in animal welfare and serving underserved communities
- Must possess excellent animal handling skills
- Must be able to lift and carry 40-plus pounds repeatedly throughout the day with assistance
- Must possess the ability to work standing for 8 or more hours
- Fear Free® Shelter certification is required within 60 days of hire