Join our medical team! The Windsor/Essex County Humane Society is a large, progressive shelter always seeking advances in shelter medicine and HQHVSN. We’re proud of our very high live release rate, and our ability to provide a high quality of care to our patients as well as our high volume, high quality public services. We are fully equipped with a surgical suite, digital radiographs, an ultrasound machine, lab equipment, a dental machine, and a comprehensive pharmacy.

We are looking for RVTs (preferred) or unregistered technicians with experience to join our team full time or part time. We are interested in those who have excellent communication skills, thrive in a dynamic/fast-paced environment, have exceptional attention to detail and who are energized to help us maximize our life-saving potential between our shelter and public veterinary clinic. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package including a signing bonus, paid time off and training, full health benefits, uniform allowance, CE opportunities, and coverage of OAVT dues for full time RVTs, paid training, and CE opportunities for part time RVTs. New RVTs who are eager to learn are welcomed!

High volume public clinic duties include intaking and discharging patients while providing exceptional customer service, prepping animals for surgery and monitoring them during recovery, completing paperwork and drug logs accurately. This is a fast-paced environment, where we are spaying or neutering large numbers of animals every day!

Shelter medical department duties are ever changing, and ideal for someone who is always ready for a challenge. Safely restraining a frightened dog to neuter them, handling sometimes unhappy cats without getting scratched, answering adopter and foster questions, providing routine preventative care, and comforting animals while they are waking from surgery – your day may include all this before lunch! High quality communication skills, and effective record keeping and data entry, are the less exciting parts of the day, but essential to our work.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Veterinary Medical Care and Patient Treatment

1. Restrains animals safely with minimal stress during physical examinations or medical procedures
2. Responds to emergency situations and can administer triage care with guidance
3. Performs medical treatments and administers medications for patients as directed by the Veterinarian and in accordance with established standard operating procedures
4. Maintains appropriate medical records, documents, and data entry for patients using the software system PetPoint
5. Completes controlled drug logs appropriately as directed
6. Monitor and observe patients while under anesthesia and during recovery from surgery
7. Operates digital radiology equipment and follows radiology safety procedures
8. Prepares laboratory samples and performs in-house lab work as needed

Shelter Animal Treatment and Care

1. Performs daily shelter rounds with the medical team
2. Assists in the care and treatment of animals in the foster program
3. Assist with euthanasia when requested by the veterinarian
4. Reviews medical disclosures for shelter animals with potential adopters, providing client education and recommendations for conditions requiring follow-up care
5. Responds to post-adoption health inquiries and schedules post-adoption exams and treatment, including utilizing telemedicine
6. Educates clients on pre- and post -surgical care of their animals as needed
7. Represents the WECHS in a professional and courteous manner at all times
8. Provides quality service to clients, volunteers, and employees recognizing their individual contributions to the success of the organization.
9. Attends and participates in WECHS training programs or continuing education seminars as assigned

Medical Operations

1. Assists with day-to-day operations of the Veterinary Clinic as needed
2. Cleans and prepares surgical instruments and ensures supplies are readily available
3. Maintains veterinary equipment in good working order and reports repair needs as necessary
4. Maintains communication with Veterinarians about all animal care and treatment
5. Inventories and orders supplies as assigned
6. Maintains departmental procedures and protocols regarding care and humane treatment of animals

Safety

1. Follows any and all safety procedures
2. Takes appropriate action to ensure a safe work environment
3. Able and willing to learn safe animal restrain methods
4. Takes immediate action to address any safety concern or noncompliance of safety rules that could put an employee, volunteer, client, animal, or the organization at risk

Other Duties

1. This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties and responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

1. Strong verbal and written communication skills, organizational skills, and customer service skills
2. Shows initiative and is a conscientious employee
3. Ability to handle multiple tasks at once in a fast-paced environment
4. Detail oriented and exercises good judgment when dealing with the public and animal-related concerns

Working Conditions

1. Work is performed in an animal shelter and a veterinary hospital environment
2. Exposure to cleaning agents when in kennel and hospital areas
3. Exposure to sharps including needles and surgical blades
4. Exposure to various types of animals at all times
5. Subject to possible animal bites and scratches while handling animals of questionable temperament

Schedule

1. Varying shift length, generally 8-10 hours
2. Intermittent weekend and holiday availably required