After Care Coordinator - Foster Hospital for Small Animals - Tufts University

The Hospital for Large Animals and The Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals provides 24-hour care for pets 365 days of the year. Since 1979, we have offered high quality medical care, consultation, referral, and emergency veterinary services for the care of large and small animals. In addition, the hospital creates a positive learning experience for TCSVM students, residents and interns and supports the training of veterinary technicians.

The Aftercare Coordinator oversees all aspects of the patient disposition process. This includes client communications regarding the Aftercare process from pre-euthanasia through return of remains, overseeing the accuracy of information with our Cremation Service and related software, educating Hospital teams on the aftercare process, providing clients with bereavement care, and making referrals as needed, and oversee morgue operations.

Essential functions as an Aftercare Coordinator are:

Aftercare Coordination

• Primary client communication in all aspects of the aftercare process and bereavement consoling in consultation with the Hospital Social Worker
  
• Serve as pathology liaison for After Care support to clients and the Small and Large Animal Hospitals
  
• Educate Clinical teams on patient disposition options, tissue and body donation programs, and Necropsy as related to Aftercare
  
• Assist with morgue operations including body identification, pick-up, and preparation.
  
• Coordinate client visits for viewing and pick-up of deceased patients
  
• Ensure Bereavement room is cleaned and stocked after each use
  
• Provide guidance and communication between client and crematory/cemetery/family member with respect to pet disposition
  
• Coordinate After Care services for Tufts at Tech patients presenting the Foster Small Animal Hospital
  
• Order and distribute aftercare inventory (sympathy cards, bags/tags) for both small and large animal hospitals
  
• Order and distribute client educational materials on grief support and crematory services

Education

• Provide education on Aftercare Services to House Officers, Students and onboarding for Faculty and Staff
  
• Provide ongoing Aftercare Service education and trainings for Hospital team members
  
• Provide grief support to clients and internal teams in consultation with the Hospital Social Worker

Administration

• Create and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)as they pertain to the role
  
• Maintain and update EMR coding
  
• Ensure accuracy of information in Crematory software (Paws-etrack)
  
• Record aftercare notes in EMR
  
• Send deceased notification RDVMs
  
• Facilitate internal communication regarding Cremation, Donation, Necropsy, and Rabies status in consultation with the Pathology Department and the Senior Teaching Technician

Miscellaneous

• Perform other duties as assigned by Manager
  
• Participate in Departmental and Hospital-wide initiatives as required
  
• Attend and participate in staff meetings and clinical section meetings
  
• Identify inefficiencies to support the optimal level of client care and support to clinical services
  
• Participate in creating a positive culture that is collaborative and focused on creating a caring environment for clients and team members
  
  

The schedule for this position is anticipated to be Tuesday - Saturday 10am-6pm.

Basic Requirements:

• High School graduate or equivalent
• Veterinary Assistant Certification or equivalent
• Ability and willingness to work with animal cadavers and anatomical specimens
• 3 -5 years of customer service experience in veterinary, animal care or human medicine
• Knowledge of medical/veterinary terminology
• Exceptional communication skills (both in person and by telephone)
• Ability to remain calm and gather information in emergency situations and display empathy to client
• Ability to follow emergency protocols including taking action, notifying appropriate authorities, clinical and administrative leadership and security
• Ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities within a busy clinical setting
• Ability to support bereaved clients
• Ability to effectively work as a positive member of a diverse team of clinical and administrative professionals
• Computer skills including familiarity with Microsoft Office and the ability to quickly learn the electronic medical record system
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. with or without accommodation
• Current on Rabies Vaccination (vaccine administered on campus/no fee)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Associates or Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Veterinary Technology or other animal biology related field plus two years related work experience
• Credentialed as a Certified Veterinary Technician or advanced certification
• Certified or educated in grief support
• Advanced education and experience in customer service
• Experience in a fast-paced veterinary hospital