Veterinary Technician II - Spay and Neuter Clinic - Tufts University

The Luke and Lily Lerner Spay/Neuter Clinic (LSNC) at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University provides students with opportunities for surgical training while serving pets in need. 

The Lerner Spay Neuter Clinic provides high level spay neuter services to shelter and community animals while training veterinary students in the clinical competencies needed for anesthesia and surgery of healthy feline and canine patients. 

We are seeking a Veterinary Technician to join our team. The Spay Lab technicians provide technical support for all of the clinical activities of the Lerner Clinic. All Lerner Clinic staff are responsible for the efficient operation of ISAAST: a core curriculum course.

As a Vet Tech II,  responsibilities include:

Department Programs

• Organization of maintenance of Lerner Clinic for the ISAAST course, including maintaining an appropriate inventory of surgical supplies and equipment.
• Instruction of third year veterinary students in aseptic techniques, such as gowning and gloving, maintenance of the sterile surgical field, post surgery recovery protocol.
• Teach students technical skills and about anesthesia.
• Assist with admission and discharge of all animals by mentoring students in these activities.
• Actively promoting and communicating the mission of the Lerner Clinic.
• Using and teaching students about the StringSoft electronics medical record system and assisting with other department labs such as animal handling and anesthesia equipment lab are also part of the job.
• Stress-free and humane handling techniques are important core values of the Lerner clinic team.
• Performs routine veterinary nursing and technical skills without supervision of a supervising technician or an attending veterinarian.

HQ/HV

• Develop special knowledge of High volume anesthesia and surgical techniques.
• Work with clinic director to develop and follow SOPs to ensure that the ASV guidelines for High Quality High Volume Spay neuter and additional state and University regulations are followed.
• Provide technical support, equipment setup, assistance with animal intake, anesthesia induction and monitoring, surgical preparation, administer vaccines and recovery surgical patients during our busy clinics.
• Maintain neat and accurate controlled drug records. Clean and prepare surgical packs for all labs.
  

Hospital Support

• When not scheduled for duty in Lerner Clinic (ie during summer vacation) technicians can work upstairs in the Foster Small Animal Hospital or at Tufts at Tech Community Veterinary Clinic, either in surgery, anesthesia or central sterile departments in order to foster continuous improvement and interdepartmental relations.
  

General Program Support

• Other activities for shelter medicine such as working on the Clinic website, animal transport or assistance with clinical electives.
• The Lerner technician also supports our outreach program at the Worcester and Grafton Housing Authorities by maintaining supplies and medical records and serving as a liaison between outreach clients and clinical programs.
• Technicians must be flexible and able to adapt as programming needs change over time. 
  

Our mission is to instruct veterinary students in the best practices of small animal sterilization surgeries, to provide free or low-cost services to pets in need from the surrounding community, and to provide the surgical training component for Community Medicine.

We are seeking a full-time Vet Tech. This is a 35 hour position. The majority of coverage schedule is Monday - Friday position with up to one Sunday a month may be needed. The clinic offers no on-call hours, and an opportunity to teach while making an impact through our mission.

Basic Requirements:

• Mastery of basic technical skills including mandatory skills below.
• High School diploma or equivalent and 3 years of experience as a veterinary technician in a fast-paced hospital
  OR
• Associate OR bachelor's degree from an AVMA-accredited institution providing training in veterinary technology, veterinary nursing, or veterinary science, and one year experience at a University hospital or large scale hospital.
  OR
• Certified Veterinary Technician in good standing.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently when completing basic tasks and procedural skills, and the ability to conduct more advanced tasks under supervision.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to work effectively as a member of a diverse team of clinical and administrative professionals.
• Highly motivated, enthusiastic self-starter with a professional attitude.
• Comprehensive understanding of medical terminology and veterinary pharmacology.
• Demonstrated ability to provide excellent service to both internal and external customers.
• A desire to teach. This includes sharing knowledge and expertise with colleagues throughout the Small and Large Animal Hospitals as well as students. Teaching also requires a commitment to ongoing professional development such as participation in Continuing Education and maintenance of credentials and certifications.
• Experience with Microsoft Office and ability to learn electronic medical record systems and other software systems used.

Minimum required technical skills:

• Safely restrain cats and dogs.
• Assess the attitude and responsiveness of dogs and cats.
• Obtain vital signs, including temperature, pulse, respiration, and capillary refill time.
• Be able to identify animals in pain or distress
• IV and IM injections
• Phlebotomy (cephalic, saphenous, jugular)
• Dosage calculations for medications
• Monitoring and identifying physiological parameters in patients under sedation
• Assist during surgical procedures, ensuring the use of proper sterile technique
• Cleaning, maintaining, and sterilizing surgical instruments
• Familiarity with sedatives and tranquilizers.
• Describe steps required and be able to assist in CPR.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. with or without accommodation

Preferred Qualifications:

• CVT
• A valid Driver’s License
• Associate's degree preferred. 2+ years of related experience preferred.
• Individual should be highly organized with outstanding communication skills and experience in an educational environment.
• An understanding of the organizational mechanics of animal shelters and shelter medicine is an advantage in communication with students about the program.
• High level of anesthesia training and the ability to independently anesthetize dogs and cats.
• Ability to safely and humanely handle dogs, cats and other small domestic animals. Some of these animals may have limited socialization and unknown aggressive backgrounds.