Orthopedic Veterinarian

Job Description

Job Description

Clinic Orthopedic Veterinarian

Use your orthopedic expertise to restore mobility, relieve pain, and make specialized veterinary care more accessible.

The Animal Rescue League of Iowa (ARL) is seeking a skilled and compassionate Clinic Orthopedic Veterinarian to join our ARL Afford-a-Care Pet Clinics team in Des Moines, Iowa.

The ARL Afford-a-Care Pet Clinics offer a different kind of veterinary experience. Operated by the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, our locally focused nonprofit clinics provide high-quality veterinary care to owned pets throughout the Des Moines community. Our model allows veterinarians to focus on thoughtful medicine, strong client relationships, and meaningful patient outcomes without production-based compensation requirements.

In this role, your primary focus will be the evaluation and treatment of orthopedic conditions in privately owned pets. You will perform orthopedic procedures, develop surgical and nonsurgical treatment plans, and work alongside an experienced veterinary support team to help families access specialized care that may otherwise be financially out of reach.

This is also an opportunity to help shape and grow orthopedic services within our clinics, bringing your experience and ideas to a developing area of care while maintaining a predictable schedule with no emergency, overnight, or on-call responsibilities.

Schedule

• Schedules are typically four 10-hour days.
• The ARL Afford-a-Care Pet Clinics operate Monday through Friday.
• Veterinarians participate in rotating half-day Saturdays.
• No emergency, overnight, or after-hours on-call responsibilities.

About the ARL Afford-a-Care Pet Clinics

The ARL Afford-a-Care Pet Clinics are operated by the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, Iowa’s largest nonprofit animal welfare organization.

With two locations in Des Moines, our clinics provide accessible veterinary care to pets and the people who love them. We believe financial barriers should not prevent families from seeking quality veterinary care, and our clinics are designed to help pets remain healthy, comfortable, and with their families.

Our services include wellness and preventive medicine, diagnostics, on-site bloodwork, radiographs, dentistry, soft-tissue surgery, and orthopedic care.

Veterinarians work alongside dedicated veterinary technicians, assistants, receptionists, and operational leaders who share a commitment to excellent medicine, compassionate client service, and increasing access to veterinary care in our community.

What You’ll Do

• Evaluate and diagnose orthopedic injuries, musculoskeletal conditions, and mobility concerns.
• Perform orthopedic surgical procedures consistent with your experience, training, and clinic capabilities.
• Conduct pre-operative examinations and determine appropriate surgical candidacy.
• Interpret radiographs and other diagnostic findings to guide treatment recommendations.
• Develop individualized surgical and nonsurgical treatment plans.
• Provide thoughtful pain-management and post-operative care recommendations.
• Maintain high standards for anesthesia, patient monitoring, surgical safety, infection prevention, and medical documentation.
• Partner closely with veterinary technicians and assistants to support safe, organized, and efficient surgical care.
• Communicate clearly and compassionately with clients regarding diagnoses, treatment options, surgical risks, expected outcomes, aftercare, and follow-up.
• Provide general surgery, wellness, preventive, or medical care when needed to support clinic operations.
• Contribute to a respectful, collaborative, and learning-focused veterinary culture.
• Help develop and expand orthopedic services based on community need and clinic capabilities.

What We’re Looking For

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or equivalent degree from an accredited veterinary school.
• Active Iowa veterinary license in good standing or the ability to obtain licensure prior to employment.
• Demonstrated experience, advanced training, or a strong professional focus in orthopedic surgery.
• Experience evaluating and treating orthopedic injuries and musculoskeletal conditions.
• Experience performing orthopedic procedures appropriate to your training and skill level.
• Strong knowledge of diagnostic imaging, anesthesia, pain management, surgical planning, and post-operative care.
• Sound medical judgment and the ability to independently assess patients and make treatment decisions.
• Strong communication skills and an ability to explain complex medical information to clients in a clear and compassionate way.
• A collaborative approach to working with veterinary technicians, assistants, and fellow veterinarians.
• An appreciation for accessible veterinary medicine and the financial realities some families face when pursuing specialized care.

Veterinarians with significant orthopedic experience, advanced surgical training, or an interest in helping build and expand orthopedic services in a community-focused clinic are encouraged to apply.

Benefits for Full-Time Employees

The ARL offers competitive, market-driven compensation without production-based compensation requirements , allowing veterinarians to focus on patient care rather than production targets.

Full-time employees may also be eligible for:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Employer-paid long-term disability and basic life insurance
• Supplemental insurance options, including short-term disability, supplemental life, accident, and critical illness coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer contribution
• Veterinary benefits for your own pets
• Generous paid time off and paid holidays
• Potential student loan reimbursement opportunities
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility
• A predictable schedule designed to support work-life balance
• A mission-focused workplace where medical decisions are centered on patients, clients, and the community

Physical and Work Environment Requirements

This position works in a veterinary clinic and surgical environment and may require standing for extended periods, positioning and handling patients, performing surgical procedures, and safely working with animals of varying sizes, mobility levels, medical conditions, and temperaments.

The role may involve exposure to animals, animal dander, cleaning and disinfecting products, anesthetic gases, radiographic equipment, moderate noise, zoonotic diseases, and other conditions commonly encountered in veterinary practice.

Employees are expected to follow established medical, radiation, surgical, infection-control, and workplace safety procedures.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Why Join the ARL?

Orthopedic care can dramatically change a pet’s life—but for many families, specialized surgery can feel financially out of reach.

At the ARL Afford-a-Care Pet Clinics, your expertise can help change that.

You will have the opportunity to restore mobility, relieve pain, and improve quality of life while helping families keep the pets they love. You will work alongside a committed veterinary team, have the opportunity to help shape the future of orthopedic services within our clinics, and practice in an environment where thoughtful medical care matters more than production numbers.

There are no corporate production quotas, emergency shifts, overnight responsibilities, or after-hours calls; just meaningful medicine, a supportive team, and the opportunity to make specialized veterinary care more accessible in the Des Moines community.

If you are an orthopedic-focused veterinarian looking for a role where your skills can make both a clinical and community impact, we would love to hear from you.

Employment in this position is at-will, meaning either the employee or the ARL may end the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause or notice, as permitted by law.

The Animal Rescue League of Iowa is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state law. Applicants and employees are encouraged to discuss potential accommodations as needed.