Hospital Veterinary Technician

Veterinarian Technician

Create a healthier, brighter future for pets, pet parents, and people! If you want to make a real difference, create an exciting career path, feel welcome to be your whole self, and nurture your wellbeing, Petco is the place for you. Our core values capture that spirit as we work to improve lives by doing what's right for pets, people, and our planet.

Petco is a category-defining health and wellness company focused on improving the lives of pets, pet parents, and Petco partners. We are 29,000 strong and operate 1,500+ pet care centers in the U.S., Mexico, and Puerto Rico, including 250+ Vetco Total Care hospitals, hundreds of preventive care clinics, and eight distribution centers. We're focused on purpose-driven work, and strongly believe what's good for pets, people, and our planet is good for Petco.

Position Purpose

The purpose of this Veterinarian Technician position inherently involves providing excellent veterinary care to our Vetco Total Care full-service hospital patients and phenomenal customer care to their owners. The Veterinary Technician represents the mission and values to all clients and partners. Our Veterinary Technicians set the tone for the technical and customer support team in the hospital, and are responsible, like all team members, for fostering cohesion and motivation within the hospital partners.

All hospital partners are responsible for performing duties in a way that creates an environment in which:

• The patient's needs always come first.
• Every team member understands that they have the power to do what it takes to create an exceptional customer and patient experience.
• Contentious issues are dealt with and resolved as they occur when possible, or as soon as is possible.
• Exceptional teamwork and commitment to shared goals benefits the entire organization.

Essential Job Functions

The incumbent must be able to perform all the following duties and responsibilities with or without reasonable accommodation:

• Greet clients and patients arriving for appointments or walk-ins and escort into an exam room, obtain weight and vital signs (temperature, pulse, respirations, pain score, body condition score), record all in the electronic medical record, and begin documentation of the patient visit in the electronic medical record by obtaining and recording a thorough patient history.
• Assist veterinarian with appointments (routine and emergency), surgery, dentistry, and euthanasia's, taking direct supervision from the veterinarian(s) and the Hospital Office Manager or Hospital Leader on Duty.
• Perform patient restraint, obtain and process laboratory samples, handle and dispense medications at the direction of the veterinarian, and maintain the electronic medical record.
• Schedule appointments, communicate with and educate clients, relay test results to doctor and clients, maintain and update inventory as well as client/patient records, and manage accounts receivable.
• Prepare patients for surgical and dental procedures, safely support induction and monitoring of anesthetized patients including checking and recording vital parameters (under direction of the veterinarian), monitor patients during recovery, and prepare them for discharge to owner or transfer to an overnight care facility as needed.
• Provide in-hospital treatments for sick patients including giving injectable and oral medications as well as intravenous therapies; keep patients clean, watered, and fed (when indicated and directed by veterinarian), and safely walk canine patients when necessary for elimination.
• Participate in the training of new staff members and general dissemination of knowledge as required.
• Keep hospital environment neat and clean; perform regular cleaning of environment based on necessity as well as based on a pre-determined maintenance schedule.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• Perform additional duties as assigned.
• Provide backup phone and front desk support as needed.

Nature of Supervision

In all activities related to the care of patients, the Veterinary Technician will take direct supervision from the veterinarians as well as the Hospital Office Manager or Hospital Leader on Duty. For purposes of overall supervision, the Veterinary Technician takes direction from the Hospital Office Manager.

Like all team members, the Veterinary Technician plays a crucial role in ensuring that day-to-day operation of the hospital is efficient and provides an optimal experience for our patients and clients.

Impact

This position will impact the organization by contributing to the growth of a productive practice while focusing on a high-quality standard of care. From an overall hospital organizational standpoint, this position is critical to ensuring that we have a cohesive, well-trained, and motivated technical team. The desired result is the creation of an optimal environment that ensures employee retention, patient well-being, and customer satisfaction.

This position has no immediate supervisory duties.

Education/Experience

• College or college-equivalent education (completed) as required in becoming a Credentialed Veterinary Technician in the state in which the hospital is located.
• Must have at least 1-year previous experience as a Veterinary Technician or working in a veterinary practice.
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Must be compassionate and sympathetic and be able to maintain a professional attitude and demeanor during emotional and stressful situations.
• Must have telephone and computer skills.
• Must be a team player willing to learn new techniques and treatments, offer creative ideas, and accept change.

Work Environment

The majority of job duties are conducted in the Vetco Total Care full-service hospital. Position requires bending, kneeling, lifting (up to 30 pounds, as necessary), and standing for long periods of time. A large amount of this partner's time will be spent in direct contact with clients and their pets.

This position will regularly communicate with clients, veterinary specialists, and companies that provide products and/or services that the practice utilizes.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Petco Animal Supplies, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or any other protected classification.

Petco Health and Wellness