Vet Tech III Lerner Clinic

Veterinary Technician III

The Luke and Lily Lerner Clinic provides students at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine with opportunities for both pre-clinical and clinical surgical training while serving pets and people in need. The Clinic provides high level primary care surgery to shelter and community animals while training veterinary students in the clinical competencies needed for anesthesia and surgery of healthy feline and canine patients. The pre-clinical surgical training program in Lerner Clinic is Introduction to Anesthesia and Small Animal Surgical Techniques (ISAAST), a required class for all third-year students. Lerner Clinic also offers a fourth-year clinical elective, Primary Care Procedures (PCP), which has a focus on spay/neuter surgery, other primary care surgery, anesthesia, and dentistry. Lerner Clinic additionally hosts periodic Community Cat Clinics. Finally, Lerner Clinic assists with dental training labs and other clinical skills laboratories run by our colleagues.

Under minimal supervision and in close collaboration with Lerner faculty, the Veterinary Technician III provides advanced anesthesia and perioperative nursing care in a high-volume teaching environment, applies independent clinical judgment for complex patients, assists with coordination of surgical workflows in accordance with established directions and protocols, helps maintain equipment readiness, and serves as an instructor for veterinary students. The role models excellent client service and contributes to protocol development and continuous improvement.

Technical Support:

• Provide advanced, high quality technical and anesthesia support for all Lerner programs, with emphasis on patient safety and smooth daily operations.
• Monitor, manage, and implement anesthetic and analgesic plans. Work independently as well as collaborate with faculty to make protocol adjustments based on patient status.
• Independently perform advanced technical tasks such as IV catheterization, induction and airway management, comprehensive anesthetic monitoring, perioperative analgesia, and fluid therapy setup and monitoring.
• Coordinate daily OR flow, room turnover, instrument care, and readiness of anesthetic, surgical, and dental equipment.
• Monitor controlled substance handling and record keeping. Collaborate with Clinic Administrator to ensure controlled substance logs are maintained and audited appropriately.
• Triage patients for sedation or anesthesia, identify risks, and escalate appropriately. Induce and monitor anesthesia directly or coach students in doing so.
• Help organize and deliver ISAAST instruction and provide hands-on technical support for more advanced anesthesia concerns for ISAAST patients.
• Be able to independently initiate steps to perform CPR in the absence of an attending veterinarian.

Teaching:

• Provide hands-on instruction in anesthesia, surgical preparation and sterility, and dentistry for ISAAST and the Primary Care Procedures rotations.
• Reinforce didactic material during ISAAST and PCP. Assist faculty with preparation and delivery of introductory materials.
• Teach veterinary and technician students in technical and nursing care including examinations, venipuncture, IV catheter placement, intubation, anesthesia monitoring, husbandry, and behavior evaluation.
• Contribute to and participate in formal CE when requested.

Leadership:

• Coach and mentor junior staff and provide on-the-job training to new technicians. Mentor students in ISAAST and PCP in advanced anesthesia knowledge and technical skills. Coordinate daily OR flow. Demonstrate excellent leadership skills, resourcefulness, and self-accountability.
• Maintenance: Maintain adequate inventory of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals. Clean and maintain clinical areas assigned. Facilitate the maintenance of clinical equipment by identifying malfunctioning equipment and scheduling service.

Basic Requirements: Knowledge and experience typically acquired by:

• A minimum of 3 years of experience as a certified veterinary technician in a University Hospital or in a similar environment functioning at a level consistent with a Vet Tech II
• Experience with Microsoft Office and electronic medical record systems
• Demonstrated ability to work independently on complex tasks with minimal supervision. Strong interpersonal and communication skills to work effectively on a diverse clinical team
• Excellent understanding of medical terminology and veterinary pharmacology, including identification of adverse drug reactions and ability to address patient anesthetic complications
• Demonstrated ability to provide exceptional service to internal and external customers and to instruct students
• Ability to independently initiate steps to perform CPR in the absence of an attending veterinarian

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree or
• Associate's Degree in Veterinary Technology
• Passion for primary care education and community service.
• Veterinary Technician Specialist Certification
• Advanced Life Support RECOVER basic certification
• Fear Free Certified level 1 certification
• Valid driver's license

Pay Range: Minimum $27.85, Midpoint $33.15, Maximum $38.50 Salary is based on related experience, expertise, and internal equity; generally, new hires can expect pay between the minimum and midpoint of the range.