Veterinary Pharmacy / Lab Assistant

Horizon Veterinary Specialists, founded in August 2018 by five board-certified veterinarians, aims to drive positive influence in the veterinary community. With a state-of-the-art facility, a culture centered on inclusion and education, and a passion for excellent medicine, Horizon is committed to serving patients and clients, while supporting the dedicated professionals in veterinary medicine.

Our emergency department team is fortunate to have access to our Internal Medicine department six days a week, for consultation and supportive services. Our 24/7 emergency and critical care team serves small animal patients across Ventura and surrounding counties, accepting walk-ins and referrals. We have a large, fully equipped, multi-unit ICU that includes an isolation ward and quiet rooms.

We are a growing practice who is always looking for skilled, caring and compassionate people to join our team! Our team at Horizon Veterinary Specialists works in a collaborative, yet driven environment which provides abundant opportunities for growth, development, and patient/client service . We understand and embrace the importance of every pet as a family member and treat each one with the utmost care.

Learn more at about us at horizonvets.com

Job Description

Job duties include, but are not limited to:

The pharmacy / lab assistant must possess critical thinking and problem-solving skills, compassion, a positive attitude, excellent communication and teamwork skills. It is the assistant’s responsibility to assist staff in preparing dispensed medications, processing and recording/documenting laboratory samples, inventory of laboratory supplies; and routine maintenance of laboratory equipment. They are responsible for communicating with the senior staff and doctors if questions arise. They must also be able to make decisions 
and work independently, so must use good judgment in providing safe and appropriate patient care

Pharmacy Duties Include:

• Fill prescriptions for patients. This is an important function of this position that requires a high level of attention to detail. It is vital to the health of our patients that all medications filled are accurate.
• Check the pharmacy refill voicemail and pharmacy email at least three times daily. 
• Communicate with outside pharmacies or our online pharmacy at least three times daily for customers filling their prescribed medications elsewhere.
• Ability to explain to a customer how to give medications to their pet (ex: injections, inhalers, oral medications, sub-cutaneous fluids, etc.).
• Inventory count of all medication supplies twice weekly and reporting to the Inventory Coordinator to ensure prompt ordering (with Inventory Coordinator’s collaboration).
• Receive orders by unpacking boxes, checking shipped supplies versus invoice to ensure all items were received, and properly re-stocking/rotating supplies.
• Be able to understand and calculate pharmacy metrics such as mg/ml.
• CURES Submissions and Compliance
• Maintain Ring Central, VetSource, and other pharmacy collaborative platforms
• Engage in client informational requests surrounding uncommon and off label use of pharmaceuticals and products by means of research, doctor input, and other resources.
• Fabrication of SOPs and How-To manuals for educational training purposes.

Laboratory Duties Include:

• Process, record and document in-house & send-out lab work.
• Ensure Idexx, Antech and other laboratory samples are properly packaged, labelled and picked up by vendor(s). Understand what the laboratory submission requirements are for submission tests, as well as turn-around expectation and adequately communicate them to other staff.
• Maintain inventory of in-house laboratory supplies (requisition forms, sample collection containers) and report to Inventory Manager.
• Keep cytology stains stocked and change out twice per week.
• Clean out the refrigerator hold box once per week.
• Manually enter in-house results that do not get uploaded to the system automatically (ex: glucose, lactate, PT/PTT, i-STAT, etc.).
• Scan and file written laboratory requisition forms for all outside lab patient samples.
• Routine maintenance on laboratory machines.
• Assist in cleaning the hospital including (but not limited to): laundry, floors, taking out the trash and recycling, cleaning reception, treatment areas, surgery suite, exam rooms, kennels, and kitchen.
• Appropriate disinfection protocol used when cleaning various areas of the hospital.
• Provide proper, safe, and gentle animal restraint for a variety of procedures including: catheter placement, surgical prep (when requested), bandaging, and radiograph positioning, exams, etc. 
• Maintain proper documentation in the electronic medical record (Cornerstone) which includes recording and signing off on all pharmacy or laboratory treatments and observations in the appropriate places (PVL, White Board, treatment sheets, etc.).

Whether you’re looking to just be a master of your role or trying to grow into that next career move, you’ll have opportunities through a variety of virtual and hands on, interactive training and continuing development!

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or G.E.D. required.
• Consistent punctuality and reliability in adherence to scheduled shifts.
• Excellent client communication and medical record management skills.
• Ability to multi-task.
• Have an understanding of different pharmacy medications and their basic uses.
• Basic math skills and an understanding of pharmacy calculation metrics such a mg/ml.
• Computer skills, including Windows based computer systems, word processing, email, web search, and other skills needed to effectively use Patient Information Management Software.
• Must be able to safely lift 40 pounds unassisted or up to 150 pounds with 3 person assist.
• Must be able to be on your feet for extended periods of time which often requires bending, crouching, squatting, leaning over, twisting, reaching, upper body strength, hand strength, sitting on the ground, and other physical demands. Must also be strong enough to withstand the pulling of a large strong dog on a leash.
• Expertise in safe and low-stress animal restraint techniques.
• Proficiency in various sample collection methods (blood, urine, fecal, skin specimens).
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with exposure to animal-related hazards

Additional Information

Pay Range: $20 - $24/hr. depending on level of experience

We offer our staff:

• Comprehensive Benefits (health, dental, vision, liability, 401k & 401K matching program, life & supplemental insurance, HSA, & FSA)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Paid Vacation and Sick Time for ALL Employees
• Paid Bereavement Program
• Paid Parental Leave Program
• Competitive Compensation
• Continuing Education Allowance (applies to licensed/registered/certified roles)
• Tuition Reimbursement Program Available to any AVMA Accredited Veterinary Technology Program
• Career Development Opportunities
• Referral Bonus Program for most positions!
• Additional Benefits May Also Be Available (i.e. Personal Pet Discounts, Holiday Pay, Uniform Allowance, Bonuses etc)

Hiring eligibility may be contingent to a candidate authorizing and completing a satisfactory background check.

*Note – some benefits may only be available to or vary slightly for full time employment status vs part time status.

For additional details including our full equal opportunity statement, texting/outreach communication authorization, physical requirements of the job and more, please visit .