Orthopedic Veterinarian

Job Description

Job Description

Clinic Orthopedic Veterinarian

Provide specialized orthopedic care while helping local pets regain comfort, mobility, and quality of life.

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

Our clinics offer a different kind of veterinary experience. We are locally operated, community-focused clinics serving Des Moines-area pet owners who are looking for trusted, affordable veterinary care. As part of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, our clinics are privately operated by a nonprofit organization and are driven by the needs of pets and families that comes with being privately owned.

In this role, your primary focus will be evaluating and treating orthopedic conditions in privately owned pets through the ARL Afford-a-Care Pet Clinics. You will perform orthopedic procedures, develop treatment plans, and work alongside an experienced veterinary support team to help make specialized surgical care more accessible to families in the Des Moines community.

This position offers the opportunity to focus on orthopedic medicine and surgery in a collaborative, mission-driven clinic environment without emergency, overnight, or on-call responsibilities.

Schedule

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

About the ARL Afford-a-Care Pet Clinics

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

With two Des Moines locations, our clinics help pet owners access high-quality, compassionate veterinary care at an affordable cost. We believe financial barriers should not prevent families from caring for the animals they love, and our services are designed to help pets remain healthy, comfortable, mobile, and in their homes.

Clinic services include preventive and wellness care, on-site bloodwork, radiographs, dentistry, soft-tissue surgery, and orthopedic care. Our veterinarians are supported by dedicated veterinary technicians, assistants, receptionists, and operational leaders who share a commitment to strengthening the bond between pets and their people.

What You’ll Do

• Perform orthopedic surgical procedures based on experience, training, and clinic capabilities.
• Conduct pre-operative examinations and determine whether patients are appropriate surgical candidates.
• Interpret radiographs and other diagnostic findings to develop individualized treatment recommendations.
• Develop surgical and nonsurgical treatment plans for orthopedic conditions.
• Maintain high standards for anesthesia, patient monitoring, surgical safety, infection prevention, and medical documentation.
• Partner with veterinary technicians and assistants to maintain safe, organized, and efficient surgical schedules.
• Communicate clearly and compassionately with clients regarding diagnoses, treatment options, surgical risks, expected outcomes, aftercare, and follow-up needs.
• Provide general surgery, wellness, preventive, or medical care when needed to support clinic operations.
• Support a respectful, collaborative, and learning-focused clinic culture.
• Help expand access to orthopedic veterinary care within the Des Moines community.

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 before beginning employment.
• Advanced training, demonstrated experience, or a strong professional focus in orthopedic surgery.
• Experience diagnosing and treating orthopedic injuries and musculoskeletal conditions.
• Experience performing orthopedic surgical procedures appropriate to the veterinarian’s training and skill level.
• Strong understanding of diagnostic imaging, anesthesia, pain management, surgical planning, and post-operative rehabilitation.
• Ability to perform multiple procedures while maintaining thoughtful medical judgment and strong patient outcomes.
• Confidence making independent medical decisions while working collaboratively with a veterinary support team.
• Strong communication skills and a commitment to providing clients with clear, respectful education.
• A community-minded approach to veterinary medicine and an understanding of the financial barriers some families face when seeking specialized care.

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

Benefits for Full-Time Employees

The ARL offers competitive, market-driven compensation without production-based compensation requirements. 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
• A 401(k) retirement plan with an employer contribution
• Veterinary benefits
• Generous paid time off and paid holidays
• Potential student loan reimbursement opportunities
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility
• A predictable schedule that supports work-life balance
• A mission-focused workplace where medical decisions are centered on patients and the community

Physical and Work Environment Requirements

This position works in a veterinary clinic and surgical environment. It may require standing for extended periods, performing repetitive surgical procedures, positioning patients, and safely handling animals of varying sizes, health conditions, mobility levels, 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 found in veterinary practice. Employees are expected to follow established medical, radiation, surgical, 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?

At the ARL Afford-a-Care Pet Clinics, you can use your orthopedic expertise to make a meaningful difference for pets whose families may otherwise struggle to access specialized surgical care.

You will have the opportunity to focus on orthopedic medicine, work alongside a committed veterinary team, and help shape services within a privately operated nonprofit clinic that values quality, accessibility, and compassion. There are no corporate production quotas, emergency shifts, or after-hours calls—just meaningful medicine and the opportunity to help pets move more comfortably and remain with the people who love them.

If you are an orthopedic-focused veterinarian who wants to provide specialized care while making a direct impact in the Des Moines community, we would love to welcome you to our team.

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.