EOE Statement
It is the policy of the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, Inc. to provide all persons with equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, marital status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information, or any other factor protected by law.
Category
Animal Care
Description

TheShelter Medical Technician assists in the medical care of shelter animals being treated at HSSA. This includes: assisting the veterinarians during daily rounds, administering medications, observing all shelter animals daily, stocking and maintaining Shelter Pharmacy, assisting the veterinary staff throughout the day with case updates, transporting animals offsite for veterinary care as directed, responding to medical emergencies at the shelter, and overseeing the implementation of medical treatment protocols at the shelter.
Position Requirements

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Administer daily medications, patient care, and other necessary treatments to shelter animals, animals in the Feline and Canine Second Chance Units, foster animals on site, or in other areas of the shelter as needed.
• Exhibits exemplary levels of hygiene and cleanliness and possesses an understanding of how to prevent disease transmission.
• Accurately fill and label medications and treatment sheets. Document treatments for shelter animals accurately and label prescriptions correctly.
• Assist with euthanasia when necessary
• Assist the veterinarians with scheduled daily rounds as needed throughout the day.
• Check the IDEXX website daily for laboratory results on pending cases. File results and present cases to attending DVM. Refer Ringworm PCR results to a medical technician and clear negative patients with waivers.
• Keep veterinarians and Shelter Supervisors apprised of any case updates or new pending cases in the shelter or SCU.
• Be available during the day to help restrain animals, update records, change prescriptions, or perform other tasks as requested by the veterinarian or supervisor.
• Assist in maintaining the cleanliness and stocking of the treatment room, shelter pharmacy, and SCU Units at all times.
• Order all medications and supplies needed for the Shelter Medical Team and maintain accounts with medical vendors.
• Maintain and organize shelter records for animals receiving medical care.
• May assist in coordinating and transporting animals to off-site veterinary appointments as necessary.
• Triage and assess emergencies at the shelter when the vet is not physically available. Assist with contacting the Medical or Shelter Director for coordinating treatment and/or transport.
• Assist in requesting records from veterinary clinics on new intakes and forward them to the veterinarian.
• Draw blood, culture swabs, snap tests or retrieve other samples and submit for diagnostic purposes as directed by veterinarian and Animal Services Director
• Help shelter staff coordinate and prepare animals for vet rounds.
• Help shelter staff interpret and respond to veterinarian requests.
• Maintain recheck and suture removal schedule for shelter animals and oversee appropriate monitoring and discontinuation of E collars.
• Have a thorough working knowledge of the Medical Treatment Protocol book and help HSSA staff stay apprised of protocols and recent updates.
• Assist Veterinarians in coming up with topics to discuss with shelter and clinic staff. Present information when appropriate.
• Daily walk-through of shelter and monitoring for kennel cough and/or post-operative incision problems, assist in managing vet boards and emergencies
• Assist in training and addressing concerns with shelter staff on animal health protocols
• Provide guidance and time management to the Veterinarians regarding vet boards. Facilitate the adequate flow of pets needing to be seen daily.
• Comfortable and knowledgeable in communicating information to foster volunteers working with animals requiring veterinary care. - give appropriate medical instructions, gain information to triage, facilitate open communication between foster care coordinator and veterinarians
• Monitor proper documentation and implementation of protocols for animals receiving treatment with backup medical technician
• Advise Veterinarians/Animal Services Supervisor/Shelter Supervisors of problems or areas of improvement for shelter medical protocols, including observation of DOC performance in all units
• May drive company vehicle in performance of company duties.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Perform digital radiography unassisted and be familiar with correct positioning, exposure settings, and operation of the processing machine.
• Save copies of digital radiographs and email/transport them to referral specialists.
• Perform daily fecal flotations, giardia/parvo/panleukopenia testing on diarrhea specimens. Exhibit familiarity with common parasitic egg morphology and be able to correctly identify species.
• Perform urinalysis, UPC, USG and microscopy on urine specimens. Exhibit familiarity with normal and abnormal cellular and crystalline findings.
• Facilitate the handling and administration of prescription diets.
• Perform Physical Therapy routines on orthopedic patients.
• Assist in data collection and photography of animal abuse and neglect cases.
• Assist in onsite recovery of animal abuse, neglect or hoarding cases.
• Assist in onsite assessment of medical case transfers from other facilities.
• Perform injectable anesthesia protocols, intubation, and anesthetic monitoring. Successfully recover anesthetic patients and recognize when patient needs assistance.
• Perform dental scaling and dental radiography for prophylactic, anesthetic dental procedures.
• Perform injectable sedation protocols and monitoring. Successfully recover sedated patients and recognize when patient needs assistance.
• Maintain controlled log books.
• Assist in quarterly administrative audits of controlled log books.
• Assist with Critical Care Technician and Dog/Cat Examiner duties when needed.
• Performance Factors and Necessary Skills:
• Communication and Contact: The Shelter Medical Technician communicates effectively both verbally and in writing with superiors, colleagues, and individuals inside and outside of HSSA. Has tact and above-average communication and customer service skills and must be able to convey a positive and professional image to individuals inside and outside of HSSA. Because of the integral part of this position, the SMT must call and speak in person with either with the Animal Services Director or Supervisors before using the sick line to call in. Calling one hour before shift time is mandatory to make necessary staff scheduling changes to accommodate for absences.
• Attendance and Dependability: The Shelter Medical Technician can be depended on to report to work at the scheduled time and is seldom absent from work and can be depended upon to complete work in a timely, accurate, and thorough manner and is conscientious about assignments. The SMT must be self-motivated, reliable, and able to complete job duties with minimal direct supervision. The SMT must be flexible to schedule changes and re-prioritizing quickly when needed.
• Relationships with Others: The Shelter Medical Technician communicates effectively and relates well with others including superiors, colleagues, and individuals inside and outside of HSSA. The SMT exhibits a professional manner in dealing with others and works to maintain constructive working relationships. The SMT is expected to help other staff members with cleaning, patient care, or other animal care related duties during down time without supervision.

Necessary Skills:

• Must have considerable knowledge in administering medications for the treatment of sick and/or injured animals.
• Familiar with proper placement and therapy routines for custom fitted orthotics.
• Proficient in the use of intravenous fluid pumps- set-up, trouble-shooting and replacement of components when indicated.
• Proficient in the placement of Intravenous catheters.
• Proficient in proper bandaging protocols with or without assistance.
• Proficient in the administration and proper dosage of subcutaneous fluids.
• Proficient in the proper protocol for bottle feeding neonates.
• Proficient in safe and effective 'fear-free' handling techniques with fractious, abused or overly fearful patients.
• Must be able to understand and execute direction from the veterinarian about treatment changes, case updates, or other tasks required.
• Must have excellent animal handling and restraint skills.
• Must have the basic knowledge of the common diseases of animals, and considerable knowledge of the various species of common animals.
• Must be proactive and be able to work unsupervised.
• Must strive to increase knowledge of shelter medicine and technical knowledge through CE and training with veterinary staff in order to enhance care for shelter animals.
• Must lead by example at all times and be prepared to give direction to other staff when necessary.

Qualifications/Educational Background:

• Minimum two years' experience as a Veterinary Assistant or Technician
• High School graduate or equivalent.

Any combination of training and experience which demonstrates expertise and the knowledge and skills necessary for this position.
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
Full-Time/Part-Time
Full-Time
Compensation & Benefits
Position
Shelter Medical Technician
Close Date
Number of Openings
1
Exempt/Non-Exempt
Non-Exempt
Hiring Manager(s)
Michelle Kleckner
Location
Humane Society of Southern AZ
About the Organization
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona (HSSA), founded in 1944, is a private, independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) animal welfare organization with the mission of acting with compassion and responsible stewardship through innovative programs that serve pets and the people who love them. HSSA is the largest charitable animal welfare and protection agency in Southern Arizona with 100 employees and 1300 volunteers. In 2018, HSSA moved into a new state-of the-art animal shelter and spay/neuter clinic.
Vision: A community in which all pets are cared for and loved
As staff of the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, we pledge to be committed to our team as we are to the organizations mission. We will foster a compassionate environment for each other, our volunteers, and the human and animal clients we serve; empowering one another with knowledge, empathy, encouragement and recognition. We aim to eliminate negativity, support positive and effective communication, promote individual and organizational growth, and work as a cohesive team at all times regardless of tenure, position or department.
HSSA values and and champions diversity and inclusion. these values are part of who we are. Together we will continue to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices of our HSSA team and teh communities we serve.
This position is currently accepting applications.