What are the responsibilities and job description for the Critical Care Veterinary Technician position at Ethos Veterinary Health?
About Us:
The Northeast Indiana Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital (NIVES) has provided the highest level of specialized small animal health care to our community since 2004. We grew out of a well-established, AAHA accredited, primary care clinic originally started in this location in 1967. Over the past 20 years, we have grown into one of the largest small animal emergency and specialty hospitals in the state.
Our facility offers services in cardiology, internal medicine, surgery, and emergency and critical care. We have a team of board-certified specialists and emergency doctors committed to providing quality care to all patients. In 2015, NIVES became the only veterinary hospital in the state of Indiana to be certified as a Level II Critical Care Facility. This certification deems our hospital qualified to care for and treat even the most life-threatening cases. Our advanced diagnostic capabilities allow our doctors to diagnose and treat complicated medical conditions. These diagnostics include digital radiography, ultrasonography, electrocardiography, and computed tomography (CT).
Job Summary:
The Critical Care Technician plays a vital role in providing high-quality care to critically ill and injured animals within the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at NIVES. This position involves working alongside the criticalist to monitor, treat, and support animals in critical condition. They are responsible for correctly and efficiently executing treatments, diagnostics, and medication administration at the appropriate times. They must maintain detailed and correct medical records in ezyVet and Smartflow, while ensuring all charges are accurate on invoices. The Critical Care Technician will update and communicate with clients in a timely and respectable manner.
Required Technical Skills:
- Use safe, reliable, and confident restraint, while showing compassion and care. Use provided restraint tools effectively.
- Perform phlebotomy, place (with proper aseptic technique) peripheral and central IVCs, and arterial catheters in small animals. Monitor and maintain peripheral and central IVCs, and arterial catheters.
- Understand how to monitor, adjust, and maintain IV infusion pumps, syringe pumps, and programmable syringe pumps.
- Obtain sterile urine samples through urinary catheters or cystocentesis in dogs and cats.
- Place, monitor and maintain temporary and indwelling urinary catheters in male and female cats and dogs.
- Induce, maintain, and recover stable and unstable patients from sedation and general anesthesia.
- Place, monitor, and maintain nasogastric or naso-esophageal feeding tubes in cats and dogs.
- Monitor and maintain esophageal feeding tubes.
- Monitor and maintain chest tubes.
- Placement of nasal cannulas for nasal oxygen delivery.
- Ability to use and monitor oxygen cages for oxygen dependent patients.
- Set up, monitor, and maintain patients on high-flow oxygen.
- Monitor and perform nursing care for patients with tracheostomy tubes.
- Ability to recognize the signs of cardiopulmonary arrest in a patient.
- Timely and confidently perform CPR using the updated 2024 RECOVER guidelines.
- Administration of partial and total parenteral nutrition.
- Setting up, administering and monitoring pRBC, whole blood, plasma, platelet and albumin transfusions.
- Ability to perform basic and advanced medical math.
- Advanced knowledge of medications, potential medication interactions, and potential adverse effects of medication.
- Monitor and maintain JP drains and Wound Vacs.
- Monitor and maintain Pleuro-Vac.
- Know proper techniques for obtaining NIBP and IBP values and recognize normal and abnormal ranges; perform blood pressure interventions.
- Ability to prepare and analyze microscope samples of blood, urine and other fluids.
- Whelping newborn dogs and cats and caring for neonatal patients.
- Understand proper use of digital radiology machine, while minimizing radiation hazards by using personal protective equipment and wearing dosimetry badge. Use appropriate and correct positioning to obtain diagnostic quality radiograph.
- Ability to apply VEMO and sync with monitoring equipment.
- Recognize normal and abnormal ECG tracings and administer treatment for cardiac arrhythmias.
- Sterile intubation of long-term intubated patients (for future needs).
- Initiating and maintaining patients on a ventilator with adjustable FiO2 (for future needs).
Job Functions:
- Compassionately, calmly, and gently approaching and handling patients. Practice Fear Free techniques whenever possible.
- Practice basic animal husbandry ensuring clean/dry bedding and clean litter boxes at all times.
- Ensure all patients have water available unless specifically under order not to.
- Follow prescribed diet orders, as well as recording amount offered, amount eaten, and adverse reactions.
- Understand and be able to recognize normal and abnormal vital signs and follow through when abnormal signs are seen.
- Knowledge of medication contraindications and administration via all sites on patient.
- Understand fluid rates, boluses, concentrations, and administration.
- Practice critical and independent thinking.
- Be aware of what tasks are most critical to be performed and doing those first. Also be aware of what types of care are given to patients and question if this is not being ordered.
- Notice and alert criticalist if there are other concerns regarding critical patient.
- Operate and maintain ICU equipment such as infusion pumps, syringe pumps, ECG machines, NIBP doppler and oscillometric units, IBP and pressure transducers, blood gas analyzers, oxygen cages, HFOT unit, ventilators (for future needs), and other critical care tools.
- Ensure that all equipment is properly cleaned and functioning before use.
Record Keeping and Documentation:
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date medical records for each critical care patient, entering vital signs, documenting treatments, medications, and nursing notes.
- Ensure proper logging of controlled substances and other medications in compliance with legal and hospital requirements.
Critical Care Client Service:
- Updates and communicates with clients of critical care patients in a timely and respectable manner.
- Provide compassion for clients; answer their questions unless it is clear the criticalist should do so.
- Handle challenging clients with a calm and reassuring demeanor; know when to bring in a member of the management team.
- Assist clients with discharge instructions for home care, including medication administration and follow-up appointments.
- Assist grieving clients and comfort them. Be familiar with the grieving process. Always be sensitive to the background chatter and conversations that could exacerbate the anxiety and grief clients are experiencing.
General ICU Maintenance:
- Assist in maintaining a clean and disinfected environment in the ICU, including proper disposal of medical waste and maintaining clean equipment.
- Ensure that all supplies are stocked and available for patient care needs.
- Keeping an organized working area.
Team Collaboration and Communication:
- Work closely with criticalist, veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and other hospital staff to develop and implement treatment plans for critically ill patients.
- Participate in team rounds effectively (within and across services), case discussions, and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance patient care.
- Demonstrate commitment, dedication, cooperation, and positive behavior.
- Apply an engaged attitude that facilitates workflow; handle stress and pressure with poise and tact.
Qualifications:
- High school diploma or equivalent (required).
- Completion of a Veterinary Technician program (required).
- Previous experience in a veterinary ICU, emergency care, or related field (required).
- Certification as a Veterinary Technician (CVT/LVT/RVT) or equivalent (required).
- Certification as a Veterinary Technician in Emergency & Critical Care (preferred).
- Strong organizational/time management skills: able to set, prioritize and attain goals with attention to detail.
- Strong professional development skills: able to complete continuing education in the field of veterinary medicine concurrently with job description.
- Strong sense of integrity: able to maintain highest ethical standards, personal responsibility and accountability and confidentiality of clients, doctors, and all staff.
- Strong analytical thinking skills: ability to use objective data to solve problems/create solutions.
Special Working Conditions:
- Ability to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and climb as well as manipulate (lift, carry, and move) up to 50 pounds. Lifting higher weights requires requesting assistance from another associate.
- Requires good hand-eye coordination, arm-hand-finger dexterity with the ability to grasp, and visual acuity to use a keyboard and operate necessary equipment.
- Ability to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form and to solve problems involving several variables.
- Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision.
- Occasionally exposed to airborne particles and illness from patients and chemicals related to animal care and office equipment.
- The noise level in the work environment is normally moderate.
- Environment where pets are present.
- The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Ethos Veterinary Health is at the forefront of innovation and world-class medicine. As the premier network of over 140 specialty and emergency hospitals across North America, Ethos brings together a dedicated community of more than 1,500 specialized doctors providing care for nearly 2 million pets annually. The integrated and collaborative network of veterinary professionals utilize state-of-the-art technology and a scientific, evidence-based approach to deliver compassionate, unparalleled care and rewarding careers. Committed to revolutionizing veterinary medicine, Ethos sets the standard in veterinary excellence. Discover more at EthosVet.com..
Ethos Veterinary Health offers a comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental, vision, a 401k with employer match, and paid time off (including sick time) for all eligible employees. The team can provide more information about compensation and benefits for your specific location during the process. For positions based in Colorado, Ethos Veterinary Health provides eligible employees with paid sick and safe leave and public health emergency leave in accordance with the requirements of Colorado's Healthy Families and Workplaces Act.
Ethos Veterinary Health 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, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and any other state or local hiring regulations, we will consider for employment any qualified applicant, including those with arrest and conviction records, in a manner consistent with the applicable regulation.
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