Seasonal Shelter Medicine Assistant

Position Title:                Seasonal Shelter Medicine Assistant 

Hours:                          Part-time, includes week-end hour, seasonal 

Supervisor:                   Shelter Vet Assistant Supervisor  

Classification:              Non-exempt, Hourly

SUMMARY

The Shelter Veterinary Support Intern is part of a team responsible for the daily medical care of shelter animals. The Shelter Veterinary Support Intern plays a crucial role in supporting the Shelter Veterinarian(s), Director of Shetler Medicine, and in general, the shelter as a whole. This position has a wide range of responsibilities and requires someone who is self-motivated, flexible, and enjoys a fast-paced environment.  

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

May be licensed by the state of Michigan, or considered a veterinary assistant as trained on the job by veterinarian(s) or experienced assistant(s)/technician(s). Must be an energetic and caring individual with excellent communication and customer relations skills, possess exceptional time management and organizational skills, be detail oriented, be able to multi-task, be able to thrive in a high stress, fast-paced environment, and remain calm under stress. Must be comfortable handling animals, including those with potentially zoonotic diseases, and a variety of species including, but not limited to, cats, dogs, small mammals, birds, reptiles, and wildlife. 

An animal care facility can be an emotionally challenging, high-stress, rapidly changing, and high-demand environment.  Feelings of grief and loss, secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue are not uncommon.  As such, working at HSHV requires a high degree of emotional regulation and resilience; the ability to tolerate and manage stress; adaptability to change; empathy for both animals and people; and an overall positive outlook.  

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Provide assistance to the shelter veterinarian, including but not limited to, helping with sick-animal exams, the health check-in process (e.g., canine and feline health checks, vaccinations, routine blood testing, and microchipping) and euthanasia.

2. Administer prescribed and preventative medications to shelter animals. Re-vaccinate shelter animals. Manage all medications in accordance with defined policies and procedures. Ensure medications are accurately filled and posted on cage cards/labels.

3. Administer medical treatments to shelter animals as directed by the veterinarian. 

4. Assist with diagnostic tests as directed by the veterinarian. This may include running blood work, taking radiographs, setting up and evaluating in-house diagnostics such as urinalysis, fecal floats, ear cytologies, skin scrapes, and preparing and submitting diagnostics to be sent to outside laboratories which may include packing samples and coordinating pickups. 

5. May be responsible for scheduling and coordinating appointments for shelter animals with outside specialists/hospitals for shelter animals. 

6. At times it may be required to be a liaison for the shelter veterinary team, effectively communicating or relaying information between the shelter veterinarian/team and other organizational departments. 

Adoption/FOH Liaison:

1. Be the liaison between the adoption desk and the shelter veterinarian regarding basic medical history questions or explanations.

2. Provide excellent customer service while talking with adopters about health or surgery related issues as directed by the veterinarian and provide accurate instructions for animal care and medications.

3. Assist shelter veterinarian with risk assessment when known or possible disease outbreak is identified.  

General

1. Work cooperatively with coworkers and volunteers to ensure a smooth flow of operations and to meet the highest standards of quality animal care. 

2. Keep informed of and abide by HSHV policies and procedures.  

3. Overtime may occasionally be required. 

4. Weekend responsibilities will require the ability to work independently, prioritize required tasks, and make rational and responsible decisions. May need to communicate with management from other departments or contact the on-call veterinarian. 

5. Other duties as assigned.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing this job, you will be required to continually walk, stand, squat, twist, and kneel, reach and grab with your hands and arms, in addition to being able to lift and move animals, materials and equipment weighing 40 lbs. or more. This position requires the ability to communicate effectively and to use normal or aided vision and hearing. Work is subject to frequent interruptions. You will be exposed to kennel/shelter setting, mainly indoors, but sometimes outdoors. You will be exposed to various weather conditions when working outdoors. You will be exposed to disinfectant solutions while cleaning. You will be consistently exposed to animals and animal allergens, including animal hair, dander, saliva, fecal matter, urine, zoonotic diseases, fleas and other mites or bugs. You may also be subject to potential danger including parasites and infectious diseases, animal bites and scratches.

MENTAL DEMANDS

While performing this job, you will be regularly required to use written and oral communication skills; observe and interpret situations; analyze and solve problems; learn and apply new information and skills; perform repetitive work on multiple, concurrent tasks; fulfill intensive deadlines; and interact with staff, the public, volunteers and others encountered in the course of work. There will be exposure to animal death and animal cruelty in this position. 

Please note: This job description reflects the assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

The Humane Society of Huron Valley is an at-will employer.