What are the responsibilities and job description for the Animal Care Technician position at Southern Research?
General Summary
This position is responsible for providing animal care and husbandry. The Animal Care Technician in the animal facility has a basic understanding of the principals involved in providing animal care and husbandry and a proven ability to work well in a team setting. This position is a member of an animal care team led by the Group Leader. This position reports directly to the Supervisor, Veterinary Services who will have direct management responsibility.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
· Handles and works with laboratory animals and the equipment, supplies, and materials required to provide for humane conditions.
· Executes key activities to maintain the care of laboratory animals, including but not limited to:
o Cleans cages, equipment, and work area, and decontaminates animal rooms, this includes operating sanitizing equipment.
o Provides support to the animal care facility. This includes, but is not limited to: vermin control, measuring and recording facility environmental factors (light intensity, directional airflow, quantitative airflow, water sample collection, timer checks, etc.), air filter changes, and lab cleaning/decontamination.
o Provides clean housing, feed, water and appropriate enrichment for animals housed in the facility.
o Gathers experimental data by measuring and recording body weights and temperatures, qualitative and quantitative food and water consumption, and observation of physical condition.
o Transfers animals and animal identification to clean caging/racks, and materials from storage to work areas.
o Transports laboratory equipment and materials to and from animal rooms.
o Observes animals twice daily and reports abnormal findings to appropriate individual(s).
o Stores feed, bedding, materials and equipment.
o Operates and adjusts animal watering system.
o Provides environmental enrichment and/or socialization to animals as directed.
o Does general handling and restraint of animals.
o Verifies and documents the operational status of various pieces of equipment and environmental conditions in animal facilities.
· Observes appropriate safety and study requirements by reading, understanding, and following Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) and study protocols.
· Assists the supervisor, manager, and veterinarian as necessary.
Requirements/Minimum Qualifications
· High school diploma or equivalent with 1 year of related experience.
· Ability to work overtime when necessary and participate in weekend/holiday rotations
· Demonstrated ability to handle and restrain animals
· Ability to work in a team environment and willingness to learn new tasks
This position requires the ability to meet all entry requirements, including medical and vaccination requirements for work in both an ABSL-2 and ABSL-3 laboratory environment. Immunizations are required for this position and are determined by the study/agent. Some examples include Tetanus, Hepatitis B, Smallpox, Polio, and Influenza.
Core
This position is responsible for providing animal care and husbandry. The Animal Care Technician in the animal facility has a basic understanding of the principals involved in providing animal care and husbandry and a proven ability to work well in a team setting. This position is a member of an animal care team led by the Group Leader. This position reports directly to the Supervisor, Veterinary Services who will have direct management responsibility.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
· Handles and works with laboratory animals and the equipment, supplies, and materials required to provide for humane conditions.
· Executes key activities to maintain the care of laboratory animals, including but not limited to:
o Cleans cages, equipment, and work area, and decontaminates animal rooms, this includes operating sanitizing equipment.
o Provides support to the animal care facility. This includes, but is not limited to: vermin control, measuring and recording facility environmental factors (light intensity, directional airflow, quantitative airflow, water sample collection, timer checks, etc.), air filter changes, and lab cleaning/decontamination.
o Provides clean housing, feed, water and appropriate enrichment for animals housed in the facility.
o Gathers experimental data by measuring and recording body weights and temperatures, qualitative and quantitative food and water consumption, and observation of physical condition.
o Transfers animals and animal identification to clean caging/racks, and materials from storage to work areas.
o Transports laboratory equipment and materials to and from animal rooms.
o Observes animals twice daily and reports abnormal findings to appropriate individual(s).
o Stores feed, bedding, materials and equipment.
o Operates and adjusts animal watering system.
o Provides environmental enrichment and/or socialization to animals as directed.
o Does general handling and restraint of animals.
o Verifies and documents the operational status of various pieces of equipment and environmental conditions in animal facilities.
· Observes appropriate safety and study requirements by reading, understanding, and following Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) and study protocols.
· Assists the supervisor, manager, and veterinarian as necessary.
Requirements/Minimum Qualifications
· High school diploma or equivalent with 1 year of related experience.
· Ability to work overtime when necessary and participate in weekend/holiday rotations
· Demonstrated ability to handle and restrain animals
· Ability to work in a team environment and willingness to learn new tasks
This position requires the ability to meet all entry requirements, including medical and vaccination requirements for work in both an ABSL-2 and ABSL-3 laboratory environment. Immunizations are required for this position and are determined by the study/agent. Some examples include Tetanus, Hepatitis B, Smallpox, Polio, and Influenza.
Core
Must be a US Citizen
