Veterinary Services Trainer & Enrichment Coordinator

Position Summary

Supports the animal resource program at both Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) and Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK). This position has two principal roles : (1) conducts employee training, develops training materials, assesses training deficiencies, onboards new employees and provides continuing education to Veterinary Services (VS) staff and (2) provides oversight and development of RARC’s Enrichment Program. The time commitment is divided between 65-75% Training and 25-35% Enrichment.

Job Responsibilities

• Onboards new VS employees under the direction of the Head of VS and VS Managers.
• Under the direction of the Lead, eLearning & QA designs and develops a formal training program for Veterinary Technicians (VT), Senior VT, and VS Specialists including in-person, web-based, and hybrid training modules.
• Provides formal onboarding and continuing education training programs for VS staff.
• Develops training guides and instructional documents.
• Documents and verifies completion of training for all Veterinary Service (VS) staff
• Oversees the Veterinary Technician Continuing Education Seminar Series, including schedule development and documentation of attendance.
• Provides training and oversight for participants in the Veterinary Services Experiential Learning Program.
• Conducts hands-on training to ensure that the care provided to laboratory animals is consistent with departmental, institutional, local, state and federal regulations, AAALAC accreditation standards and industry best practices.
• Creates, reviews and / or updates SOPs and associated training modules. Provides training to staff on pertinent changes.
• Maintains VS training catalog and training transcripts in the departmental learning management system.
• Conducts training assessments of veterinary technicians to ensure continued compliance and understanding of departmental policies.
• Administers clinical treatment to animals, collects diagnostic and environmental samples, and administers euthanasia as required to support VS operations.
• Conducts orientation, seminar, and / or wet-lab trainings for staff responsible for using animals in research and / or working in the vivarium.
• Serves as the non-human primate (NHP) Positive Reinforcement Training (PRT) Program Coordinator; includes training and documentation of training for all VS staff, research staff and animal care technicians.
• Under the oversight of the Clinical Veterinarians, observes animals that are pair or group housed and maintains documentation of pairing and exemptions.
• Acts as a liaison between departments on topics related to enrichment.
• Assists with the development, implementation and evaluation of enrichment programs for all species. Suggests improvements, conducts trials / evaluations of new materials / methods, presents findings, and implements changes.
• Conducts bi-monthly behavioral and enrichment assessments of all large animal species.
• Provides training to VS and H&O staff on job related aspects of the enrichment program.
• Participates in continuing education to remain current on best practices for training, laboratory animal enrichment, and NHP training.
• May be required to perform other duties as necessary.

Education

Experience

Approximately 5 years of related experience in the field of laboratory animal medicine.

Approximately 2 years training experience is highly desired.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Licenses and Certifications

Working Conditions / Physical Demands

Position requires the handling of animals (pigs, rabbits, rodents, non-human primates).

Potential exposure to animal bites and scratches, needles or other sharp instruments, infectious agents, radioisotopes, toxic chemicals and / or radiation.

Must be able to handle fractious animals.

Must be flexible to work long hours and provide essential staff functions as needed.

Salary : $64,350 - $68,800