Veterinary Technician Assistant

Job Title

Veterinary Technician Assistant

Agency

Texas A&M University

Department

Vet Med Park-Tamu

Proposed Minimum Salary

$16.35 hourly

Job Location

College Station, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

Our Commitment

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment for all visitors, students, faculty, and staff by promoting a culture that embraces inclusion, diversity, equity, and accountability.  Diverse perspectives, talents, and identities are vital to accomplishing our mission and living our core values .

Who we are

The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) is an institution that represents 100 years of growth from a small school of veterinary medicine in 1916 to its present role as a major veterinary educational, medical, and research center. Today, we are one of the largest colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States, training nearly 600 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students each year. We support collaboration and teamwork that turns today's discoveries into proactive solutions for animals, humans, and the environment. Together, we strive to support the goals of the faculty, staff and students in teaching, research and outreach programs.  To learn more, please visit our website https://vetmed.tamu.edu/ .

What we want

This position will assist the veterinary technicians in the Veterinary Medical Park (VTPK) performing a variety of functions on limited complexity.  The Veterinary Technician Assistant is responsible for the care of experimental animals, the associated facilities, and provides assistance to professional staff.  This position generally performs animal care, maintains the Biosafety Level 2 facilities, and performs technical duties. The selected candidate will subscribe to and support our commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability as stated above. If the description sounds interesting to you, we invite you to apply to be considered for this opportunity.

What you need to know

Salary Range: $16.35 - $17.99 (based on experience)

COVID-19 information:  Texas A&M University monitors local, state and federally mandated health guidelines to keep students, employees, prospective employees, and visitors as safe as possible. For the latest information regarding Texas A&M’s COVID-19 response, please visit the University’s COVID-19 website . For COVID-19 employment-related information, please visit the Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness’ COVID-19 website .

Required Education and Experience:

• High school diploma or any equivalent combination of education and experience

• Two years of related experience in animal care

Required Licenses and Certifications:

• Valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain State of Texas class “C” vehicle operator’s license within 30 days of employment

• Certified Veterinary Assistant (CVA)

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to multi-task, work under pressure and work cooperatively with others

Other Requirements or Other Factors:

• Ability to handle/restrain large animals

• Ability to lift or move heavy loads

• May require working alternate shifts, holidays, weekends, during student absences and on-call duty

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Associates degree or graduation from an accredited Certified Veterinary Assistant program or higher

• 5+ years animal care experience and 2+ years as a veterinary assistant or technician working in the veterinary field

• Large animal handling and care experience

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to identify unhealthy animals

• Ability to maintain and compose Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)

• Knowledge of Biosafety Level 2 Procedures

• Knowledge of anesthetic equipment, monitoring equipment, microscope, refractometer, micro hematocrit centrifuge, and other laboratory equipment

• Computer skills in excel and word

Responsibilities:

• Veterinary Technician Assistant Technical Duties - Performs technical procedures in animal surgery and post-operative care on large animals. Assists with anesthesia during surgeries. Cleans and decontaminates anesthetic equipment, surgery rooms, prep rooms, and recovery stalls before and after surgical procedures. Performs sterilization of surgical instruments. Washes/Folds/Restocks clothes and towels used. Assists Veterinarian, Technicians, and Investigators in treatment, restraint, and general healthcare of animals. Collects blood from cattle, goats, horses, and pigs. Organizes and keeps storage areas clean and free of debris. Performs diagnostic testing such as, fecal egg counts, Total Protein, Packed Cell Volume.  Operates equipment such as autoclave, microscope, refractometer, centrifuge, cattle chute, computer, pressure washer and scales. Performs large animal restraint and handling, venipuncture, intramuscular and subcutaneous injections, physical exams on large animal species, assisting with anesthesia, aseptic technique and surgical preparation, and laboratory diagnostics (fecals, blood work, cytology etc.)

• Animal Care Duties - Feeds and waters animals at various locations. Cleans and disinfects animal housing facilities and feeding equipment. Observes animals for abnormalities and illness. Performs sanitation and maintenance of animal housing facilities. Assists Investigator with procedures and restraint. Administers medications and special diets. Compose and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). Creates, maintains, and places accurate AUP Cards on animal housing. Drives University or other motor vehicle to various locations to care for animals.

• Biosafety Duties - Maintains Biosafety Buildings and the animals housed in them. Trains and ensures employees are up to date on entry/exit and cleaning procedures in the Biosafety Buildings. Assists veterinary team and management on employee training. Assists Investigators in Biosafety Buildings when needed. Creates and posts Biosafety Signs for projects, Biosafety Manuals, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Keeps animal facilities stocked with PPE and necessary items. Tracks and reports PPE Usage. Performs other duties as assigned.

Instructions to Applicants: Applications received by Texas A&M University and TAMHSC, must either have all job application data entered or a resume attached. Failure to provide all job application data or a complete resume could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application. We encourage all applicants to upload a resume or use a LinkedIn profile to pre-populate the online application.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer committed to diversity.