Veterinarian Technician

 

McLean Hospital has been ranked the country’s top freestanding psychiatric hospital for 14 consecutive years.  A talented community of investigators has helped Mclean sustain its decade’s long leadership in neuroscience.  Each and everyday McLean researchers are working to better understand the neurobiological basis of psychiatric disease and translate their scientific findings into evidence-based approaches to care.

General Summary/Overview Statement

 

This position entails assisting the attending veterinarian primarily on non-humane primates (NHP), in addition to rodent rounds. The Veterinarian Technician is responsible for making rounds throughout the animal care facilities across the campus 3-5 times a week in addition to day-to-day work. The employee would follow up with cases that have been flagged in need of veterinary care and would be able to assess the treatment regime and implement treatment in consultation with the attending veterinarian.  They will keep clear and concise records to develop a system to track health issues and treatment schedules. The position also entails day to day husbandry for all species across campus.

 

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

 

·         Independently conduct rounds throughout the animal care facilities across the campus 3-5 times a week

·         Liaison between the Attending Veterinarian and the Research Staff about pending health issue cases.  Carefully document any health issues, notify all necessary parties via email.

·         Able to implement recommended treatments by the Attending Veterinarian and independently follow through with the treatment plan. 

·         In working with the Attending Veterinarian, provide technical applications of veterinary care, including administration of sedatives for chemical immobilization, triage, and wound repair.

·         Work with the Attending Veterinarian in necropsy and sample collection for submission and analysis for virus and pathogen.

·         Responsible for ensuring payment of invoices for veterinarian diagnostics (vendor IDEXX).  Able to use the Peoplesoft application to generate POs and then follow through with Accounts Payable and the vendor website to ensure payment is done in a clearly documented and efficient time frame.

·         Provide instruction to Mclean Animal Care Staff and research staff on enrichment strategies and veterinarian treatments available for both husbandry and protocol-specific applications.

·         Write clear and concise Standard Operating Procedures as related to Mclean Hospital Veterinary Care or Animal Husbandry Program

·         Able to conduct any of the duties and responsibilities as described in the Animal Care Technician II position at Mclean Hospital.  This includes all husbandry and care for all species across campus

 

Qualifications (MUST be realistic, neither overstated nor understated, and related to the essential function of the job).

 

·         Associate degree or higher

·         At least one year experience in laboratory animal or veterinary care; experience with a variety of species, including non-human primates (experience pair housing) preferred License; if any

·         ALAT certification preferred.

 

Skills/Abilities/Competencies Required   (MUST be realistic, neither overstated nor understated, and related to the essential function of the job).

   

·         Proficient in verbal and written English and Mathematics pertinent to the duties of this position and situations encountered in the animal facility.

·         Computer experience in software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, Outlook and PowerPoint.

·         Experience with animal behavior (both natural and laboratory)

·         Able to work independently and as a team member with facility, veterinary and management staff.

·         Has a customer-focused attitude and enjoys working with similarly dedicated persons in a team fashion within a high-energy research environment.

·         Good animal handling skills

• Good physical condition for heavy lifting. Should be able to lift animal cages in and out of cage washer and lift and stack 50 lb. bags of food and bedding. Position also includes a lot of repetitive motion such as walking and standing 2-4 hours at a time, bending and twisting back, squatting and reaching above shoulder height.

·         Attention to detail in feeding and cleaning activities

·         Able to work on weekends and holidays.

·         Able to identify potential problems and troubleshoot solutions.

·         Able to logically and effectively structure tasks and set priorities within the time limits of the tasks.

·         Able to easily follow instructions regarding job responsibilities.

 

Working Conditions                        Describe the conditions in which the work is performed

The animal facility has a variety of environmental conditions.  Specifically, employees may be exposed to direct physical contact with animals and other conditions including noise, dust, chemicals, extreme heat, and animal waste products. The duration of exposure to any of the above is dependent on the assigned duties. Some aspects of this position may expose the incumbent to potentially dangerous animals, and fatal zoonotic diseases.  Appropriate protective clothing and equipment will be required and will be provided when required, accompanied by appropriate training.

   

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibility             List the number of FTE’s supervised

 

·         No direct supervisory responsibilities. 

 

Fiscal Responsibility                       Indicate financial “scope” information, (i.e., size of budge, volume, revenue, etc.)

 

·         Expected to identify ways to perform required duties in the most economical way possible and make recommendations for cost and resource saving improvements.

·         Track annual budget expenditures for veterinarian activities and adjust actual spending against the approved budget over the course of the fiscal year, as necessary.

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