Registered Veterinary Technician / Experienced Veterinary Assistant - Shelter Medicine

At the San Francisco SPCA, the practice of Shelter Medicine requires a unique blend of individual medicine and population management with a strong focus on behavioral wellness. Every day, the Veterinarians and Technicians on our Shelter Medicine Team dedicate themselves to maximizing our life saving capacity in San Francisco and beyond. We are looking for a highly skilled, innovative, go-getter, compassionate, Veterinary Technician to join this remarkable team.

The Shelter Medicine Veterinary Technician role provides excellent medical and surgical nursing care for the thousands of companion animals that enter the SF SPCA shelter and/or are served by the SF SPCA shelter medicine department each year. The Shelter Med vet tech works with shelter medicine veterinarians and other departments to ensure that each shelter animal meets adoption criteria and is ready to succeed in its forever home. We are seeking a licensed Registered Veterinary Technician or experienced Veterinary Assistant to fill this spot on the Shelter Medicine team.  This role reports to the Director of Shelter Medicine Operations and works a 4/10 schedule with at least one weekend day required.

Core Responsibilities

• Provide high quality veterinary medical care including preventive care, diagnostic testing, routine treatments, and emergency care to shelter animals on both an individual and population basis
• Nursing care will include, but is not limited to: IV catheter placement, calculation of appropriate drug doses and intravenous (IV) fluid rates, administration of IV fluids and medications by various routes, taking radiographs, collection of diagnostic samples, performance of in-house diagnostic tests, and application of bandages and splints as permitted by veterinary practice regulations
• In collaboration with SM Directors, SM veterinarians, and other SM staff, participate in/contribute to the monitoring and protection of the on-going health of the shelter population
• Perform basic physical exams and recognize normal and abnormal parameters in a variety of canine and feline patients with familiarity of veterinary terminology and abbreviations
• Recognize and respond appropriately to signs of animal pain and distress
• Demonstrate an understanding of infectious disease in patients and infectious disease control
• Humanely handle and care for animals, using low stress handling techniques and adhering to the 5 Freedoms
• Accurately record all treatments, examinations, test results, procedures etc. on computerized patient charts and other medical records
• Create, complete and interpret treatment sheets
• Contribute to /participate in ongoing assessment and improvement of nursing care systems, processes, and documentation

Anesthesia & Surgical Nursing

• Calculate, draw up, and administer pre-medication and anesthetic drugs as permitted by veterinary practice regulations
• Prepare animals for spays, neuters, and other surgeries, including intubation, preparation of aseptic surgical site, positioning, and preparation of appropriate surgical supplies and equipment
• Administer local and regional anesthetic blocks per protocol and/or as directed by surgeon
• Correctly operate anesthesia machine and anesthetic circuits
• Monitor vital signs & anesthetic depth for anesthetized patients from induction through recovery; maintain stable vital signs & appropriate planes of anesthesia
• Manually ventilate patients when necessary
• Concurrently monitor multiple patients in various stages of anesthesia and surgery
• In collaboration with surgeon, recognize and respond appropriately to anesthetic and surgical complications and emergencies
• Correctly operate and interpret output of anesthesia monitoring equipment
• Help to maintain safe and efficient surgical flow that minimizes wait times for surgeons and anesthetized patients
• Appropriately aseptically scrub and don surgical attire in order to assist surgeons with surgical procedures when required

• A minimum of 2 years experience working as a Veterinary Assistant, or 1 year as a Registered Veterinary Technician, in veterinary medicine including both medicine and anesthesia/surgery
• Experience in high volume spay/neuter surgery and/or dentistry a plus
• A minimum of 1 year experience working in an animal shelter strongly preferred. Other experience working in veterinary medicine, animal science, agriculture, public health, laboratory animal research or similar field will be considered as well!
• AA, AS or two years of post-secondary education preferred.
• For Veterinary Assistants: Current Veterinary Assistant Controlled Substance Permit (VACSP) or ability to obtain one required
• For RVTs: RVT in good standing

Salary & Benefits The starting salary for this position depends on the depth and breadth of experience. The expected range is $27 - $35 per hour. Regular, full-time positions are eligible for a benefits package including

• Paid Time Off and Holiday pay
• Medical, Dental & Vision insurance
• Life Insurance
• Long-term Disability Insurance
• 401k Retirement Plan and contribution matching
• Student debt relief program
• Pre-tax Commuter Benefits
• Discounts on retail and pet supplies
• Discounts on veterinary care at our SF SPCA Veterinary Hospital and Clinic

The SF SPCA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This job description reflects the assignment of essential functions and does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned. The San Francisco SPCA is an at-will employer and may conduct pre-employment background checks and drug screening depending on the role.