Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT)

Job Description

Job Description

Please send both your cover letter and resume to [email protected] if you are interested in this job. Applications will not be considered without this information. Thank you!

Muttville Senior Dog Rescue is an active non-profit organization based in San Francisco. We operate a cage-free shelter, along with a robust foster program. It is our goal to save over 1,300 senior dogs this year with the intention of increasing our life-saving capacity annually. We are a team-oriented organization with a positive attitude when it comes to helping animals and working with our community.

Position Summary

Muttville is seeking an experienced registered veterinary technician who is highly motivated and believes in Muttville’s mission to save as many senior dogs as we can with the best care possible.

The primary focus of this position is to provide technical support to the shelter veterinarian and provide exceptional nursing care to all dogs admitted to the program. This includes but is not limited to: providing physical exams and evaluations, dental radiology, scaling and extractions, record-keeping with attention to detail, communication (both with foster caretakers and staff) regarding common medical conditions and treatment plans, administering medications or other treatments as prescribed, performing routine testing in-house, and supporting all aspects of anesthesia, monitoring and recovery.

Muttville is a very lively and fun-loving environment. The ideal candidate for this position is a team player who is adaptable, self-starting, reliable, people-oriented and has excellent communication and organizational skills. A successful candidate will be comfortable with interactions with people and dogs throughout each day, and will have the ability and aptitude to be flexible and resourceful.

While Muttville veterinary technicians are responsible for the following tasks, they should utilize volunteers when appropriate and therefore must provide essential leadership, support, and communication to maximize volunteers' participation in a safe and respectful manner.

TECHNICAL VETERINARY DUTIES:

• Work closely with and assist the Shelter Veterinarian in providing high-quality medical care for all dogs.
• Perform all routine care tasks including but not limited to: vaccinations, microchipping, venipuncture, urine and fecal sample collection, and routine eye/ear/wound/ bandage/nail care, etc.
• Assist with managing the flow of patients through the surgical and dental suites.
• Clean, scale, and polish teeth with an ultrasonic scaler and hand instruments. Perform intra-oral radiography. Perform extractions and suture sites as needed.
• Prepare samples for submission to reference laboratory and/ or perform in-house tests, and maintain the laboratory equipment and supplies.
• Facilitate anesthetic procedures: ensure all equipment is in working order, prepare patients for surgery (pre-medication, place IV catheters), induce anesthesia and intubate dogs with veterinary supervision, monitor anesthesia parameters, administer fluids, CRIs and other injectable medications, assess anesthetic risk, and communicate any changes clearly to DVMs, calculate drug dosages related to surgery/treatment/anesthesia/critical care/emergency care.
• Manage medications as prescribed by the veterinarian and assist Pack Leaders in administering treatments to dogs residing at HQ.
• Maintain and reconcile controlled drug logs.
• Teach, coach and supervise all clinic volunteers to ensure their ongoing participation- with safety for both dogs and humans as a top priority.

PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION & COMMUNICATION:

• Help create and promote a welcoming, up-beat, respectful and supportive environment in the rescue clinic and actively engage with foster parents, adopters, coworkers, volunteers, and volunteer or per-diem technicians/veterinarians.
• Serve as a medical communications liaison with staff, foster parents, volunteers, and adopters, ensuring that every dog’s health issues are understood and managed appropriately. This may include answering questions in person, via email, or over the phone.
• Arrange for, schedule, communicate, and manage follow-up appointments for Muttville dogs with foster parents and staff. Includes use of appointment software Acuity.
• Maintain and stock inventory in the pharmacy and clinic at all times in an efficient and timely manner to ensure supplies are available when needed.
• Represent Muttville in a positive, professional, and courteous manner at all times and reserve judgment in difficult situations.
• Practice discretion with sensitive information regarding employees, volunteers, donors, and individual dogs, and refrain from gossip and negativity.
• Communicate appropriately with volunteers and team members to support medical and behavioral euthanasia decisions as deemed appropriate by the Shelter Veterinarian in consultation with the appropriate program managers.
• Communicate clinic issues and concerns to the Shelter Veterinarian.
• Create reports using shelter software to track data points of interest to the organization.

MEDICAL RECORDS

• Be proficient with shelter software (ShelterLuv), medical record charting, surgical monitoring charting, dental charting, hospitalized patient records, and Medical Case Summaries. Maintain thorough, accurate, and professional records for every patient.
• Provide daily data entry, including records regarding dogs’ diagnostics, health, temperament, and next steps. This may include writing and updating easy-to-understand medical case summaries, as determined by the Muttville veterinarian, for each of the dogs in a timely manner to assist the adoption team with medical communications.
• Email, copy, and/or prepare medical records/charts for shelter partners.

HOUSEKEEPING:

• Keep treatment and surgery rooms clean and sanitary.
• Perform routine kennel duties including walking, feeding, medicating, cleaning, mopping, laundry and bathing if/when volunteers are unavailable to do so.
• Other duties as assigned.

REPORTS TO:

• Shelter Veterinarian

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

Physical Requirements & Work Environment

• Work is performed at Muttville headquarters, which includes areas where free-roaming dogs are housed (this includes office spaces, common areas, and outdoor locations).
• Physical requirements:
• Regular bending, reaching, kneeling, sitting on the floor, crouching, and dog walking with occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds.
• Vision and hearing sufficient to respond to verbal and visual cues for safety purposes.
• Inherent risks of employment in the rescue clinic include:
• Risk of dog bites and scratches while handling dogs of questionable temperament in a medical setting.
• Work at a computer station, potentially sitting or standing for long periods.
• Operation of veterinary and electronic equipment.
• Exposure to a variety of chemical compounds, x-ray radiation, needle sticks, zoonotic disease, and waste anesthetic gases. Employees are expected to utilize appropriate PPE and follow Muttville’s health and safety plan to minimize risks.
• Muttville encourages all rescue clinic employees to receive pre-exposure rabies vaccinations and to keep current on all vaccination recommendations, including tetanus and influenza.

Education & Experience

• At least three years of veterinary clinic experience
• Preference is given to RVTs with experience with dentistry and anesthesia and/or shelter medicine.

Knowledge, Abilities & Skills

• Ability to handle dogs safely and with patience and gentleness. Commitment to positive reinforcement handling methods required.
• Highly motivated to save as many dogs as possible with the ability to problem solve and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Commitment to utilize and guide volunteers wherever possible.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment while demonstrating a calm, flexible, and positive demeanor.
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills, including a willingness to consistently provide superior guest service, embrace and foster change, the ability to react appropriately under pressure, and the ability to apply good judgment in difficult situations.
• Stress management skills with the ability to handle an array of situations calmly and professionally.
• Commitment to maintaining a drama-free zone with coworkers.
• Committed to supporting co-workers to accommodate special shift exchanges.
• Ability to communicate medical information in layman terms to adopters, foster parents, staff, and volunteers.
• Ability to assist in the growth and development of clinic volunteers.
• Solid computer skills.

Salary and Benefits:

• The starting salary range for this RVT position is $34-$39/hour, commensurate with experience and licensure.
• This is a full-time, non-exempt position, and the benefits package includes medical insurance, 401K plan, FitnessSF membership, and paid time off for vacation, holidays, and sick time.
• Currently we are seeking to hire a new team member for an average of 40 hours per week, working five days a week (Monday-Friday), with some evening or weekend participation for special events.

TO APPLY:

• Please send both your cover letter and resume to [email protected]