Animal Care Technician

Chapman University Careers•Irvine, CA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

This position is a part-time appointment that will be integral to facilitating research activities at Chapman University that utilize animal models. Under the direction of the Vivarium Supervisor, responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the daily husbandry care of small laboratory animals, including monitoring and reporting animal health status, providing feed and water, changing cages, environmental monitoring, documenting animal room activities, and sanitizing assigned animal holding rooms and support areas in accordance with SOPs, and other duties as required. This position is located on the Rinker Campus and requires weekend and holiday availability.

Requirements

Animal handling required.
Must be willing to work with rodents, fish, and birds.
Must be comfortable working with animals in a research setting.
Must be willing to work weekends.
Must be willing to work certain holidays on a rotational basis.
Ability to maintain detailed and accurate daily record keeping.

Responsibilities

Perform daily animal welfare checks, and report abnormalities to the veterinary staff or investigator staff for disposition
Perform routine husbandry including changing cages at scheduled intervals, and provide appropriate feed, water, and enrichment
Document daily animal husbandry activities in a computerized database system
Prepare and stock animal rooms with feed, water and other supplies as directed, and for coverage on days off
Assure that the appropriate cage cards are in place and count animals based upon protocol, project, cage card, or other parameters for regulatory and billing purposes
Follow biosecurity practices to minimize cross contamination
Perform duties in accordance with the Animal Care and Use Program Handbook and Vivarium SOPs
Provide feedback for maintenance of SOPs
Sanitize animals holding room and assigned support areas
Use appropriate disinfectants and cleaning agents to disinfect and sanitize in and around animal holding areas and prior to receipt of animals on a scheduled basis
Work with sterilized equipment taking precautions to avoid cross contamination
Perform room environmental checks daily including recording temperature and humidity, overall room condition, and room sanitation
Maintain appropriate feed and inventory logs to track regular usage and to assure feed is used within the appropriate amount of time to ensure freshness
Complete records as needed for various assurances to animal welfare agencies, including the IACUC
Communicates animal care issues to Vivarium Manager, co-workers, investigator, and investigator staff
Participates in training sessions, attends scheduled staff meetings and continuing education activities