Lab Animal Care Technician LT

Chapman University Careers•Irvine, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Lab Animal Care Technician works in the Office of Research’s Rinker Campus Vivarium Facility, supporting research and teaching activities that use animal models. The Office of Research manages 5,700-square-foot OLAW-assured rodent vivarium facilities at Chapman University’s Rinker Health Science Campus in Irvine, California. Supported activities include pharmacological research, infectious disease, cancer biology, nutrition and metabolism studies, orthopedic research, therapeutics, toxicology, and teaching. The Vivarium provides care and support for animal models used in these studies. This is a full-time position integral to facilitating animal-model research at Chapman University. Under the direction of the Vivarium Supervisor, the technician provides daily care for small laboratory animals, maintains animal holding spaces and procedure rooms, assists with training laboratory personnel, reviews policies and standard operating procedures, and performs other duties supporting research operations. The anticipated schedule is 7 a.m.–4 p.m., either Tuesday–Saturday or Sunday–Thursday.

Requirements

Working knowledge of applicable policies, guidelines, and regulations.
Working knowledge of laws and regulations governing the housing and management of laboratory animals.
Experience in a laboratory animal setting.
Animal handling experience.
Willingness to work with rodents, fish, and birds.
Comfort working with animals in a research setting.
Willingness to work weekends and certain holidays on a rotational basis.
Ability to maintain detailed and accurate daily records.

Responsibilities

Support daily operations of the Rinker Health Science Campus vivarium and assist with Hashinger Aviary operations as directed by the Vivarium Supervisor.
Perform prescribed health treatments under the direction of the Vivarium Supervisor and Attending Veterinarian, and document their completion.
Assist the Vivarium Supervisor in maintaining Standards of Care to provide consistent animal health care and information to researchers.
Prepare rooms and cages for incoming animals.
Count animals according to protocol, project, cage card, or other parameters for regulatory and billing purposes.
Stock animal rooms with feed, water, and other supplies.
Conduct daily animal welfare checks, assess behavior and wellbeing, and report abnormalities to veterinary or investigator staff for disposition.
Perform routine husbandry, including scheduled cage changes and providing appropriate feed, water, and enrichment.
Assist with training Animal Husbandry Staff as directed by the facility manager.
Follow biosecurity practices to minimize cross-contamination.
Order supplies for planned and ongoing studies and oversee supply inventory.
Maintain standard operating procedures, daily room logs, signage, and other documents required by regulatory agencies or the facility manager.
Provide operational feedback on Chapman University animal care and IACUC-approved policies, procedures, manuals, guidelines, and website communications concerning animal husbandry, surgery, and experimental procedures.
Maintain husbandry, health, and operations records; submit work orders and follow up on their completion.
Assist with additional Office of Research processes and procedures as directed by the Vivarium Supervisor.
Assist with training and orienting research and support staff, and maintain training records.
Assist in training research staff in techniques such as injections, blood collection, and restraint, as directed by the Vivarium Supervisor.
Support animal studies requiring technical skills for compound or cell administration, bleeding, surgery, and imaging under the direction of the Vivarium Supervisor.
Monitor environmental parameters and maintain associated records.
Use appropriate disinfectants and cleaning agents to sanitize animal holding areas, including before animal arrivals and on a scheduled basis.
Sterilize equipment for husbandry and investigator staff as needed and requested.
Attend scheduled staff meetings and continuing education opportunities.
Communicate animal care issues to investigators, investigator staff, the supervisor, and coworkers.