Lead Veterinary Technician: Emergency Room (ER)

University of Wisconsin Madison•Madison, WI

36d•Onsite

About The Position

The School of Veterinary Medicine, UW Veterinary Care (UWVC) Hospital is seeking a Lead Veterinary Technician to provide clinical leadership and operational support within the Emergency Service. This role helps ensure efficient patient care, effective communication, and a safe, high-quality environment for patients, clients, and the veterinary team. The Lead Veterinary Technician supports daily ER operations by coordinating patient triage, workflow, staffing needs, and collaboration across hospital teams. This position serves as a resource for veterinary technicians, assistants, and students by providing guidance, training, mentorship, and clinical support. This role also helps maintain emergency protocols, supports equipment and supply management, promotes patient safety, and identifies opportunities to improve processes. The Lead Veterinary Technician works closely with faculty, supervisors, and frontline staff to solve operational challenges and support excellent emergency veterinary care. Join a collaborative, fast-paced Emergency Service team where your skills directly impact the lives of animals, their families, and the future of veterinary medicine. Our hospital environment brings together talented veterinary professionals who are passionate about teamwork, learning, and providing the highest quality care. This position reports to the ER supervisor and will collaborate closely with that individual to ensure the service runs smoothly. This position can be full or part-time, between 90% (36 hours) - 100% (40 hours).

Requirements

Ability to lift a minimum of 50 pounds independently
Physical and manual dexterity to perform specialized technical tasks
Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment
Demonstrated experience developing or improving standard operating procedures (SOPs), workflows, and quality improvement initiatives
High School Diploma or equivalent required
Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) required

Nice To Haves

Experience with mentoring, training, or leading veterinary technicians and assistants
Minimum of three years of experience in a veterinary emergency hospital or fast-paced veterinary practice
Associates Degree preferred
Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) in emergency & critical care or other advanced credential preferred

Responsibilities

Provide day-to-day clinical leadership to support efficient patient flow, high-quality patient care, and safe hospital operations within the Emergency Service.
Coordinate patient triage, task prioritization, and communication between ER, CCU, ICW, Client Care, and Reception to optimize patient admissions and hospitalization capacity.
Serve as the primary resource for staff questions, clinical workflow guidance, and operational problem-solving while ensuring compliance with hospital policies and Emergency Service SOPs.
Act as the patient safety advocate by promoting best practices, identifying safety concerns, and supporting consistent standards of care.
Mentor, train, onboard, and support new CVTs, veterinary assistants, and student hourly employees, including hiring, scheduling, and ongoing development of student staff.
Provide clinical support on the floor during high-volume periods, staff shortages, call-outs, and coordinate staff breaks to maintain patient care coverage.
Maintain expertise in ER equipment, ensuring equipment is operational, troubleshooting issues, coordinating repairs, and overseeing inventory, specialty orders, and supply management.
Develop, implement, and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), including emergency protocols, sedation/anesthesia guidelines, after-hours procedures, and on-call processes.
Coordinate after-hours operations by understanding on-call protocols, initiating appropriate staff call-ins, communicating with off-site clinicians, and assisting with patient referrals or deferrals when needed.
Serve as the liaison between frontline staff, faculty, and supervisors by communicating operational concerns, identifying recurring issues, and recommending process improvements.
Support financial stewardship by reviewing charge capture for accuracy and assisting with payment collection and deposits during after-hours operations when needed.
Serves as a point of contact for animal owners and stakeholders providing information and answering questions (10%)
Documents and disseminates results to the appropriate entities (5%)
Tracks supply inventory levels and places replenishment orders (10%)
Completes appropriate laboratory tests and collects specimens according to established medical orders and care plans
Develops recordkeeping processes, maintains organization of and updates records related to medical procedures and billing (5%)
Monitors animal health status and records, provides nursing care, notifies veterinarian when status changes, and records in the medical record (15%)
Assists in the facilitation of trainings for animal care staff and supervises student employees as needed (25%)
Prepares, completes, monitors, and documents complex technical animal care procedures and work unit activities, assessments, and medication administration according to established care plans and medical necessity (30%)