Veterinary Assistant

Petco•Severna Park, MD

21h•Onsite

About The Position

The purpose of this position inherently involves providing excellent medical care to our Vetco Total Care full-service hospital patients and phenomenal customer care to their owners. The Veterinary Assistant represents the mission and values to all clients. Our Veterinary Assistants set the tone for the technical and customer support in the hospital, and are responsible, like all team members, for fostering cohesion and motivation within the practice. All hospital staff are responsible for performing their duties in a way that creates an environment in which: The patient’s needs always come first. Every team member understands that they have the power to do what it takes to create an exceptional customer experience. contentious issues are dealt with and resolved as they occur when possible, or as soon as is possible. exceptional teamwork and commitment to shared goals benefits the entire organization. Petco has been "where the pets go" for over 60 years, providing everything pets need to live their best lives, from meals and toys to supplies and expert support. They believe in the universal truths of pet parenthood and are present for every step of the way. Petco is a team of 29,000+ individuals nurturing the pet-human bond in over 1,500 stores across the U.S., Mexico, and Puerto Rico, 250+ Vetco Total Care hospitals, hundreds of preventive care clinics, and eight distribution centers. In 1999, they founded Petco Love, which supports thousands of local animal welfare groups and has helped find homes for approximately 7 million animals through in-store adoption events.

Requirements

Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills
Must be compassionate and sympathetic, and be able to maintain a professional attitude and demeanor during emotional and stressful situations
Must have telephone and computer skills
Must be a team player willing to learn new techniques and treatments, offer creative ideas, and accept change

Nice To Haves

At least 1-year previous experience working in veterinary practice or sufficient relatable animal care experience to ensure excellent performance at the above-listed skills

Responsibilities

Greet clients and patients arriving for appointments and escort them into an exam room
Obtain weight and vital signs (temperature, pulse, respirations) and record the electronic medical record
Collect thorough patient histories and document the patient visit in the EMRs
Assist doctors with appointments (routine and emergency), surgery, dentistry, and euthanasia, under supervision from the veterinarian, credentialed veterinary technician, HOM and HLOD
Perform patient restraint
Obtain and process laboratory samples
Handle and dispense medications at the direction of the veterinarian
Help maintain the electronic medical record
Schedule appointments
Provide client education
Relay test results to doctor and clients
Maintain and update client/patient records
Help prepare patients for surgical and dental procedures and assist doctor and/or veterinary technician in anesthetizing patients
Maintain patients safely under anesthesia while monitoring vital parameters, help monitor patients during recovery and prepare them for hospital discharge or transfer to an overnight care facility (under supervision of the veterinarian and/or veterinary technician)
Perform in-hospital treatments for sick patients including giving injectable and oral medications as well as intravenous fluid therapy (under supervision of the veterinarian and/or veterinary technician)
Keep patients clean, watered, and fed (when indicated and directed by doctor)
Safely walk canine patients when necessary for elimination
Assist in the training of new staff members and general dissemination of knowledge as required (under direction of the HOM/HLOD)
Keep hospital environment neat and clean; perform regular cleaning of environment based on necessity as well as based on a pre-determined maintenance schedule
Perform additional duties as assigned
Provide backup phone and front desk support as needed