Veterinary Assistant

Petco•Elk Grove, CA

1d•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 serving pets and pet parents for over 60 years, providing everything from meals and toys to supplies and expert support. They believe in nurturing the pet-human bond and are present for every aspect of pet parenthood. With over 29,000 team members, Petco operates more than 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, Petco Love was founded, supporting thousands of local animal welfare groups and facilitating 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.
Veterinary Assistants will 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 and help maintain the electronic medical record.
Schedule appointments, provide client education, relay test results to doctor and clients, and maintain and update client/patient records.
Help prepare patients for surgical and dental procedures and assist doctor and/or veterinary technician in anesthetizing patients.
Under supervision of the veterinarian and/or veterinary technician, assistants will 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; keep patients clean, watered, and fed (when indicated and directed by doctor), safely walk canine patients when necessary for elimination.
Under direction of the HOM/HLOD, assist in the training of new staff members and general dissemination of knowledge as required.
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