Veterinary Technician I or Veterinary Technician Assistant (Open Rank)

University of Colorado•Aurora, CO

2d•$44,000 - $50,000•Onsite

About The Position

This full-time, university staff (unclassified) Veterinary Technician I/Veterinary Technician Assistant position will provide support for the research animal health care program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Office of Laboratory Animal Resources (OLAR). The role supports an AAALAC-accredited, OLAW assured institution that provides veterinary care for a wide variety of species and research areas. The position offers mentorship opportunities, particularly for new graduates or those new to the field, with experienced mentors and strong infrastructure to support growth and well-being.

Requirements

Veterinary Technician I: An associate’s degree from an accredited college or university in veterinary/animal health technology.
Veterinary Technician I: One year of experience caring for, feeding, or providing health care for animals in a veterinary laboratory, breeding, or boarding facility.
Veterinary Technician I: Veterinary technician license or provisional registration with Colorado Department of Regulatory Affairs (DORA).
Veterinary Technician Assistant: One year experience in animal health or veterinary health field.
Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship.
Must be willing and able to frequently lift and carry 50 lbs.
Must be willing and able to occasionally lift, carry, push, and pull up to 100 lbs, with or without accommodation.
Must be willing and able to operate moving equipment or work around machinery or moving equipment.
Must be willing and able to euthanize large and small animals.
Must be willing and able to sit, stand, walk and reach above shoulders on a constant basis.
Must be willing able to work around noise and vibrations.
Must be willing and able to work straight or rotating shifts, weekends and holidays.
Must be willing to work earlier or later hours than a typical business day based on scheduling and unanticipated procedure length or animal health needs.
Must be willing and able to work around hazardous chemicals.
Must possess and maintain a current State of Colorado Driver’s License.
Must be willing and able to wear appropriate respiratory protection.
Ability to manage multiple tasks and work independently with minimal supervision.
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to establish rapport with persons of diverse backgrounds.
Strong customer service skills.
Excellent oral communication skills with the ability to handle stressful situations in a calm and professional manner.
Ability to communicate effectively in written form which includes the ability to check for typographical, grammatical and spelling errors.
Planning and organization skills.
Physical ability.

Nice To Haves

Current certification with the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS).
Experience performing initial evaluations and physicals on large animals.
Experience working in an animal research facility.
Experience creating electronic spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel and managing electronic veterinary records.
Experience ordering, tracking and maintaining biomedical research equipment.
Veterinary technician students, new graduates, or others who intend to acquire licensure in the 1st year of employment are eligible as well. If unlicensed, the applicant will be brought in as a veterinarian technician assistant and moved to a veterinary technician I when licensure is acquired. Licensure must be obtained within the first year of employment.

Responsibilities

Perform initial evaluations on reported sick and injured animals and work with the investigator and veterinarian on diagnostics and treatments.
Assist with surgical procedures and post-operative care.
Perform physical exams on a variety of species.
Create, maintain and monitor animal medical records.
Provide technical services, injections, organ, blood and tissue collection.
Perform animal euthanasia.
Perform diagnostic laboratory evaluations and tests in the areas of hematology, parasitology, serology, microbiology, cytology, and clinical pathology.
Collect postmortem tissues for evaluation.
Perform sample collection and ship to various diagnostic laboratories.
Create diagnostic reports, records and billing for diagnostic services.
Monitor inventories of clinical, surgical and diagnostic supplies and equipment, along with performing audits of controlled and non-controlled substances.
Schedule rooms and reserve medical procedure equipment.
Monitor and maintain assigned support room.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Serve as primary veterinary technician for supporting large lab animal surgeries and anesthesia (Vet Tech I only).
Independently monitor and maintain anesthesia for large lab animals (Vet Tech I only).