Veterinary Technician II - Jr. Surgery

Iowa State University•Ames, IA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Are you an experienced veterinary technician who thrives in a teaching hospital environment and enjoys mentoring future veterinarians? The College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University is seeking a Veterinary Technician II to support clinical instruction, technical procedures, and shelter medicine services. This role offers the opportunity to work alongside board-certified clinicians and contribute to hands-on learning in a state-of-the-art facility. What You’ll Do: Educate and support veterinary students (VM1–VM4) in teaching laboratories, assisting with animal evaluation and case management. Deliver technical assistance and patient care, including sedation, monitoring, and wellness care for shelter animals. Demonstrate clinical and laboratory skills, such as anesthesia, dentistry, urinalysis, bloodwork, and parasitology. Collaborate with faculty, technical staff, and shelter partners to manage labs, develop curriculum, and ensure quality care. Maintain equipment, inventory, and accurate patient records in a clean and organized clinical setting.

Requirements

Registered, licensed, or certified as a veterinary technician, and either
Associates degree in a veterinary technology program accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) or the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and three years of experience with the care and treatment of animals in a veterinary teaching hospital, specialty and referral practice, laboratory animal medicine, or research enterprise, or
Bachelor’s degree in a veterinary technology program accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) or the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and two years of experience with the care and treatment of animals in a veterinary teaching hospital, specialty and referral practice, laboratory animal medicine, or research enterprise.
Ability to perform advanced technical skills reflective of department.
Knowledge of animal health and welfare - animal isolation, sample collection, medical treatment, nursing and monitoring, pre & post-surgical requirements including room and supply preparation.
Knowledge of animal husbandry - animal feeding, watering, grooming, handling, safe transporting, and environmental requirements.
Knowledge of record maintenance - collecting and recording data.
Knowledge of trimming, clipping, or grooming animals.
Knowledge of teaching and/or demonstration of safe animal handling.
Knowledge of regulatory requirements (Animal Welfare Act, Public Health Service, etc.).
Ability to handle, restrain, move, load, and unload animals.
Ability to administer medication - topical, injectable, oral, and rectal.
Ability to check and interpret vital signs.
Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull up to 70 pounds.
Ability to instruct and demonstrate veterinary techniques in handling, grooming and nursing animals.
Ability to interact in a professional capacity.
Ability to multi-task and work cooperatively with others.
Ability to prioritize daily tasks.
Ability to work in high stress environments.
Knowledge of computers, computerized medical record systems, and word processing software, such as Microsoft Word and Excel.

Nice To Haves

Experience teaching students in a veterinary setting.
Experience restraining large or small animals.
Experience with Anesthesia and or surgical assistance.
Experience in veterinary dentistry.
Fear Free certification is preferred due to the emphasis on low-stress animal handling.

Responsibilities

Assists with the instruction and evaluation of veterinary and veterinary technology students and Veterinary Technician level I. In a clinical or classroom setting provides demonstrations of advanced skill level in areas such as proper medical record keeping, animal restraint, phlebotomy, intravenous and urinary catheterization, fluid therapy, aseptic technique, anesthetic monitoring of American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification system, level I-III and postoperative care.
Responsible for providing advanced nursing care on ASA I-III patients which are considered to be healthy, have mild, or severe systemic disease that is a consistent threat to life. Nursing care to include but not limited to: placing and maintaining intravenous, urinary, and arterial catheters, central lines, nasogastric tubes, and nasal oxygen; administering fluids and medications orally, parenterally, and enterally; utilizing blood products; performing arterial sampling, tracheostomy care, and other advanced treatments.
Collects, analyzes, and processes samples for research, diagnostic, and clinical purposes. Monitors the patient’s condition and effectiveness of medications.
Performs advanced preparatory procedures on various animal species and assists staff members in surgical, medical and laboratory procedure preparation (such as phacoemulsification, endoscopy, blood cultures, pericardiocentesis, and arthrocentesis etc.), including instrument and supply set up.
Administers anesthesia and monitors patient response through the recovery period for ASA I-III patients; maintains anesthetic and mechanical monitoring equipment.
Maintains orderly and sanitary work areas for clinical, teaching, and research facilities.
Monitors effectiveness of autoclaves.
Stocks and organizes patient exam rooms, treatment areas, holding areas and operating rooms.
May determine and enters hospital charges and medical records into the computer to create accurate records for billing accounts and evaluate charges to ensure hospital costs are accurately captured.
Responsible for set up, inventory, maintenance, security, and repairs for equipment and instruments used in surgical procedures, emergencies and/or lab sessions. Monitors the effectiveness of environmental sanitation programs. Monitors and reports aberrations in environmental systems as they relate to animal and public health.
Assists in drafting and evaluation of reports of institutional programs (i.e., postoperative care, anesthesia monitoring, facility maintenance, etc.).
Utilizes ultrasound machines and x-rays, assist with MRI, or other related imaging equipment for patient diagnostics

Benefits

Iowa State Employees enjoy comprehensive health and work-life benefits, including medical and dental; as well as:
Retirement benefits including defined benefit and defined contribution plans
Generous vacation, holiday and sick time and leave plans
Onsite childcare (Ames, Iowa)
Life insurance and long-term disability
Flexible Spending Accounts
Various voluntary benefits and discounts
Employee Assistance Program
Wellbeing program
Iowa State offers WorkFlex options for some positions. WorkFlex offers flexibility on when, where, and how you do your work. For more information, please speak with the Hiring Manager.