Veterinary Technician

CommonSpirit Health•Kyle, TX

16d•$18 - $22•Onsite

About The Position

Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is a nonprofit animal-welfare organization that rescues, treats, and adopts homeless pets and supports lifesaving animal-welfare programs. Through Hays County Pets Alive!, APA! partners with PAWS Shelter of Central Texas to strengthen programs and resources for pets and people in Hays County. Team members may collaborate across APA!, PAWS, and Hays County Pets Alive! The position is based at PAWS Kyle and may also involve work at PAWS Dripping Springs or travel to offsite locations. The Veterinary Technician supports intake-to-placement programs by providing pets with accurate and timely medical treatments and preventative care so they are ready for placement. The role involves managing daily priorities and delivering reliable, high-quality work, generally with minimal oversight. It is a hands-on position with shift and schedule flexibility, weekend hours, and high responsiveness. Staff work alongside and support volunteers. The Veterinary Technician collaborates with volunteers on daily tasks and contributes to a welcoming and inclusive environment, including assisting with volunteer onboarding, training, engagement, and ongoing support. The position is full-time and nonexempt, averaging 40 hours per week. Pay starts at $17.50 per hour, based on experience. Eligible employees may receive a discretionary stipend of up to $2 per hour after completing internal APATec certifications. The work is normally performed indoors in an animal shelter office, with some outdoor work and exposure to animals, animal waste, disinfectants, odors, noise, and potential animal bites, scratches, or zoonotic diseases. The role may require occasional after-hours, weekend, evening, and holiday work. Employees use their own transportation to travel and transport.

Requirements

Strong commitment to APA!'s core values of Innovation, Respect, Drive, Resourcefulness, and Inclusion and cultural values of Humble, Hungry, and Smart.
Commitment to APA!'s customer-experience expectations and to providing an exceptional, inclusive customer experience.
Passion for working well with staff, volunteers, and customers, helping people feel successful, appreciated, and connected to APA!'s mission.
Strong commitment to volunteer engagement and support, including working well with volunteers across roles.
Ability to work cross-functionally and serve as a liaison among volunteers, customers, and team members.
Effective written and verbal communication skills and ability to interpret rules, procedures, and instructional materials.
Self-starter with strong time-management skills and ability to work independently and collaboratively.
Excellent interpersonal skills and a calm, professional presence in all situations.
Strong attention to detail and high standards for quality.
Adaptability and ability to perform related duties as needed.
Ability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed, with schedule flexibility.
Ability to work in a high-volume, fast-paced, high-stress environment.
Ability to routinely lift 40–50 pounds; the description also specifies lifting or carrying up to 30 pounds and pushing or pulling up to 50 pounds for moving supplies and event setup.
Ability to work around animals, including diseased, injured, or potentially aggressive animals; loud noises; chlorine or other chemicals; and inclement weather.
Comfort interacting with cats and dogs at varying health levels, including animals that may carry zoonotic diseases.
Ability to walk large dogs that pull and jump and to pass all required dog-handling training.
Ability to remain on one's feet for multiple hours and to focus in a loud, busy environment despite distractions.
Ability to visually observe people and animals up to 150 feet away and hear normal speech at close contact, shouting up to 150 feet away, and dog vocalizations.
Ability to perform the listed physical activities, including sitting, standing, walking, talking, hearing, stooping, bending, stretching, squatting, kneeling, grasping, gripping, reaching, repetitive computer use, and neck and waist movement.

Responsibilities

Maintain a safe, clean, and sanitary medical workspace and follow biosecurity, infection-control, and medical-waste disposal protocols.
Administer medications, vaccines, preventatives, and treatments accurately and on time according to APA Medical Protocols and SOPs.
Follow veterinary technician protocols as directed by APA medical leadership and the Shelter Director.
Perform clinical procedures, including blood draws, point-of-care diagnostic testing, PCV/TP, blood-glucose testing, fecal examinations, skin scrapings, and blacklight examinations for ringworm screening.
Use knowledge of medications in the organization's medical dose chart, including indications, dosage calculations, routes of administration, and precautions.
Recognize common illnesses, injuries, signs of pain, and changes in patient condition; respond under established protocols and promptly escalate concerns to veterinary personnel.
Assist veterinarians with examinations, diagnostic procedures, treatments, and surgical or recovery care as assigned and authorized.
Maintain accurate, thorough, and timely electronic medical records of patient histories, vaccinations, preventatives, medications, diagnostic tests and results, and treatments.
Monitor patient responses to treatment, identify potential complications or adverse medication reactions, and communicate significant findings to appropriate medical personnel.
Train and share medical information with coworkers, volunteers, foster caregivers, and adopters.
Work with foster caregivers to provide care under APA protocols and SOPs; explain care in accessible terms and offer in-person and virtual guidance.
Provide emergency medical care as directed by APA veterinarians and leadership.
Maintain medical equipment, supplies, and medication inventory.
Use ShelterLuv, Waitwhile, and Google Workspace and collaborate with veterinary, animal-care, and other shelter teams to ensure continuity of care.
Partner with volunteers during shifts, share daily work collaboratively, and help create an inclusive and welcoming environment.
Welcome and help orient new volunteers; provide hands-on task guidance, encouragement, feedback, and in-the-moment support.
Recommend strong volunteers for deeper involvement or specialized roles to a supervisor or volunteer manager, and recognize volunteer contributions.
Demonstrate dependability, accountability, time management, reasoning, and good judgment; attend required training and meetings and communicate consistently with supervisors and colleagues.
Partner with Volunteer Managers to learn about volunteer programs and support volunteers interested in the department.
Adapt to change, work autonomously toward goals and deadlines, and perform other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

Subsidized employer-sponsored medical coverage, effective the first day of employment.
Subsidized and voluntary life insurance, effective the first day of employment; additional life coverage is also offered.
Voluntary dental, vision, and short-term disability options, effective the first day of employment.
Voluntary wellness and emergency sick plans.
Up to 2% match on the 401(k) retirement plan.
Supplemental benefits and flexible spending accounts.
10 paid holidays for full-time employees.
10 days of paid time off accrued during the first year, with an additional 5 days of PTO accrual after 12 months of employment.
Professional development opportunities through ongoing efforts to advance animal-welfare professionals.
Eligible employees may receive a discretionary stipend of up to $2 per hour after successful completion of internal APATec certifications.