Assist doctor and other hospital staff by care and cleaning of patients and facilities including completing patient treatments, assisting in surgery and all other animal care functions as well as other tasks involved in the operations of a veterinary hospital. - Previous experience or training/education working in a veterinary facility a plus. - Must be friendly, outgoing, “people oriented.” - Excellent communications skills. - Must be capable of being cross trained for front office receptionist... more details
We want YOU! Come join our fun, experienced, patient, kind, compassionate team. VCA Santa Monica Dog & Cat hospital is seeking a Veterinary assistant to help care for patients and grow your skills alongside of highly experienced pet professionals!
Job Summary: Assist doctor and other hospital staff by care and cleaning of patients and facilities including completing patient treatments, assisting in surgery and all other animal care functions as well as other tasks involved in the operations of a veterinary hospital.
• Previous experience or training/education working in a veterinary facility a plus.
• Must be friendly, outgoing, “people oriented.”
• Excellent communications skills.
• Must be capable of being cross trained for front office receptionist duties that will be expected in the job.
• Telephone and computer skills are necessary.
• Must be a team player willing to learn new techniques and treatments and to accept change.
Education and Experience: • High School Diploma/GED
Physical Requirements:
• Dependable attendance is required.
• Any allergies to animals must be controllable through medication.
• Must be able to lift 40 pounds.
• Must be willing to work long or irregular hours under pressure conditions.
• This position requires the ability to walk, bend, stand and reach constantly during a minimum 8-hour day.
• Visual acuity sufficient to maintain accurate records, recognize people and understand written directions.
• Ability to speak and hear sufficiently to understand, give information in person and over the telephone.
• Fine motor skills adequate for utilizing hospital equipment such as electric clippers, syringes, radiology equipment, laboratory equipment, computers, etc.
Duties & Job expectations
The skills that you will be utilizing daily include, but are not limited to:
· Venipuncture
· Catheter placement
· Radiology
· Anesthesia monitoring
· Physical examinations and patient assessment
· Surgical preparation and assisting
· Laboratory work
· Pharmacy
· Patient recovery
· Compassionate care for our hospitalized patients
· Maintaining a clean and well-organized treatment area
· General dietary requirements and feeding schedules. –
· Vaccines
· Dental care
· Routine laboratory tests, i.e. fecal, heartworm, leukemia, etc. –
· Housebreaking techniques.
· General flea and tick control knowledge (lifecycles, best practices, etc.)
Client Relations:
• Agree to incorporate the principles of the VCA Mission Statement, Three Steps of Service and VCA Standards of Client Service in their daily job performance.
• Demonstrate excellent relations with clients/pets in waiting and/or exam rooms
• Assist receptionists with client/patient checking in and checking out of hospital.
• Ensure that clients and pets feel welcome and comfortable.
• Serve as “Ambassadors” of creating and maintaining goodwill for the hospital. –
• Build rapport with clients and pets.
• Greet clients and pets by name. –
• Help new clients completely fill out the registration form
• Inform new clients about the hospital’s services, programs, etc.
• Exceed the client’s expectations of service.
• Provide support to reception staff in appointment scheduling.
• Ability to effectively communicate and educate clients on general animal husbandry and answer non-medical questions
Benefits: VCA Animal Hospitals offers a competitive compensation and benefits package including Medical/Dental/Vision insurance, 401(k) retirement plan, pet care discounts, paid vacation, holidays and sick days, health and well-being programs that provide resources and training.
Compensation is negotiable based on education, experience, and other relevant credentials. The pay range for this position is $17.50 to $23 per hour but rate is negotiable.
If you are a current associate, you need to apply through our internal career site. Please log into Workday and click on the Jobs Hub app or search for Browse Jobs.
Benefits: We offer competitive compensation along with a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision and paid vacation/sick days, 401(k), generous employee pet discounts and more!
The information in this position description indicates the general nature and level of work to be performed. It is not designed to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of associates assigned to this job. Management reserves the right to revise the job description or require that other tasks be performed when the circumstances of the job change (for example, emergencies, change in personnel, workload, or technical development).
We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer - Veterans / Disabled. For a complete EEO statement please see our career page at vcacareers.com.
