Animal Care / Animal Technician / Pet Care

Duration: 6+ months

Shift timing: Monday-Friday 6AM-3PM or 7AM-4PM, holidays required.

Description:

• Graduation from high school/GED, completion of training equivalent to the Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician certification of the AALAS, and one year of Animal Care experience.
• 1 year of animal handling or lab animal sanitation equipment operations experience required.

Key Responsibilities

Animal Care and Room Sanitation

· Daily maintenance of vivarium facilities, under general supervision.

· Change cages/racks, clean primary enclosures per schedule, feed and water different species of animals used in LARC.

· Maintain all animals and animal housing areas according to LARC standard operating procedures for each species.

· Always handle animals humanely and with care. Mistreatment can result in severe, negative employment consequences.

· Monitor room conditions for temperature, humidity, and sanitation. Report conditions outside of set ranges to your Supervisor/Principal Technician.

· Identify Animal Care needs as they arise and report them to the Supervisor. ·

Communicate with the faculty regarding animal housing/husbandry issues in a professional and articulate manner. · Prepare animal cages for transportation between UCSF facilities.

· Perform cage wash duties as needed.

· Conduct all activities according to federal, state, AAALAC, and UCSF requirements and regulations, including BSL 2 and higher areas.

· Review assigned areas for items or activities that might raise protocol or regulatory compliance concerns. If found, remedy those that relate to the duties of Animal Technician (AT) and report all others to supervisors or other staff as directed.

· Assist in the training of new employees and act as area leader of Assistant Animal Technicians.

Animal Health

· Identify and report all sick and unhealthy animals to Supervisor, Animal Health Technician, veterinary staff, and/or Principle Investigators (PI’s).

· Assist in restraint of animals as needed.

· Assist in animal health screening programs (which range from rodent sentinel program to large animal sample collection) as assigned.

· Assist in training animals for physical exam or research behaviors.

· Perform treatments, administer routine medications, apply technical skills under close supervision (e.g. collect fecal samples, various injections, etc.). · Other animal health duties as assigned.

Record Keeping

· Perform record-keeping duties, such as per-diems records, feed logs, temperature and humidity charts, animal receipt, and disposition logs.

· Perform sanitation record verification, such as water temperature or autoclave logs.

· Perform all duties as assigned in animal housing rooms and log in daily check sheet.

· Perform Census bar code cage scanning and data entry

· Fill out records needed for various assurances to animal welfare regulatory agencies and UCSF-IACUC.

Maintenance

· Ability to use small hand tools to repair cages, racks, and minor mechanical needs (e.g., automatic watering systems, water fillers, etc.).

· Maintain and change rack, biosafety cabinet, humidifier, and room filters.

· Maintain/restock supplies in common areas, including feed, PPE, and equipment.

Mop/sweep hallways.

Miscellaneous

· Load and unload animals, receiving, caging, feed, and supplies. Assignment length can vary up to 50%, in accordance to needs of operation.

· Prepare rooms to house animals, from rodents to primates, depending on area assigned.

· Ability to perform all tasks assigned to the Assistant Animal Technician (AAT).

· Take AALAS Technician certification examination within 24 months of starting employment is expected.

· Changes in assignments may include, husbandry assignments for various species, for short or long term durations.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Required/ Preferred

·         1 year of animal handling or lab animal sanitation equipment operations experience required.

·         Ability to communicate animal health information to appropriate personnel, maintain legible records for permanent status. All assignments require some use of computer/email.

·         General knowledge of feeding, caging, and space requirements for multiple species of laboratory animals used in biomedical research.

·         Ability and skills needed to identify animal health concerns and regulatory compliance for their assigned areas and to report conditions to veterinary staff, researchers, and compliance staff.

·         Full knowledge of disinfection, sanitation, and cleaning agents; knowledge and ability to use cage washers for cleaning and autoclaves for sterilization of cages.

·         General knowledge of federal and other licensing agencies’ regulations.

·         Satisfactory job performance ratings at all times during probationary employment period.

·         Ability to follow instructions, work independently or in shared assignments with others.

·         Basic computer skills (e.g.,e/mail skills, ability to scan cage barcodes, sync PDA’s for submitting Health Surveillance Reports electronically, utilize email account for work-related communications, online training, HBS timesheet submission).

·         Ability to follow work rules, including no eating or drinking in animal areas, no smoking at campus facilities.

·         Ability to bend, squat, kneel, stand, reach above shoulder level, and move on hard surface for up to 7 hours/day.

·         Ability to wear personal protective equipment as required; includes protective clothing, protective glasses, safety shoes and gloves daily , face masks as required, respirator if assigned.

·         Ability to push and pull heavy objects and ability to safely move and or lift heavy loads (up to 50 pounds).

Education, Training and Experience -

Required/ Preferred

·         Demonstrated experience working under general supervision.

·         Graduation from high school/GED, completion of training equivalent to the Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician certification of the AALAS, and one year of Animal Care experience; or high school graduation and

·         two years of Animal Care experience in the care of an animal species appropriate to the particular job; or an equivalent combination of education and experience; and knowledge and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.

·         Complete and remain current in BRER training.

·         Complete Ergonomics training.

·         Complete Ethics training.

·         Complete and remain current in Laboratory Safety for Researchers training.

·         Complete Facilities Orientation for each assigned site.

·         Successful completion of ALAT in-house training curriculum within one year of employment.

·         AALAS Assistant Laboratory Animal Medicine (ALAT).