Spay & Neuter Surgical Technician

Maryland SPCA

Job Description

Job Title: Surgical Technician, Spay Neuter Clinic

Department: Spay Neuter Clinic

Reports to: Spay Neuter Clinic Manager

Salary Range: $18-$20 for non-credentialed, $23 to start for credentialed

Schedule: four 10-hour days between Monday and Friday

FLSA Status: Full-time, hourly

Date: February 2, 2024

Position Summary:

Responsible for daily care of all surgical patients, assisting doctors and veterinary assistants with pre-, peri- and post-operative care of patients, general cleaning, and training others to utilize our patient care protocols. Other roles as needed will include; customer service and assistance: including appointment booking and appointment schedule maintenance, and check in and discharge of patients; data entry: including medical notations.

Surgery Technician Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

· Check which animals are scheduled for surgery, determining priorities, and preparing all paperwork

· Set up the surgery room for the veterinarian, prepare animals for surgery, including walking dogs; pre-medicating, shaving, and scrubbing the animals; and intubations

· Assist veterinarian as needed (e.g., restraining animals)

· Maintain efficient and safe surgical flow

· Monitor animals under anesthesia, with clear idea of abnormal conditions

· Monitor animals after surgery and provide other post-operative care, including monitoring and feeding

· Disinfect surgery area in between surgeries and setting up for new surgeries

· Assist with examinations on animals, ensure paperwork and records from surgery and exams are complete and in order

· Sterilize surgery area and instruments when surgeries for the day are completed, maintain care of all equipment used in Surgery Room, clean cages in Surgery Room

· Perform other duties as requested by supervisor to support operations

· Maintain medical inventory and supplies

· Train and work closely with volunteers, interns, and new staff to increase team knowledge and improve quality of care for patients

· Patient care

• Report health concerns to attending veterinarian, assist veterinarians in surgery as needed
• Provide excellent patient care. Calculate and administer anesthetics and analgesics to all surgical patients per anesthetic protocol. Maintain all necessary drug logs.
• Stay current in knowledge of emergency drugs and protocol
• Administer animal vaccinations, medications, and treatments as directed
• Collect blood or feces for lab work
• Perform dental prophylaxis on shelter animals

Animal Handling

· Will be asked to handle (on average) 25-35 dogs and cats per day

· Must be able to learn characteristics of animal behavior (for example: be able to identify aggressive or fearful behavior)

· Must be able to use appropriate safety equipment for fractious or feral animals

· Must possess excellent reflexes

· Should be able to identify own limitations and be willing to ask for help

· Must become proficient at animal restraint for various procedures

Qualifications:

· Two or more years of experience in a veterinary clinic, veterinary hospital, and/or animal shelter or control facility

· Experience with safe animal restraint, drawing blood and administering medication, (I.V, I.M, and sub-cutaneous)

· Knowledge of spay/Neuter Surgical procedures as a technician desirable

· Able to work independently and multi-task

· Thorough and detail oriented, remain aware of surroundings

· Candidate should be highly motivated, enthusiastic self-starter with a professional attitude.

Physical Demands:

· Able to bend and kneel repeatedly

· Able to see fine detail in a variety of situations

· Must possess good hearing, including the ability to distinguish changes in vocal pitch

· Must have a reasonable degree of agility to move through tightly cramped areas in various situations

· Possess excellent eye-hand coordination

· Physically capable of performing all duties in the shelter including moderately heavy work. Able to lift or carry up to 50 lbs.

· Standing or walking 8 or more hours per day with frequent bending, kneeling, stooping and reaching

Minimum Qualifications:

· Strong attention to detail

· Ability to work in a fast paced surgical environment

· Quality customer service skills

· Reliable and able to use good judgment

· Able to work independently and multi-task

· Compassionate, outgoing and friendly

· Ability to work positively with coworkers, volunteers, and the public

Customer Service and Assistance (as needed):

· Responding to phone calls inquiring about spay/neuter services

· Referring customers to appropriate rescues or other clinics based on needs

· Answering email and phone call requests for appointments or spay/neuter

· Checking in surgery patients

· Discharging post-operative patients to caretakers/owners

· Answering basic discharge questions, and any basic questions about MD SPCA programs

· Appointment booking and schedule maintenance

· Contacting pet owner with questions if required by veterinarian or Spay/Neuter Programs Manager

Data Entry (as needed):

· Daily data entry for all non-SPCA surgery patients

· Medical record preparation for patients

· Ensuring all paperwork has been completed, and completed correctly

· Filing of surgical paperwork for Spay/Neuter Programs Manager

· Communicating with shelter regarding SPCA surgery patients

· Keeping accurate statistical data to be presented to Spay/Neuter Programs Manager when requested

· Accepting surgery fees from customers, logging and submitting monies and record to Spay/Neuter Programs Manager

Work Environment:

· Work is performed in a shelter clinic setting

· Technician is regularly exposed to animals, animal waste, and potentially hazardous conditions, including the risk of animal bites

· Potential exposure to zoonotic diseases, sharp objects, hazardous chemicals, dangerous and fractious animals

· Exposure to disinfecting solutions when cleaning work space

· Noise level in the work environment is usually moderate

· Prolonged exposure to various aqueous solutions, including but not limited to dish soap, chlorhexidine and Accel

· Potential prolonged exposure to isoflurane gas