Veterinary Assistant
Company: Kansas State University
Location: Manhattan
Posted on: March 11, 2023
Job Description:
Veterinary Assistant
Department: 3670080070 Veterinary Health Center
Job no: 514345
Employment type: Staff Full Time (Unclassified - Term)
Location: Manhattan, Kansas
Worksite: On-site requirement
Categories: Veterinary Medicine
Pay Grade: 05A
About This Role:
The College of Veterinary Medicine has a variety of sections such
as Small Animal ICU, Central Preparation, Pet Health, Large Animal
ICU, Exotics, Equine, and Specialty Surgical Services. These
sections are seeking applicants for a Veterinary Assistant. The
search committee will provide more details about the specific areas
looking to hire during the interview process.
Duties/Responsibilities
- Small Animal ICU: Assist VHC Veterinarians and Registered
Veterinary Technicians: A) Serve as secretary of the specialty
service a. Screen calls b. Serve as resource in management of
service daily activities c. Serve as a client liaison with the
service B) Provide patient care a. Restraint of animals b. Feed,
exercise and bathe patients C) Collection of urine and fecal
samples D) Monitor, record and report physical signs of
hospitalized patients E) Assist with compliance of all biohazard
and infection control protocols a. Examples i. Clean cages and
runs, provide clean bedding, water and litter boxes ii. Maintain
cleanliness and general upkeep of ICU iii. Enter charges for the
service and ensure accuracy F) Restock and reorder supplies.
Electronic Medical Record Specialist A) Medical Scribe a. Gather
information for patient visit b. Enter documentation into the
Electronic Medical Record as directed and appropriate B) Provide
input in the creation and development of electronic medical record
forms C) Serve as electronic medical record and Hospital
Information System resource for students, staff and faculty. Other
duties as assigned.
- Sterile Processing Technician: Assist with ancillary support
services within the VHC, to include, but not be limited to the
following: A) Preparing surgical instruments and linen packs for
decontamination as they return from surgery into pack Load
contaminated instruments into sonic cleaner or instrument washer.
Visually inspect all instruments for traces of contamination when
cycles are complete (i.e. remaining blood or tissue fragments).
Place instruments in appropriate racks/trays as defined in the
assembly manual, (i.e. spay pack, orthopedic pack, arthroscopic
pack, etc.). Transport instruments to clean room B) Prepare
surgical instruments and packs for sterilization. Inspect
instruments for sharpness or damage. Remove and report instruments
in need of repair. Ensure packs/trays are properly assembled, and
packaged/wrapped as defined in the assembly manual. Wrap
specifically so items are to surgeon's specifications, and all
instruments and supplies are oriented so the pack may be opened
maintaining a sterile field around its outer perimeter. C)
Sterilization of surgical packs and supplies. Properly load, wrap,
tape, and identifiy (contents and date sterilized.) instrument
packs in the correct sterilizer appropriate for the type of pack
being sterilized, and set the machine to the appropriate cycle
settings. Complete sterilization load logs. Upon completion of
cycles, remove packs, interperate control monitors (i.e. cycle
printouts, autoclave tape color changes, biologicals, etc.) to
determine if sterilizers functioned properly and each pack has been
appropriately processed. D) Prepare gauze/sponges, towels, needle
packs, and other medical supplies so each contains a specified
number of items, with each is oriented and labeled according to the
assembly manual. E) Launder and fold surgical linens, towels and
uniforms. Packing, wrapping, and sterilization of surgical gowns,
following approved sterile techniques. F) Maintain a clean and
orderly work area by participating in daily cleaning tasks. -
Routine maintence and cleaning of all machines and equipment within
the Central Preparation (CP) department. - Routine cleaning of
counters and shelving containing sterile packs and other
commodities. A) Assist in training of new employees in specific
techniques associated with performing sterile pack preparation
procedures and other duties within the department. B) Organization
and set up of surgery carts and other specialty carts. C) Assist in
maintaining and monitoring equipment, materials, supplies and other
commodities utilized daily in support of client, teaching and
research procedures at the Veterinary Health Center in accordance
with established protocols and procedures. Assuring that all items
have been serviced according to the preventive maintenance
protocol, are functional, clean and available for future
procedures. This includes returning partially used commodities into
service or initiating proper disposal of them in order to maintain
an adequate inventory of supplies and materials. - Provide requests
to supervisor (or other purchasing personnel in supervisor's
absence) for reordering of commodities. D) Perform daily tasks to
ensure the Self-Help Laboratory is operational. These tasks
include: cleaning, stocking, troubleshooting and maintaining
equipment, reporting equipment in need of repair to surpervisor (or
SSD or other procurement officer in supervisor's absence).
Quarterly duties in self-help include: maintaining MSDS book,
appropriate signage, and evaluating the need for par levels
adjustments. E) Participate in after-hours emergency on call
rotation to include weekends and holidays. A) Provide assistance to
Veterinary Nurses in both small animal and large animal surgical
nurses stations and operating rooms to include but not limited to
the following: - Assist in breakdown of tables and instrument
preparation for transport to CP department. B) Perform other duties
as requested by Central Prep Nursing Supervisor, Director of
Surgical Support Services, Health Care Technician II, or Veterinary
Health Center Administrator or Director by following procedures
developed for the KSU-VHC. C) Be an effective and dependable
employee by beginning each day with a clean, neat uniform,
establish and maintain good work habits, maintain a positive,
professional relationship with faculty, staff, students and clients
demonstrating behavior that is conducive to harmonious working
relationships.
- Pet Health: Assist VHC Veterinarians and Veterinary Nurses: A)
Provide patient care a. Restraint of animals b. Feed, exercise and
bathe patients B) Collection and submission of urine, fecal, and
blood samples C) Monitor, record and report physical signs of
hospitalized patients D) Assist with compliance of all biohazard
and infection control protocols a. Examples i. Clean cages and
runs, provide clean bedding, water and litter boxes ii. Wash and
sanitize feed bowls and animal cages E) Restock and reorder
supplies.
- Electronic Medical Record Specialist A) Medical Scribe a.
Gather information for patient visit b. Enter documentation into
the Electronic Medical Record as directed and appropriate B)
Provide input in the creation and development of electronic medical
record forms C) Serve as electronic medical record and Hospital
Information System resource for students, staff and faculty D)
Serve as secretary of the service a. Screen calls b. Serve as
resource of service daily activities c. Serve as a client liaison
with the service E) Schedule appointments.
- Other duties as assigned.
- Large Animal ICU: Clinical Facilitator - This position will be
responsible for monitoring patient care, patient flow in-hospital
and in the isolation area, patient record maintenance using EMR,
and patient handling, treatment, and restraint during all phases of
the teaching program while directly interacting with students,
faculty and staff. This will allow supervision of case management
by students, to include teaching of basic handling skills to
students. Initiative and oversight will be needed to supervise
maintenance and stocking activities of dispensary and emergency
carts in all work area. Typical responsibilities may include: a.
Plan daily schedule based on needs of animals hospitalized in the
KSU-VHC. b. Supervise case treatments during scheduled 10 or 12
hour rotating shifts, when necessary. Assist students in restraint
to ensure safety and proper patient care. c. Assist faculty in
monitoring electronic medical records. Assure daily data entry and
billing are kept up to date within the computerized hospital
management system, following the established KSU-VHC format. d.
Monitor, on a daily basis, patient care and status. This includes
stall maintenance, feed and watering protocols and animal
appearance. e. Supervise students scheduled on Emergency ICU
duties. Ensure appropriate patient care and treatments. Work is
reviewed by senior clinician on duty and by supervisor as necessary
for results achieved.
- Technical Services- This position will provide on-going
staffing relative to the service commitment of the teaching
hospital. Technical responsibilities of this hospital assistant
position will be shared by Equine and Livestock Service areas of
the KSU-VHC. Technical responsibilities will include equipment
setup and operation, surgical preparation and setup and clinical
assistance to faculty within the area (as scheduled) to facilitate
services and communications between hospital activities such as
central preparation and the dispensary. Typical responsibilities
may include: a. Maintain the equine/livestock services barn on a
daily basis. This will include stocking and cleaning sinks in the
receiving area, tack rooms, bull pens, swine receiving, working
dispensary, field service trucks and any other area that may be
deemed by the section head or the Large Animal Nursing Supervisor.
Also return residual products to central dispensary or central
supply following the discharge of a patient. b. Maintain all
equipment associated with the conduct of the Equine and Livestock
section in good working order. c. Participate in patient rounds and
clinical service with students during after-hours KSU-VHC
operations. d. Take an active role in the supervision and training
of fourth year veterinary students in current technical aspects of
large animal medicine to include such areas as intensive care
patients, maintenance of fluid therapy, clipper care and proper
restraint techniques and safety while loading and unloading
patients. e. Maintain the Equine and Livestock ICU area (including
stocking and patient monitoring). f. Provide backup support to
endoscopy procedures and endoscopy equipment maintenance and
cleaning as outlined by Hospital protocol. Set up endoscopy
equipment and supplies, assist clinicians during procedures, enter
appropriate charges for supplies used and for the procedure into
the computerized hospital management system, clean equipment
according to established protocols, and restock supplies after each
use, as assigned. g. Maintain the cleanliness of Cubex equipment
located in both livestock and equine pharmacy area.
- Additional Responsibilities - Additional technical and training
responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following
duties: a. Initiate measures to increase the efficiency and
operation of the Equine/Livestock Services Section as it relates to
technical training and patient care. b. As necessary, assist with
coordination of emergency care, vacation period coverage, and
unexpected teaching demands with other veterinary assistants and
veterinary nurses. c. Assist with clerical research projects after
completion of primary hospital duties, as needed. Specific research
duties will be coordinated with section head. d. Maintain
proficiency in operation and maintenance of Hospital equipment
(i.e. endoscope, ultrasound, etc.).
- Exotics: Exotics Assistant Responsibilities: This position will
be responsible for organization and maintenance of the exotic's
exam rooms, conference room, and patient ward and wildlife ward.
The position will provide assistant support to exotics faculty,
staff, and senior veterinary students assigned to the exotic's
rotation. Typical responsibilities will include: a) Organize and
stock the exam rooms, surgery suite, and wards with necessary
materials and equipment to facilitate efficiency in patient
receiving, testing & treatments. b) Assist clinicians and RVTs in
basic aspects of patient care, including oral drug administration,
sample and request submissions, and patient hygiene. c) Assure
daily data entry in medical records and accurate billing entry into
the hospital information system. d) Monitor on a daily basis:
patient care including patient status, feeding schedules, cage and
run areas, and animal appearance.
- Exotics OR Technical Responsibilities: 1. Prepare and maintain
the surgical suites to consistently provide a sterile environment
and adequate supplies 2. Assist as a surgical team member by
preparing animals for surgical procedures 3. Assist surgical team
members by acting as circulator during procedures and maintaining
and monitoring sterile technique in surgery areas. 4. Become
familiar with new medical equipment as it becomes available 5.
Assure instruments are prepared and returned to Central Preparation
in a timely manner.
- Additional Responsibilities: 1. Be an effective and dependable
employee by beginning each day with a clean, neat uniform,
establish and maintain good work habits, maintain a positive
professional relationship with faculty, staff, and students. 3.
Will cross- train to other areas within Specialty Surgical Services
to provide support in time of illness or vacations. 4. Perform
other duties as requested by supervisor or Hospital Director by
following procedures developed for the KSU-VHC.
- Equine: CLIENT SERVICES SUPPORT: ADMISSIONS: Receive and admit
patients for care into Instinct at the Horse Unit and VHC. This
requires a thorough knowledge of VHC protocol, familiarity with
animal species and breeds, basic knowledge of medical terminology
and health problems, accurate typing and computer data-entry
skills, and a customer service approach. These duties are
accomplished by obtaining information from clients on themselves
and for the equine/livestock patient and entering this data into
the electronic medical record (EMR), and preparing several forms
for admission, including the patient medical record. PHONES: Act as
a telephone receptionist for calls into the desk area by answering
multi-line telephone system and meeting the caller's needs or
directing the caller to the appropriate section or person, via
pocket pager, overhead paging system, voice mail transfer, or
written notes. Calls include those from the public, referring
veterinarians needing consultation or appointments, inter- hospital
calls among staff, faculty and senior professional students and
emergency care calls. Call duration and difficulty varies greatly.
Flexibility and finesse are needed each time to make quick
judgments of the patron's needs as well as the clinician schedules.
Extensive knowledge of hospital protocol, faculty and staff
rosters, on-call rosters, customer relations, and sound decision
making skills are paramount to maintaining quality performance in
this area. APPOINTMENTS: Schedule appointments for the appropriate
service of the VHC. Client and patient information is then matched
with an available appointment and entered into the computer. Sound
judgement and decision making is necessary to separate the "can
waits" and the "must be seens." This task requires above average
knowledge of medical terminology, health diseases and symptoms,
hospital protocol, and customer service techniques. Work is
periodically reviewed by the supervisor for results achieved.
- VETERINARY ASSISTANT DUTIES: Plan daily schedule based on needs
of horses at horse unit and staff at reception desk. This position
is responsible for patient record maintenance using EMR and patient
handling, treatment and restraint during all phases of the teaching
program while directly interacting with students, faculty and
staff. Assist VHC Veterinarians and Registered Veterinary
Technicians: Serve as secretary of the specialty service both in
hospital and field calls as needed. Serve as resource in management
of service daily activities. Serve as a client liaison with the
service. Provide patient care, restraint of animals, feed, exercise
and bathe patients. Collection of urine and fecal samples. Monitor,
record and report physical signs of hospitalized patients. Assist
with compliance of all biohazard and infection control protocols.
Clean stalls and runs, provide clean bedding, and water. Medical
Records Assistant: Assist with patient record keeping and
compliance by entering charges into the EMR as deemed necessary.
Gather patient history, verify patient/client information is
current and up to date with EMR. Wash and sanitize buckets, stomach
tubes and pumps. Restock and reorder supplies. RESTRAINT: Assist
students in restraint to ensure safety and proper patient care.
Assist faculty in monitoring electronic medical records. Assure
daily data entry and billing are kept up to date within the
electronic medical record.
- OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES: Accurately and efficiently enter,
maintain, and access information within the VHC database to include
creating templates for services and large animal sections; creating
calendar templates for various sections; retrieving schedules from
section heads. Perform additional duties/ special projects as
assigned by supervisor. Looking over all charges before discharging
the patient to make sure the most common charges have been
added.
- Specialty Surgical Services: Receive and deliver patients that
have been dropped off for care at the VHC to the appropriate
service, staff, or student within the hospital. This requires a
thorough knowledge of VHC protocol, knowledge of software for
completing patient intake paperwork, familiarity with animal
species and breeds, basic knowledge of medical terminology and
health problems, and a customer service approach.
- Assist veterinarians and veterinary nurses where needed in the
hospital with patient care and restraint, transporting patients to
different areas of the hospital as needed.
- Be an effective and dependable employee by beginning each day
with a clean, neat uniform, establish and maintain good work
habits, maintain a positive professional relationship with faculty,
house officers, staff, and students. Perform other duties as
requested by supervisor, or Hospital Administrator or Director by
following procedures developed for the KSU-VHC.
Why Join Us:
Kansas State University offers a comprehensive benefits package
that includes health insurance, life insurance, retirement plans,
paid time off - vacation, sick, and holidays. To see what benefits
are available, please visit:
https://www.k-state.edu/hcs/benefits
We Support Diversity and Inclusion:
Kansas State University embraces diversity and inclusion. The
university actively seeks individuals who foster a collegial
environment and cooperative interactions with coworkers, students,
and others. The University is dedicated to promoting the Principles
of Community.
What You'll Need to Succeed:
Minimum Qualifications:
- High School Diploma.
- One year of relevant experience.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Two or more years of experience as a veterinary assistant
providing patient care.
- College study with course work in animal science or closely
related field.
- Veterinary Assistant Certification.
- Ability to work with and provide preventative maintenance for
ordinary veterinary medical equipment.
- Willingness to master new techniques.
- Demonstrated experience, knowledge, and comfort with word and
excel software. Ability to provide software instruction to a
variety of audiences.
- Ability to handle, restrain, and provide assistance for medical
services to senior veterinary students, clinicians, and Veterinary
Nurses for domestic animals.
- Ability to maintain and use ordinary veterinary medical
hospital equipment.
- Minimum of one year experience in sterile processing and/or
operating room.
- Hospital experience in sterilizer operation, biomedical
equipment operation and maintenance, supply and/or pharmaceutical
stocking and distribution, or similar responsibilities.
- One year post graduate experience in a veterinary hospital
setting.
- Large animal skills and experience.
- Clinical teaching and/or supervisory experience will be
considered a beneficial asset for large animal.
Other Requirements:
- Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United
States at the time of employment
How to Apply:
Please submit the following documents:
- Resume
- Cover letter
- Contact information for three professional references
Screening of Applications Begins:
Screening begins immediately and continues until the position is
filled.
Anticipated Hiring Salary Range:
$13.97 - $20.96 hourly
Equal Employment Opportunity:
Kansas State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All
applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard
to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender
identity, age, national origin, disability or status as a protected
veteran.
Background Screening Statement:
In connection with your application for employment, Kansas State
University will procure a Background Screen on you as part of the
process of considering your candidacy as an employee.
Advertised: Feb 23, 2023 Central Standard Time
Applications close: Open until filled
Keywords: Kansas State University, Manhattan , Veterinary Assistant, Healthcare , Manhattan, Kansas
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