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This position is designed to give Berry College Pre-Veterinary students practical training in veterinary medicine. This student will be treated as a veterinary assistant and will be under the direct guidance and supervision of the doctors and full time staff at Mount Berry Animal Hospital. Incumbents of this position are required to assist the practitioners to the fullest possible extent, to help improve the quality of care given to the patients of Mount Berry Animal Hospital and to aid the practitioners in achieving greater efficiency by relieving them of technical work and administrative detail. Successful applicants will be assigned a work schedule in accordance to their class schedule not to exceed 16 hours per week during active academic class times or 40 hours per week during academic breaks.
MAJOR DUTIES •Prepare for office hours by stocking drawers in exam rooms and treatment area, by drawing up vaccines, setting up syringes, and assuring that drugs and equipment are ready. Provide restraint of pets for examination and treatment by veterinarian. Prepare medications (both injections and dispensed medications) for both outpatients and inpatients.
•Help doctors and full time staff; prepare patients for surgery; monitor patients during surgery and recovery; assist in surgery; administer fluids; perform support therapy to patients in surgery and post-op; remove and ready next patient.
•Properly clean, pack and autoclave all surgical materials after they are used. Keep the operating room properly stocked and prepared for surgery.
•Help the doctor treat patients; assist in medical or surgical procedures such as irrigating wounds, medication, cleansing wounds, and bandaging. Perform the full range of “tableside” assistance to the practitioners.
•Perform clinical laboratory procedures such as fecal flotation exams, heartworm checks, skin scrapings, urine analysis, fungal cultures, draw blood for laboratory analysis. Prepare samples for shipment to laboratory and prepare laboratory forms. Perform other in-house tests such as parvo virus tests and feline leukemia/ immunodeficiency virus tests. Maintain file of lab test results and ensure patient records have test results recorded in them.
•Perform in-clinic dewormings, record patient weights and temperatures, record observations on patient status such as nature and amount of vomits, bowel movements, and urinations. Perform ear flushings and pluckings, assist with dentistries for dogs and cats. Monitor vital signs on all patients.
•Assist in kennels including cleaning kennels as well as keeping patients clean and dry at all times.
•Admit and discharge patients on the doctor’s orders, being especially careful to ensure that patients being discharged are well-groomed and in a medically appropriate state. Answer client questions one-on-one on various aspects of animal care up to, but not including, controversial items and/or those best left to the veterinarians. Pass on information/advice from the practitioners; explain dosage/purpose of medications; reinforce through discussion the proper care and procedures that should be followed at home. Call back/follow-up with clients concerning certain patients; recommend additional visit if patient’s progress does not appear satisfactory.
•Assist the receptionist when necessary and assume her duties during her absence.
•Maintain an appropriate inventory of all supplies as dictated by the inventory control system. Inform office manager as needed about items that need to be ordered. Unpack boxes of medical supplies, mark prices, check expiration dates, rotate stock and store. Make sure all products and literature are identified with labels. Keep abreast of over-the-counter products and their usage such as flea control and skin products, vitamins, and pet foods. Also understand usage and recommendations for such prescription drugs as heartworm preventative and prescription flea control products. CONTROLS OVER WORK The practitioners provide continuing or individual assignments indicating generally what is to be done, limitations, quality and quantity expected, deadlines and priority of assignments. The practitioners provide additional, specific instructions for new, difficult or unusual assignments in animal health care, including suggested work methods or advice on source materials available. The student worker uses initiative in carrying out recurring assignments independently without specific instructions, but refers deviations, problems, and unfamiliar situations not covered by instructions to the practitioner for decision or help. The practitioners assure that finished work and methods used are technically accurate and in compliance with instructions or established procedures. Review of the work increases with more difficult assignments, if the technician has not previously performed similar assignments. Administrative supervision may be provided by the Office Manager or Practice Manager.
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