Schedule: Full-time; 38 hours/week; Monday-Friday 7am-4pm (8-hour days, with the ability to choose one day of the week to leave 2 hours early)
$5,000 hiring bonus!
Ready for a meaningful adventure? Want to go home at the end of each day knowing you made a difference in the lives of many animals? Tired of financial discussions with owners and product sales? Come work alongside our passionate and knowledgeable staff and volunteers in the Animal Medical Department at the Nebraska Humane Society! Our veterinary team values a whole-animal approach, incorporating the Five Freedoms and Fear Free Sheltering™ into our daily veterinary patient care.
We care about our people, too! Competitive salary and benefits. Get one day a week to leave earlier than your “normal” schedule for errands, appointments, you name it. Take time at work to develop a self-care plan to prevent compassion fatigue and burnout in the veterinary field.
You will experience personal and professional growth through unique shelter medicine and high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN) experiences. Enjoy performing anesthesia and monitoring patients? We got it! Care for hospitalized shelter animals and become their “person” during the shelter stay. Witness those same animals find their “furever” home in our state-of-the-art new adoption center. Appreciate access to a full diagnostic suite – Abaxis CBC, and blood chemistry analyzers, VetScan SA, digital radiography, Butterfly iQ+ Vet ultrasound, and more. Over 15,000 diagnostic tests were performed in 2021. Perhaps you’d like exposure to various species – we’ve got them all! Cats, dogs, pocket pets, exotics, and the occasional stray small livestock. Those with a special interest in veterinary forensics have an opportunity to go deeper and learn through assisting shelter veterinarians with cruelty investigations.
In 2021, 5268 shelter animals received HQHVSN services. 5,854 shelter animals received microchips. Nearly 1,000 specialized surgeries and dental procedures were also performed.
Do the math. Impact more lives as a Licensed Veterinary Technician at the Nebraska Humane Society.
Benefits
Competitive pay and benefits
Hiring bonus - $2500 at start of employment and $2500 at 6 months with performance meeting or exceeding expectations
Flexible schedule options – both 4-and 5-days work weeks (38 hours)
1 hour lunch
CE reimbursement - $600/year
Uniform allowance
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Qualified Employer
Pre-exposure rabies inoculation
Health, dental and vision insurance
403(b)
Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for health and dependent care
Medical, dental and vision insurance
PTO – Personal and Vacation
Holidays – eight paid holidays
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Purpose of Position: Provide veterinary medical and surgical nursing skills with a focus on shelter medicine. Veterinary technicians enhance the lives of animals at the Nebraska Humane Society (NHS) by partnering with fellow colleagues to prepare animals for adoption, alleviate suffering and bring justice to victims of cruelty. Periodic rotation through the NHS Spay & Neuter Center occurs on an as need basis.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
This position description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees are required to follow any other job related duties assigned by their supervisor. This document does not create an employment contract implied or otherwise, and does not alter the “at? will” relationship.
Perform medication rounds for shelter animals
Administer prescribed pain medications, antibiotics, antiparasitics and vaccines
Relieve animal suffering and comfort the sick
Provide supplemental feeding to puppies and kittens too young for adoption
Assist NHS veterinarians in disease surveillance
Collect specimens and perform diagnostics as prescribed by NHS veterinarians – common diagnostics include:
Digital radiographs
Fecal exams by centrifugation
Skin scrapes and cytology
In-house CBC and chemistry panels
DTMs, Wood’s Lamp and trichograms
Heartworm, FeLV and FIV tests
UAs
Parvo tests
Submit various diagnostics to off-site laboratories
Provide enrichment and stress reduction for animals through humane handling
Perform medical rounds with NHS veterinarians
Ensure prompt and accurate medical record updates
Assist in examination of shelter animals
Administer pre-medication, induce anesthesia and intubate surgical patients
Direct other staff and volunteers on a rotational basis as lead anesthetist
Monitor anesthetized patients
Assist in animal emergency triage and resuscitation
Place IV catheters
Prepare animals for surgery
Perform dental cleaning and non-surgical extraction as allowed for by state regulations
Recover anesthesia patients with the assistance of trained volunteers
Handle and record controlled substances for large volumes of surgical patients
Assist in training new staff members, department volunteers, veterinary students and interns
Collaborate with personnel from other NHS departments
Perform safe and humane euthanasia when necessary on a limited basis in Animal Medical Department
Act as a resource for adopters answering pre and post adoption medical questions
Maintain clean treatment, housing and examination areas
Periodically review, provide input and adhere to Animal Medical Department and shelter protocols
Assist in the cleaning and sterilization of surgical equipment
Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the Operations Manager or veterinarian
Position Qualifications: Education, Experience, Certification, and Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
Required
Minimum: Associate of Applied Science Degree in Veterinary Technology from an accredited program
Must be a licensed veterinary technician in the state of Nebraska
Consideration will be given to veterinary technicians currently licensed in another state with a background in shelter/rescue work – must be able to obtain Nebraska veterinary technician license
Must adhere to applicable state and federal laws governing the practice of veterinary medicine
Display affection and compassion for animals and concern for their welfare
Must adhere to highest ethical standards; possess trustworthiness, exercise maturity and sound independent judgment while maintaining a professional manner and personal appearance
Ability to clearly communicate verbally and in writing
Must have valid driver’s license with acceptable driving record and be able to provide proof of vehicle insurance
Be comfortable and skilled working with a culturally diverse staff and community
Must be considerate, respectful and display a helpful demeanor to all employees, volunteers and customers
Must be able to work cordially, safely and efficiently in face-paced, stressful conditions
Must possess the ability to cope with loss of animal life from illness, injury and euthanasia
Must exhibit the organization core values of compassion for all animals, respect and dignity for all, strive for excellence and teamwork
Ability to safely and humanely handle animals
Ability to respectfully give and receive feedback
Ability to work independently and part of a team
Ability to work in close proximity of others
Desired
One year veterinary technical experience preferred
Previous experience in a shelter and/or high volume spay/neuter
Familiarity with Microsoft operating systems and computer literate in Microsoft Office
Work Conditions:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions within the work environment.
Minimum 38 hours per week; may periodically exceed 40 hrs. One to two holiday shifts are required per year.
The noise level in the office environment is usually quiet, though barking or whining of animals may be escalated at certain times in certain areas of the building.
High exposure to animals whose reactions to the shelter environment cannot be predicted.
Temperatures in the shelter environment are varied, though usually moderate, and dependent on the season.
Potential exposure to zoonotic diseases and hazardous chemicals.
Ability to work around animals without severe allergic reactions.