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Job Title

Veterinary Anesthesia Technician I - Small Animal Anesthesia

Agency

Texas A&M University

Department

Vet Med-Teaching Hospital

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

College Station, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

Glimpse of the Job

Are you a skilled veterinary technician with a passion for anesthesia and animal care? We're looking for Veterinary Anesthesia Technicians to join our dedicated team. In this role, you'll assist veterinarians and students in delivering anesthesia services, monitoring patients, and maintaining equipment. Join us at the Texas A&M Small Animal Teaching Hospital (http://vethospital.tamu.edu/small-animal-hospital) and make a difference in the lives of animals and the future of veterinary medicine!

Opportunities to Contribute

+ Hands-On Experience: Assist in clinical support and anesthesia services, gaining valuable experience in a veterinary teaching hospital.

+ Collaborative Environment: Work alongside experienced clinicians and technicians, contributing to the education of future veterinary professionals.

+ Skill Development: Enhance your technical skills with advanced veterinary equipment and anesthesia techniques.

+ Impactful Work: Play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and well-being of our anesthetized patients.

Minimum Required Qualifications for Veterinary Anesthesia Technician I

+ Education: Associate degree in veterinary technology, biomedical science, animal science or related area or equivalent education and experience

+ Experience: Two years of technical experience in veterinary medicine, anesthesia, or related field.

+ Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Working knowledge of veterinary equipment used within a veterinary teaching hospital, knowledge of high flow/low flow anesthesia, familiarization with injectable and inhalant anesthesia, ability to work within time constraints and in a crisis situation, and strong animal handling skills and positioning of patients for surgical procedures. Strong oral/written communication skills, ability to communicate professionally, effectively, and positively at all levels, ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others. Computer skills and understanding in word processing, spreadsheets, and billing entry through electronic medical record.

A well-qualified candidate will possess a Bachelor's degree in veterinary technology, biomedical science, animal science, or a related area, along with specialty training in anesthesia or related area. They should hold certifications such as Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) or Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) in the Academy of Veterinary Technician Anesthetists (AVTA) or the Academy of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Technicians (AVECCT). The candidate will demonstrate an advanced understanding of the equipment used in veterinary anesthesia and imaging settings of a teaching hospital, as well as advanced knowledge of terms routinely used in these areas.

What you need to know

Salary: Compensation will be commensurate to the selected hire’s experience.

Schedule: This position may require working alternate shifts, holidays, weekend, and/or "on call" duty.

Please Note: Persons in this position are considered essential when the University declares an emergency, campus closure, class cancellations, etc., and are therefore required to report to work and remain on duty unless/until relieved by the direct supervisor.

What you need to do

Apply! A cover letter and resume a re strongly recommended and will help in our review. You may upload them on the application under the CV/Resume section.

Some of the Responsibilities Include:

+ Anesthesia Duties: Ensure timely approval and preparation of anesthetic cases, including securing necessary supplies. Record and assist in reviewing patient medical history, physiological data, and medications on anesthesia records. Perform technical skills such as placing intravenous and intra-arterial catheters, setting up IV fluids, and placing nerve blocks. Intubate and maintain appropriate sedation levels, monitor inhalant anesthetic gases, and manage peri-anesthetic cardiac arrhythmias, electrolyte disturbances, acid-base homeostasis, and perioperative pain. Ensure proper equipment functionality for patient safety, assess and resolve anesthetic machine issues, and communicate assignment changes with team members. Review anesthesia requests and next-day schedules, clearly communicating information.

+ General Technical Duties: Prepare and administer medications, ensuring accurate entry of charges/fees into medical records. Assist faculty and students with patient care, including preparation for treatment and procedures, and transport to designated areas. Provide physical restraint for safe handling of multiple species. Maintain and operate laboratory and patient monitoring equipment and prepare samples for diagnostic testing. Inform supervisor/senior clinician of concerns and provide accurate reports to clinicians. Coordinate infectious and exotic cases with necessary services. Assist in orienting new team members and evaluate cases for newer technicians. Maintain and restock inventory, perform equipment maintenance checks, and arrange for repairs. Promote professional practice among team members and adhere to all TAMU, VMTH, and departmental policies. Log maintenance for inventory control of capital equipment.

+ Teaching and Clinical Research: Assist faculty, residents, interns, and students with patient care and instruction. Facilitate the education of veterinary medical students, including inducing and maintaining anesthesia in various animal species. Perform and instruct catheterization techniques and administration of pre-medicants, induction agents, inhalant anesthetics, and analgesics. T rain newly hired Veterinary Anesthesia Technicians and instruct students and/or staff in preparing patients for surgical procedures. Monitor anesthetized patients and assist in anesthesia recovery techniques. Provide critical and intensive nursing or life-sustaining care as needed. Ensure proper documentation and accounting of medications and controlled substances. Assist with data entry in medical records, review anesthetic records and pharmacy slips for accuracy, and record physiological data and medications. Participate in clinical research activities, including literature searches and data collection.

+ Maintain Service Area: Maintain and supervise a sanitary and well-organized service area. Restock supplies, drugs, and solutions, and clean and repackage items for sterilization. Implement best practices for infectious disease control and sanitation to ensure a consistently clean working environment. Provide oversight for faculty, staff, and students in service area-specific safety procedures.

+ Required Training, Compliance, and Administrative Procedures: Demonstrate mastery of Anesthesia Skills Test and RECOVER training within six months of hire. Stay current with safety classes, rabies prophylaxis, and other required trainings by Texas A&M and VMTH. Maintain necessary certifications or licensure. Submit time and leave requests promptly via Workday and remain available for email communication. Assist in revising policies and maintaining compliance for AAHA/AVMA/IACUC/AALAC/USDA surveys.

Why Texas A&M University?

We are a prestigious university with strong traditions, core values (https://www.tamu.edu/about/coreValues.html) , and a community of caring and collaboration.  Amenities associated with a major university, such as sporting and cultural events, state-of-the-art recreation facilities, the Bush Library and Museum, and much more await you.  Experience all that a big city has to offer but with a reasonable cost-of-living and no long commutes.

+ Medical, (https://www.tamus.edu/benefits/medical/) prescription drug, dental, (https://www.tamus.edu/benefits/dental/) vision, life and AD&D, (https://www.tamus.edu/benefits/life-add/) flexible spending accounts , and long-term disability insurance (https://www.tamus.edu/benefits/long-term-disability/) with Texas A&M contributing to employee health and basic life premiums

+ 12-15 days (https://employees.tamu.edu/employee-relations/leave/index.html) of annual paid holidays

+ Up to eight hours of paid sick leave (https://employees.tamu.edu/employee-relations/leave/paid/sick.html)  and at least  eight hours of paid vacation (https://employees.tamu.edu/employee-relations/leave/paid/vacation.html)  each month

+ Automatic enrollment in the  Teacher Retirement System of Texas (https://www.trs.texas.gov/Pages/Homepage.aspx)

+ Health and Wellness: Free exercise programs and release time (https://flourish.tamu.edu/wellness-release-time/)

+ Professional Development: All employees have access to free  LinkedIn Learning (https://linkedinlearning.tamu.edu/)  training, webinars, and limited financial support to attend conferences, workshops, and more

+ Educational release time and tuition assistance (https://livingwell.tamu.edu/employee-tuition-assistance)  for completing a degree while a Texas A&M employee

+ Living Well, (https://livingwell.tamu.edu/) a program at Texas A&M that has been built by employees, for employees

Instructions to Applicants: Applications received by Texas A&M University must either have all job application data entered, or a resume attached. Failure to provide all job application data or a complete resume could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application. We encourage all applicants to upload a resume or use a LinkedIn profile to pre-populate the online application.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.