Job Information
Houston Methodist Veterinary Technician - Comparative Med General in Houston, Texas
At Houston Methodist, the Veterinary Technician position is responsible for delivering exceptional animal care to the research animals at Houston Methodist Academic Institute (HMAI) Comparative Medicine Program (CMP) under the direction of the Comparative Medicine management which includes participating in all aspects of the health and welfare of laboratory animals, including daily monitoring and treatment, maintaining accurate health records, health surveillance, and providing requested technical services which includes inducing and monitoring anesthesia for multiple species.
PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Establishes and maintains working relationships and communicates effectively with the Houston Methodist Academic Institute (HMAI) animal care, veterinary and research teams.
Conducts self in a manner that is congruent with cultural diversity, equity, and inclusion principles. Contributes towards improvement of department scores for employee engagement, i.e., peer-to-peer accountability.
SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Performs veterinary procedures such as, but not limited to, blood collection, TB test placement and reading, parenteral and oral administration of materials, animal restraint, anesthesia, and tissue collection.
Provides pre, peri and post-operative care including, but not limited to shaving and skin preparation, animal transport, administration of anesthesia and analgesia, intubation, bandaging, or any other treatment as directed by the veterinarian.
Cleans, prepares, packs, and sterilizes surgical instruments/equipment.
QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Ensures that animal records are maintained in conformance with institutional policies and federal regulations including the Animal Welfare Act, Good Laboratory Practices and the standards required by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care for accreditation.
Ensures the CMP facility remains prepared for routine regulatory inspections and meets occupational health and safety standards.
Identifies and clearly communicates all health problems to veterinarians in oral or written form. Understands verbal and written directions of the veterinarians and/or management.
Maintains both written and electronic animal treatment records.
FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Enters billing charges for services provided by CMP Veterinary Team and documents the use and transfer of controlled substances.
Identifies and communicates cost saving initiatives within the department and is self-motivated to independently manage time effectively and prioritize daily tasks.
GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Generates and communicates new ideas and suggestions that improve quality and service for a variety of animal care, technical procedures and facility support practices.
Embraces opportunities to acquire additional knowledge regarding guidelines and regulations that affect CMP's animal research facility. Ensures own career discussions occur with appropriate management. Completes and updates the My Development Plan on an on-going basis.
This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive; the employee will also perform other reasonably related business/job duties as assigned. Houston Methodist reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.
EDUCATION
- Associate's Degree
WORK EXPERIENCE
- One year of animal handling and veterinary technician experience
LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS - REQUIRED
- N/A
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
Ability to use a variety of technical machinery including developing x-rays, cleaning equipment and entering essential research data into computers and databases
SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
WORK ATTIRE
Uniform No
Scrubs Yes
Business professional No
Other (department approved) No
ON-CALL*
*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. DIsaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.
- On Call* No
TRAVEL
Travel specifications may vary by department
May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area No
May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No
Company Profile:
Houston Methodist Academic Institute oversees the Education Institute and Research Institute, including 772 faculty and 56,250 learners. The Academic Institute aligns our research and education initiatives in service to the clinical mission, providing solutions that answer the call for new technologies and skills our clinicians need for patient care.
Houston Methodist Education Institute coordinates our primary academic affiliation with Weill Cornell Medicine and other joint programs, including the Engineering Medicine Program at Texas A&M University Intercollegiate School of Engineering Medicine. The Education Institute also oversees continuing medical education and graduate medical education, and supports more than 1,000 trainees in residence for medical, nursing, allied health and research education programs.
Houston Methodist Research Institute supports research programs and infrastructure that enable faculty across the system to bring new scientific discoveries to patients as rapidly as possible through the full cycle of a cure from conceptual bench research, to prototyping and development, to clinical trials and FDA approval. The Research Institute supports more than 1,387 clinical research protocols and $70.3 million in extramurally funded translational research programs.
Houston Methodist is an equal opportunity employer inclusive of women, minorities, disabled persons and veterans.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Houston Methodist is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Equal employment opportunity is a sound and just concept to which Houston Methodist is firmly bound. Houston Methodist will not engage in discrimination against or harassment of any person employed or seeking employment with Houston Methodist on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, status as a protected veteran or other characteristics protected by law. VEVRAA Federal Contractor – priority referral Protected Veterans requested.
Houston Methodist is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Equal employment opportunity is a sound and just concept to which Houston Methodist is firmly bound. Houston Methodist will not engage in discrimination against or harassment of any person employed or seeking employment with Houston Methodist on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, status as a protected veteran or other characteristics protected by law. VEVRAA Federal Contractor – priority referral Protected Veterans requested.