Veterinary Technician - Part Time presso City of Atascadero, CA

About the Department

The Central Coast Zoo is home to about a hundred species of animals found around the world, where they live in our beautiful wooded Lake Park in Atascadero, California.  We are the only zoo in the Central Coast accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the gold standard for zoos ensuring the highest level of animal welfare.  As part of AZA, our animals are part of globally managed conservation programs to preserve species and their wild habitats. The Central Coast Zoo is truly dedicated to the conservation of local and exotic species.

ABOUT THE CITY:

The Central Coast Zoo is a small, 5-acre AZA accredited zoological facility located in and managed by the City of Atascadero, which is a beautiful California central coast community located in San Luis Obispo County. We have a population of 30,000 residing in an area just under 27 square miles. Our community is a great place to live, work and raise a family! We are situated along Highway 101, halfway between the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles and San Francisco. The community is located in the Paso Robles wine region and is a short 20-minute drive to the beach and Highway 1. We are within a three-hour drive to Yosemite National Park and two hours to Monterey or Carmel. For those that enjoy the outdoors, we are close to four local lakes, a national forest and endless hiking and biking trails. 

Position Duties

Clinical veterinary technician 1-2 days per week (8-16 hours) will work with and communicate with the veterinarian, including following through on treatment plans and records, and ensure maintenance and regulatory compliance of the Central Coast Zoo’s veterinary clinic.  Requires excellent communication skills and ability to work in a supportive small team environment.  

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBLITIES:

• Maintain zoo’s veterinary clinic – including all licensing and regulatory aspects, ordering supplies, maintenance and cleaning.
• Work with contract veterinarian for procedures, usually one day a week.
• Communicate with veterinarian regarding ongoing medical cases at the zoo, work with staff to implement and follow up on care plans.
• Implement preventive medicine program in conjunction with contract veterinarian.
• Maintain medical records.

PERIPHERAL DUTIES:

Necessary Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Possess good public relations and customer service skills.
• Ability to read, write and maintain zoo records at a level sufficient to successfully perform required duties.
• Basic computer skills.  Experience with ZIMs program preferred.
• Skill in the operation of some of the listed tools and equipment.
• Ability to perform heavy manual tasks for extended periods of time; ability to work safely; ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, other departments and the public; ability to understand and carry out written and oral instructions.
• Ability to work outdoors in inclement weather; ability to lift at least fifty (50) pounds.
• Ability to work weekends and holidays, as well as relief coverage.

Minimum Qualifications

DESIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and Experience:

      experience, or training and/or education to demonstrate abilities essential to the

      performance of the position.

• RVT license preferred
• Non-domestic veterinary experience preferred

Other Qualifications

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representatives of those a Zoo employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee occasionally works in outside weather conditions.  The employee occasionally works near moving mechanical parts and in high, precarious places and is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, or airborne particles. The employee will be working with or near potentially dangerous animals.

The noise level in the work environment is occasionally moderate-to-loud in the field.

SELECTION GUIDELINES:

Formal application, rating of education and experience; oral interview and reference check; job related tests might be required.

The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.

The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.