Parvo ICU Veterinary Technician

Parvo ICU Veterinary Technician

Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is one of Austin's most dynamic and best-loved nonprofits. The organization is the leader in the no kill movement nationally and is considered a national thought leader in animal welfare. APA! locally rescues, treats, and adopts out 10,000 homeless dogs and cats each year, providing the safety net for Austin's most at-risk shelter pets, which helps Austin to be a no-kill city, while also assisting other communities in saving homeless animals. The organization is distinguished by the scrappiness of its grassroots, non-traditional community-based animal rescue work.

The first of its kind in the nation, Austin Pets Alive!'s Parvo Puppy ICU provides shelters with an alternative to euthanasia for puppies that contract parvovirus. By placing puppies that contract parvo in quarantine, maintaining cross-contamination protocol, and providing consistent care and treatment to puppies that have contracted parvovirus, this ICU saves a highly adoptable segment of the euthanasia list: puppies! The Parvo ICU Veterinary Technician works in the Parvo Ward to provide paid staff coverage in support of the Parvo Volunteer teams. Responsibilities will include completing animal intake and discharges, medicating and caring for animals, maintaining ICU cleanliness, and keeping up with data entry.

• Calculate medication dosages
• Intake and discharge patients, including bathing them out of the ward
• Administer medications orally, subcutaneously, and intravenously
• Place catheters and drawing blood
• Communicate verbally and in writing with volunteers, other programs, peers, and Managers
• Communicate with other shelters to approve/deny incoming parvo dogs
• Completes all parvo cleaning duties by following AM/PM checklists for every shift
• All staff are required to update treatment sheets per the protocol
• Abides by the APA! Code of Conduct and strives to meet all Core Competencies

• Attend and participate in all required training sessions and meetings
• Maintain open and consistent communication with Program Manager or designee, supervisor, and other colleagues
• Able to react to change productively and perform other related duties as assigned
• Able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed
• Able to work in a high volume, fast-paced, high-stress environment

• Learn how to care team animals
• Learn how to treat animals with PO, SQ, and IV medications.
• Learn all the Parvo Protocols
• Be able to work solo shifts after three weeks of training.
• Complete opening and closing tasks in a timely manner.
• Will have knowledge of Shelterluv, Gmail, Gchat, and Waitwhile.
• Intake parvo/panleuk animals into the ward.
• Document all findings on the medical treatment sheets.
• Accurately documenting all pertinent information in Shelterluv.
• Train volunteers on essential, care, and medical tasks.
• Follow quarantine protocols.
• Perform post parvo bathouts and intake exams.
• Cleans and sanitizes cages, kennels, equipment, and treatment areas to maintain the sanitary conditions of the parvo ward.
• Assists in euthanasia appointments and appropriately store and label deceased animals
• Able to identify emergency and urgent situations and communicate concerns to relevant staff to triage
• Appropriately and effectively restrains and handles animals for exams and treatments
• Adhere to the staff schedule shift times assigned by the Parvo ICU Manager
• Adhere to treatment shift times assigned by the Parvo ICU Manager
• Staff will adhere to med team and care team duties only during AM/PM shifts
• Late intakes may occur and staff will adapt and adjust accordingly with a positive attitude
• AM staff will help PM staff prepare for PM treatments by drawing up medication, restocking, care team, and med team while within their normal scheduled hours.
• Job duties may include some or all of the above, and other duties as assigned by manager

• Complete all requirements of a Level 1 technician
• Be familiar with all Parvo Protocols
• Train level 1 staff members on protocols.
• Performs animal triage and treatment with limited assistance
• Proficient with blood draws, catheter placement, and all forms of injection
• Calculating drug dosages for all medications with no assistance
• Confidently handles emergency situations following protocols and with veterinary direction
• Eligible to cross train in the clinic if time permits.
• Job duties may include some or all of the above, and other duties as assigned by manager

• Complete all requirements of Level 1 and Level 2 technician
• Train level 1 and level 2 staff members.
• Efficient in all Parvo Protocols
• Comfortability with handling animals with varied behavior levels
• Takes lead on emergency situations with little to no veterinary direction
• Can place solo IV catheters with no assistance.
• Be a mentor to all staff and volunteers
• Job duties may include some or all of the above, and other duties as assigned by manager

• Knowledge of standard canine illnesses preferred
• Experience as a veterinary technician, or experience as an APA! Parvo or APA! Clinic Volunteer preferred
• Able to give injections SQ and IV. Ability to draw blood and place IV catheters is preferred
• Knowledge of basic medications, vaccines, drugs preferred
• Understand the current APA! medical protocols
• Must embody APA!'s Core Values of Innovation, Respect, Drive, Resourcefulness, and Inclusion
• Commitment to APA!'s customer experience expectations
• Willing and committed to working well with volunteers and staff in all roles
• Commitment to providing quality care to the animals under our care

• Must be able to routinely lift 40-50 pounds with or without reasonable accommodations
• Must have the ability to restrain animals of varying sizes and temperaments with or without reasonable accommodations
• Must have the ability to stand/bend/kneel for long periods of time while performing work requiring concentration and manual dexterity with or without reasonable accommodations
• Must be able to work around dogs with varying temperaments, including those that are diseased, injured, and/or potentially aggressive
• Must be comfortable working around unpleasant smells, loud noises, and a variety of standard cleaning supplies and chemicals

• Work is primarily performed in the Parvo ICU Ward, with exposure to environmental conditions that include working with and near animals
• Uses own transportation to travel and transport
• Occasional after-hours or weekend work may be required to support program needs