SUMMARY OF JOB PURPOSE AND FUNCTION:

The Pet Care Assistant works with the veterinary medical team to provide and prepare for the best medical care of pets.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

•  Live and exemplify the Five Principles of Mars, Inc. within self and team.
•  Prepare the treatment room for examination of pets and all necessary medical item and supplies (e.g. vaccinations, fecal loops, slides, etc.) for the veterinarian and/or veterinary technician. Set up fecals, smears, and skin scrapings as allowed by state rules and regulations.
•  Serve as support to the Client Services Coordinator, Veterinary Assistant and Veterinary Technician.
•  Hold or restrain pets during examination, treatment, or inoculation.
•  Prepare routine in-house laboratory tests (e.g. canine heartworm, feline leukemia, FIV, and canine parvovirus) as allowed by state rules and regulations.
•  Monitor the comfort of hospitalized patients. Ensure the comfort of hospitalized patients by "walking", exercising, feeding, and cleaning cages and pet (when approved by the veterinarian or veterinary technician).
•  Bathe and dip pets when necessary to treat dermatological conditions (when advised by veterinarian or veterinary technician.
•  Clean the surgical suite and instruments.
•  Ensure cleanliness of the hospital including but not limited to housekeeping such as laundry, dishes, mopping, cage cleaning, trash collection and removal and instrument cleaning as outlined by hospital protocols
•  Other job duties as assigned

SPECIAL WORKING CONDITIONS

 Ability to work at a computer for long periods of time.

 Ability to be confident around pets (i.e., dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, etc.)

 Client needs and work volume may require more than 40 hours per week to complete essential duties of this job. This position requires special hours including working weekends and evenings.

 Must have mental processes for reasoning, remembering, mathematics and language ability (reading, writing, and speaking the English language) to perform the duties proficiently.

 The noise level in the work environment is moderately high.

 Requires sufficient ambulatory skills in order to perform duties while at hospital.

 Ability to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and climb as well as manipulate (lift, carry, move) up to 50 pounds.

 Requires good hand-eye coordination, arm-hand-finger dexterity with the ability to grasp, and visual acuity to use a keyboard and operate equipment.

 Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.  Associate is routinely exposed to a variety of pets that may bite or scratch, and on occasion, exposed to anesthesia, radiation, biological hazards and medication/controlled substances.

EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION AND/OR TRAINING

 High School Diploma preferred.

 Must be at least 18 years old to perform duties involving radiography (x-ray) and exposure to radioactive substances.

 One year related experience required with customer service preferred.