Veterinary Care Assistant

**Job Purpose**
As a member of the nursing team ensure the smooth running of the Small Animal Hospital and provide a high standard of nursing care to all patients.

**Main Duties and Responsibilities**
1. Ensure all patients are appropriately identified at admission and ensure all items left with the patient are labelled and returned to the clients on discharge.
2. Provision of care to hospitalised patients in conjunction with veterinary nurses to include feeding, walking, grooming and additional needs as required.
3. Restrain a variety of species including cats, dogs and exotics, with varied temperaments, including aggressive patients. Understand how to safely handle patients and use restraint aids appropriately.
4. Perform basic practical and technical tasks including administering tablet medication, tube feeds, disconnecting intravenous fluids and programming fluid therapy rates into fluid pumps, placing warm and cold packs to surgical sites, under the supervision of registered veterinary nurses.
5. Perform basic patient monitoring including demeanour, temperature, pulse, respiration rate, capillary refill time and mucous membrane colour. Recognise abnormalities and know when to report changes to the veterinary nurse.
6. Select an appropriate volume of a pre-determined diet to meet the patients’ nutritional demands. Ensure patients eat and if not, provide encouragement by tempting with different diets and hand feeding. Accurately measure the amount of food eaten and record on patient records.
7. Perform routine cleaning of kennels, runs, wards, treatment rooms, consulting rooms, food preparation and storerooms as required. Perform disinfection of high-risk areas including those that house immunosuppressed patients and patients with infectious/zoonotic diseases. Understand and adhere to infectious control procedures.
8. Assist staff while they perform a variety of diagnostic & nursing procedures by setting up equipment and restraining patients e.g. catheter placement, blood sampling, dressing changes and ultrasound examinations.
9. Collect faecal and urine samples. Deliver samples to laboratory when required.
10. Adhere to hospital protocols to ensure high levels of hygiene are maintained in all areas of responsibility. Ensure health & safety guidelines are followed at all times.
11. Use a range of equipment including in-house laboratory analysers and accurately report results to more senior staff in charge of case.
12. Perform daily quality control of maintenance of in-house laboratory equipment. Inform senior staff of any problems with equipment. Ensure the laboratory is kept clean and appropriately stocked.
13. In the absence of the Supplies Assistant, receive and process deliveries including scanning & processing of delivery notes, monitor stock levels within food store and order all non-prescription and prescription diets to maintain appropriate stock levels. Rotate stock to ensure mínimal wastage.
14. On a rotational basis work within in-house laundry. This includes laundering patient bedding, in-house staff scrub suits and co-ordinating the external laundering of theatre suits following hospital protocols.
15. Maintain appropriate husbandry of exotic species and small mammals that are used by the teaching unit. Supervise and instruct veterinary undergraduates during practical classes in the husbandry and handling of these animals.
16. Theatre duties to include cleaning of theatres, cleaning & packing surgical instruments and general stocking. Changing surgical gas cylinders when required. Assisting with preparation of patients for surgery and transport of patients to and from theatre.
17. To set up and disinfect equipment for a range of common procedures performed within treatment area including endoscopy.
18. Understand veterinary terminology and ensure patient hospital records are updated following any procedure/check.
19. Other tasks within level of responsibility as deemed suitable by line manager.

**Knowledge/Qualifications**

**Essential**:

A1. Knowledge of animal husbandry (cats, dogs and exotics).
A2. Educated to Standard Grade level or equivalent.

**Desirable**:

B1. Veterinary Care Assistant (City & Guilds Level 2) qualification. B2. Veterinary Terminology (SCQF Level 3) qualification.

**Skills**

**Essential**:

C1. Excellent animal handling skills especially dogs and cats. C2. Evidenced ability to clean to a high standard.
C3. Good observation & communication skills. C4. Evidenced ability to use initiative.
C5. Evidenced ability to work independently or as part of a team. C6. Basic IT skills.
C7. Good organisational skills and an ability to prioritise work.

**Experience**

**Essential**:

E1. Substantial & relevant work experience in a kennel, cattery or veterinary environment

**Desirable**:

F1. Experience of handling reptiles and exotics.
-

**Terms and Conditions**
Salary will be Grade 3, £21,828 - £22,681 per annum, plus 6% weekend shift allowance.
This post is full time