veterinary jobs in North Vancouver, BC

Canada West Veterinary Specialists is an exciting multi-disciplinary specialty referral practice with a dedicated 24-hour ERCC service. We are a certified Level II Veterinary Trauma center as designated per the Veterinary Committee on Trauma (VetCOT). We have 6 specialty departments, including Oncology, Neurology, Diagnostic Imaging, Surgery and, Internal Medicine with added services of Rehabilitation therapy and an in-house lab.

With a team of just over 180 staff members we are a group of dedicated and diverse individuals passionate about working together to provide the best patient care and client satisfaction.

JOIN US? Although a busy hospital we take pride in our staff and focus on providing a safe and fun place to build a career.

BENEFITS

• We grow together with our monthly in-house Continuing Education presentations
• Subsidized extended health benefits
• Paid sick days
• Uniform allowance
• Wellness Spending account
• RRSP matching program
• We believe in your well-being and provide a company sponsored Employee Assistance Program (EAP) enabling access to caring professionals that can help access support related to fitness, physical health and mental well-being programs.
• We provide employer paid Pet insurance to our employees.
• We believe in recognizing our staff with an anniversary recognition program.
• We have a profit-sharing program to recognize our staff’s contributions for our success.
• We have fun together with our hospital sponsored social events like; having Food Trucks visit us onsite, Halloween pumpkin carving contests, Annual Christmas Party, Pub Nights, etc.

POSITION SUMMARY

The primary responsibilities of this position are to assist the Specialists and Technicians within the Surgery service. Duties will include prepping patients for surgery, scrubbing into surgery, taking radiographs, understanding surgical protocols, performing proper instrument cleaning, wrapping and disinfection of surgical instruments, running the autoclaves and to ensure the proper cleaning and disinfection of the surgical areas. The Surgery service is fast-paced, detail orientated and deals with critical situations by nature. An ideal Surgery Assistant candidate will have a calm and levelheaded demeanor and ability to problem solve in stressful situations.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Perform pre-surgical preparation of patients, instruments and equipment.
• Preparation of patients and ORs for surgery using sterile techniques (scrubbing, opening instruments etc.)
• Scrubbing to assist in draping patients as well as assisting the surgeon in a multitude of different surgical procedures.
• Obtain a good understanding of surgical procedures and ability to anticipate the needs of the surgeon.
• Ensures cleaning and sterilization equipment is properly maintained and documented.
• Responsible for keeping instruments and operating theatre areas clean and organized.
• Assists with and/or performs radiographs on surgical patients.
• Ability to remember the required instruments for individual packs, instrument location, and the specific needs of individual surgeons.
• Ability to focus on complex tasks while working in stressful environments.
• Assists in patient restraint so that procedures can be performed effectively by the surgeon or technician.
• Ensures supply inventory is sufficient to meet the demands of the Service.
• Perform basic patient care (Ensure patient is comfortable, walking the patient, cleaning kennels)
• Greet and offer assistance to clients.
• Responsible for ensuring daily communication with clients as well as facilitating communication between clients and hospital medical team.
• Willing to go above and beyond to exceed client expectations.
• Performs other duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Knowledge of equipment maintenance procedures and necessary documentation required.
• Good understanding of radiation safety, patient positioning, and radiographic techniques.
• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to work in high-paced environment.
• Ability to recognize and establish priorities.
• Strong organizational skills and excellent memory.
• Ability to remain calm and act efficiently in an emergency.
• High level of professionalism.
• Excellent communication skills.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Graduate of a Veterinary Assistant program, or equivalent experience.
• Customer service experience is an asset.

WORKING HOURS

• Rotational shifts comprising of 4*10’s
• Rotational On-Call Shifts on Saturdays
• All rotations are to be evenly shared amongst the surgical assistant team.

We thank all applicants for their interest in Canada West Veterinary Specialists, however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: $21.00-$26.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Company events
• Dental care
• Discounted or free food
• Employee assistance program
• Extended health care
• On-site parking
• Paid time off
• Vision care

Experience:

• Veterinary Assistant: 1 year (preferred)

Work Location: In person