Overnight Veterinary Technician

CommonSpirit Health • Austin, TX

8d • Onsite

About The Position

The APA! Medical Clinic works on the cutting edge of shelter medicine, treating the most critical and vulnerable animals that other shelters and even some private clinics don't have the resources to help. Our veterinary technicians are crucial to the success of our lifesaving programs, providing hands-on care and treatment to the 10,000+ animals who come through our doors every year. This position is responsible for the late night/overnight treatment and care to all hospitalized animals under the care of the APA! medical clinic, as well as providing emergency on-call services to APA! fosters, adopters, and animal care teams. This position also helps monitor the TLAC campus for safety and emergency concerns, including extreme weather-related incidents. The overnight support technician is an independent role that will work closely with the veterinary staff, animal program teams, fosters, and adopters.

APA! is a volunteer-powered organization, so every staff member is expected to work alongside and support volunteers. The [Job Title] collaborates closely with volunteers to complete day-to-day tasks, helps create a positive and inclusive environment, and actively contributes to a culture of shared effort and mutual respect. This position may involve shift flexibility, weekend hours, and responsiveness during times of high need or MOD coverage. Every individual at APA! is responsible for working in collaboration with volunteers; making sure volunteers are recruited, trained and feel impactful through their efforts at APA!. A core part of this role is creating a welcoming and empowering experience for volunteers, including assisting with onboarding, training, and volunteer engagement as part of the day-to-day workflow.

Requirements

• 1 year experience working as a veterinary technician, preferably in a customer-facing role
• Proficiency in standard veterinary technician skills, including but not limited to proper handling and restraint techniques, blood draws and diagnostics, skin scrapes, TPR, SQ/IM/IV injections, and catheter placement
• Must have a basic knowledge of common dog and cat illnesses, injuries, conditions, and diagnostics
• Must be able to run basic medical tests for dogs and cats
• Must be able to transcribe veterinarian notes
• Ability to work independently and have strong decision-making abilities.
• Current Valid Driver’s License desired for occasional transport needs
• Must demonstrate dependability, accountability, time management, use of reasoning, and good judgment skills
• Attend and participate in all required training sessions and meetings
• Maintain open and consistent communication with Program Manager or designee, supervisor, and other colleagues
• Partner with Volunteer Managers to learn about the volunteer programs and support volunteers interested in your department on an ongoing basis
• 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
• Comfortable working autonomously when given goals and deadlines
• Must be able to routinely lift 40-50 pounds
• Must be able to work alone around cats and dogs with varying temperaments, including those that are diseased, injured, and/or potentially fractious or aggressive
• Must be comfortable working indoors and outdoors, around unpleasant smells, loud noises, and a variety of standard cleaning supplies and chemicals
• Must be comfortable witnessing veterinary surgical procedures
• If reasonable accommodations are requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job absent undue hardship to the organization.
• Committed to embodying APA!’s Core Values: Innovation, Respect, Drive, Resourcefulness, and Inclusion and cultural values: Humble, Hungry, Smart
• Commitment to APA!'s customer experience expectations
• Passion for working well with staff, volunteers, and customers—helping all individuals feel successful, appreciated, and connected to APA!’s mission
• Strong commitment to volunteer engagement and support; dedicated to working well with volunteers across all roles
• Comfortable working cross-functionally and serving as a liaison between volunteers, customers, and team members
• Effective written and verbal communication skills; able to interpret rules, procedures, and instructional materials
• Self-starter with strong time management; able to work independently and collaboratively
• Excellent interpersonal skills; maintains a calm and professional presence in all situations
• Strong attention to detail and high standards for quality
• Adaptable to change and able to perform related duties as needed
• Dedicated to delivering an exceptional and inclusive customer experience

Responsibilities

• Maintain proper care of all hospitalized animals during the overnight shift, including identifying, monitoring, and documenting symptoms of illness and changes, as well as providing scheduled treatments.
• Comfortable working independently and has strong veterinary technician decision-making skills.
• Request and administer all prescribed medications appropriately and within acceptable time frames, as directed by clinic protocols, veterinarians, and clinic leadership.
• Place IV catheters and administer medications IV, SQ, PO, and IM
• Follow medical protocols and have a deep understanding of common veterinary technician tasks, responsibilities, and terminology.
• Understand the technician/veterinarian relationship, including professional communication.
• Answer the clinic emergency phone line and provide instructions as needed to foster and adopters while maintaining excellent customer service.
• Use and troubleshoot IV pumps and other veterinary equipment.
• Triage and react accordingly to urgent, critical, and contagious animals.
• Report declining patients and emergency needs to the veterinary staff immediately.
• Able to humanely euthanize patients as directed by the veterinarian.
• Dispense storm medications when storms occur overnight.
• Provide Clinic Adoption and Foster Case Management Coordinators with updates as needed, including notification of potential new medical cases needing attention
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of all APA! medical protocols and procedures
• Maintain a safe, clean, and sanitary work environment
• Provide excellent customer service to all clients and stakeholders
• Send a detailed EOD report at the end of your shift
• Duties may differ slightly from this Job Description; all duties are outlined by the Clinic Manager Team, Veterinarian, or another individual designated by APA!
• Actively contribute to a volunteer-powered culture by partnering with volunteers during every shift and helping create an inclusive, welcoming environment
• Work alongside volunteers to complete daily tasks, ensuring the work is shared and collaborative—not siloed
• Support the recruitment and onboarding process by welcoming new volunteers and helping them get oriented to the program
• Help retain volunteers by offering encouragement, guidance, and feedback during shared work
• Recommend strong volunteers for deeper involvement or specialized roles to your supervisor or volunteer manager
• Contribute to a positive culture by recognizing volunteer contributions through appreciation, gratitude, and shoutouts
• Help set volunteers up for success by clearly explaining tasks, providing hands-on guidance, and offering in-the-moment support
• Job duties may include some or all of the above, and other duties as assigned by manager

Benefits

• Austin Pets Alive! is proud to offer a competitive benefits package for full-time employees, including subsidized employer-sponsored medical coverage, subsidized and voluntary life insurance, voluntary dental, vision and short-term disability options, all effective the first day of employment.
• We also offer voluntary wellness and emergency sick plans, up to 2% match on 401(K) retirement plan, supplemental benefits, flexible spending accounts and additional life coverage.
• Full-time employees receive 10 paid holidays and accrue 10 days paid time off during the first year of employment, with an additional 5 days of PTO accrual upon completion of 12 months of employment.
• Employees will also receive professional development opportunities through APA!’s ongoing mission to advance our animal welfare professionals in our life saving work.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed