Veterinary Assistant

• Education: At least a high school diploma, some college preferred.
• Some recent experience working with and around animals
• Demonstrated ability to accurately manage and record detailed information
• Ability to perform, or ability to easily learn proper animal restraint
• Knowledge of / ability to learn common veterinary medical terminology
• Ability to complete assigned tasks within a reasonable time frame and without direct supervision
• Good listening skills with the ability to retain and apply new information
• Good communications skills
• Ability to stay on task and work energetically for an entire shift. Must be able to stand on feet and be active for long periods of time.
• Ability to lift objects weighing up to 40 pounds without assistance and over 40 pounds with assistance.

Personal Conduct:

• Adheres to all hospital policies, standards, and procedures as noted in the Pittsfield Veterinary Hospital handbook
• Serves as a representative of the hospital demonstrating core values with all interactions with clients, patients, and other staff members
• Shows initiative in daily tasks by seeking work / staying busy during slower times, assisting other employees, and filling in for other employees as needed
• Uses time-management skills to maximize personal efficiency. Prioritizes tasks and handles multiple tasks in a calm, organized manner.
• Adheres to posted work schedule. Arrives for work promptly and begins work at the start time

• Assisting technicians and doctors with safe, effective patient restraint
• Assisting doctors in exam rooms
• Performing technician appointments with supervision from a technician.
• Performing nail trims
• Giving SQ vaccines and injections with the supervision of a technician or doctor
• Assisting with radiographs and ultrasounds using proper safety techniques
• Giving SQ fluids with the direction of a technician or doctor
• Setting up and assisting with procedures such as IV catheterization and other common treatments.
• Cleaning and assembling surgery packs
• Processing and packaging lab work to be sent out
• Running in-house blood work
• Completing the initial steps of in-house urinalyses
• Staining microscope slides
• Cleaning cages
• General hospital cleaning and stocking of exam rooms and treatment areas
• Cleaning/ refreshing exam rooms between appointments and fully shutting the rooms down at appropriate times
• Running in-house 4DX and fecal floats Using the autoclave properly
• Loading appointments with supervision from a technician
• Filling prescriptions with supervision and guidance from a technician
• Overseeing and completing daily and weekly cleaning checklists
• Walking, cleaning, and feeding patients
• Putting together information packets (puppy, kitten, dental, arthritis, urine collection)
• Reading and understanding written directions and protocols
• Turning over surgery/dental between procedures and fully shutting down when surgery is done
• Providing compassionate patient care, keeping patients clean, dry, and comfortable
• Alerting veterinarians to changes in patients' condition
• Assisting with and documenting patient treatments
• Recognizing patients with contagious diseases and following relevant procedures
• Keeping the hospital clean and stocked
• Removing trash from the hospital, and sweeping and mopping floors as needed
• Bringing laundry to the laundry room and sorting it properly

At Pittsfield Veterinary Hospital we strive for the best client and pet care. Our job is not only to treat your pet when he or she isn't feeling well, but also to help you learn how to keep your best friend happy and healthy. We offer a friendly, upbeat, casual yet professional work environment, and competitive pay based on experience and credentials. After the introductory period, benefits for full-time employees include health, dental, and vision insurance, Simple IRA for those that qualify, CE allowance, vacation time, 6 paid holidays, your birthday is a paid day off, and discounted veterinary services.

We even offer an Employee Assistance Program that provides free confidential counseling and referral services to our employees and their dependents.

• Our Core Values help define us and make our team stand out above the rest.
• When you work for Pittsfield Vet not only will you be treated like family but your voice will be heard. We strongly believe in open communication and continually being challenged to help make us a better practice.
• We are looking for the right person for the right job. Our goal is to help everyone succeed and continue to develop our skills and knowledge.
• Let’s grow together and bring higher quality medicine to the area to help as many families as possible with our state-of-the-art and comprehensive care.
• Our entire team believes in a work-like balance all while supporting each other and the community. Our social events outside of work also bring us closer together and allow us to have some extra fun.
• Our French bulldog mascots (and security detail), Mike and Maggie, bring life to our Community Client Care project. All of the proceeds from Mike and Maggie's merchandise go straight to this fund to help the local community.

The Berkshire region is noted as a center for the visual and performing arts; its art museums include the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Clark Art Institute, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA), Berkshire Museum, Hancock Shaker Village, and the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA). Performing arts institutions in the Berkshires include Tanglewood Music Center and Boston University Tanglewood Institute in Lenox, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra; the Bang on a Can Summer Festival for contemporary music in North Adams; Shakespeare & Company in Lenox; summer stock theatre festivals such as the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Williamstown, Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, the Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge, and Berkshire Playwrights Lab in Great Barrington; and America's first and longest-running dance festival, Jacob's Pillow, in the town of Becket.

Our county borders three neighboring states, New York, Vermont, and Connecticut. Two of these neighboring states can be seen right down the road from our practice at the top of Mount Greylock, the highest natural point in Massachusetts, at 3,492 feet. The Berkshires also have numerous trails, including part of the Appalachian Trail, large tracts of wilderness and parks, the Berkshire Botanical Garden, and the Hebert Arboretum. The south county area includes Bash Bish Falls, the tallest waterfall in Massachusetts.

If you would love to live and learn in a supportive, beautiful environment, come to the Berkshires and work with us at the Pittsfield Veterinary Hospital.