Associate Veterinarian

Requirements

As an Associate Veterinarian, you assume a multifaceted role at our hospital, extending far beyond traditional veterinary duties. You serve as a cornerstone in bringing our pillars to life and leading by example, both for our patients, their parents and the entire support team. Here, we place paramount importance on embracing Cara Veterinary's Pillars and Core Competencies, making your leadership pivotal in shaping our practice culture, standards of care, and the client-patient journey.

The following is a partial list of essential job responsibilities. This list may be revised at any time and additional duties not listed here may be requested and/or added.

Patient management

• · Put Pets First – creating recommendations with the patient’s well-being as the first priority. · Continually improve the quality of patient care through studying veterinary journals and textbooks and by attending continuing education seminars. · Perform examinations, diagnostic tests, medical, surgical, and dental procedures in a way that will deliver the highest quality care while minimizing patient stress and discomfort. This will include care for both well pets and sick pets. · Perform medically appropriate euthanasia with compassion and concern for the patient’s comfort and the client’s emotional status. · Recommend referral to a specialist when this is likely to significantly improve the prognosis.
• CLIENT
• MANAGEMENT: · Will promote and participate in the Pillars and our Standards of Conduct and help ensure that the above is known and practiced by all team members. · Develop rapport with clients through compassionate communication. · Determine client’s needs and wishes. · Question the client to ascertain the patient’s past medical and surgical history as well as a description of the current presenting signs. · Explain physical examination findings. · Recommend the appropriate preventive health care, including vaccines and appropriate nutritional products and protocols in accordance with hospital quality of care. · Recommend and explain plans for diagnostic procedures and for medical and surgical therapies; methods for home care procedures and follow up plans. In both written and verbal form. · Provide the client with the patients prognosis based on the pets clinical problems. · Generate, or direct generation of fee estimates/treatment plan for recommended procedures and presents them to the client. · Keep clients informed regarding the status of their pet and results of diagnostic tests. · Provide telephone consultation, including follow-up calls for progress reports, etc. in accordance with your hospitals stated timelines.

Administrative management

• Maintenance of client/patient medical/surgical records: Completely “SOAP” the patient’s medical records in accordance with your hospitals standards/timelines: S = Subjective analysis of problem (history) O = Objective analysis of problem (symptoms) A = Assessment of problem (diagnosis) P = Plan of dealing with problem (treatment) Make certain all necessary logs are kept up to date through established protocols and guidelines: Surgical logs Narcotics logs Radiology logs Laboratory logs Any other hospital logs Accurately charge clients for all services performed. Participate in the planning, execution, and analysis of various methods of improving delivery of services to clients. Support and participate in marketing and promotional events and programs. Ready to report to work when the need arises. Contribute to maintenance of a comfortable, clean, and safe environment of which the clients, the team and the management can be proud.
• TEAM
• Management-
• Professional
• TEAM: · Ensure an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual respect. · Keep patient records complete and up to date to assist colleagues in follow-up and future management of the patient. · Provide consultation when requested and assisting with diagnostic, treatment, and surgical procedures. · Ensure that credit is accurately given for procedures performed by each veterinarian. · Maintain communication with clients when their pet’s primary veterinarian is not available. · Assist DVM colleagues where necessary and foster an educational environment. · Empathy and medical/surgical advice for colleagues when questions of clinical judgment arise.

Team management- Technicians/ Assistants

· Maintain an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual respect. · Clearly prescribe detailed directions regarding drug doses, routes, times, and rates for administration, diagnostic medical, surgical, and dental procedures, and instructions for patient monitoring. · Assist technicians where necessary and foster an educational environment. · Provide instruction in client education, diagnostic and treatment procedures, and anesthesia, care of instruments, surgical assisting, and dentistry.

Team management- Receptionists

· Maintain an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual respect. · Expedite the generation of fee estimates/treatment plans for recommended procedures and the invoicing of client charges for outpatients and for patients to be discharged. · Clearly record information, in a timely manner, regarding medications and supplies being dispensed. · Assist receptionists in providing answers to client’s questions using the appropriate tone and grammar for patient care and records. · Provide education regarding basic pet health to assist them in advising clients when scheduling appointments for examinations and various procedures.

Professional responsibilities

· Honesty in dealing with clients and colleagues. · Maintain an attitude and appearance that reflect favorably on the profession, hospital and company. · Empathy for colleagues when questions of clinical judgment arise. · Share information and concerns with other members of the profession, hospital and company by attending veterinary meetings regularly. · Represent the hospital to the professional community and the general public as requested. · Model an “owner” mentality in hospital by demonstrating willingness to assist all team members for the success of the hospital.

Exemplify Cara Veterinary’s Core Competencies on a daily basis.

Connection

This competency involves nurturing robust connections with pet parents, pets, the community, and fellow team members, aligning with the practice's foundational values. It centers on fostering a sense of unity and comprehension that transcends the client-patient relationship. Team members prioritize building connections and relationships with clients and their pets, acknowledging the significance of empathy, trust, and team support, benefiting the pet's well-being, and enhancing the practice's harmony.

Advocate

Advocacy is about empowering pet parents to make informed choices, advocating for the well-being of pets within the community, and supporting one another as a cohesive team. Advocates cultivate trust, cooperation, and an inclusive culture, giving utmost importance to values such as support, trust, empathy, and inclusivity. This commitment extends beyond interactions with pet parents and pets and resonates within the broader team, creating an environment where every member is valued, heard, and supported, irrespective of their backgrounds or viewpoints.

Communication

Communication revolves around fostering effective communication not only with pet parents but also within the team, ensuring a seamless flow of information for the highest quality of care for each patient. Team members prioritize building an atmosphere of trust, rapport, and open communication within the team, where everyone's input is valued. This extends to pet parents, pets, and the local community, creating a collaborative and supportive environment. Effective communication ensures that all aspects of patient care are well-coordinated and harmonized, mirroring the values of the practice pillars while facilitating a culture of inclusivity and transparency.

Trust

• Trust is a cornerstone of our ability to provide the highest quality of care to our patients. It demands an open mind and a non-judgmental approach. Trust requires empathy, allowing us to understand the unique needs and perspectives of our pet parents, pets, and team members. It involves adapting behavior and care recommendations based on cues from pet parents, pets, and team members, establishing an environment of trust and integrity that extends to the entire community. Trust advocates focus on building strong relationships and an environment where everyone feels heard and supported, aligning with the pillars.
• Resilience &
• Adaptability: This competency encourages viewing challenges as opportunities for growth, acknowledging that the veterinary industry, while rewarding, can also be emotionally and mentally taxing. To be resilient, we must practice self-compassion and extend that compassion to others. This means recognizing when we need assistance and not hesitating to ask for help when it's needed. Resilient individuals offer creative solutions, maintain a positive outlook, and actively support fellow team members, mirroring the spirit of innovation and community engagement outlined in the pillars.

Special Working Conditions and Physical Requirements · Team Member should expect to spend nearly all of their workdays standing, sitting, and typing at a computer. · They should have a physical strength and the ability to safely lift objects weighing up to 50 pounds without assistance. · Able to assist in lifting patients weighing more than 50 pounds. · Must possess sufficient strength and assertiveness to effectively restrain patients and ensure the safety of clients and personnel. · Ability to be confident around pets (ex: dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, etc.) · The noise level in the work environment is moderately high. · Ability to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagram form and to solve problems involving several variables. · Requires ambulatory skills sufficient 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 reach and grasp, and visual acuity to use a keyboard, operate equipment and read information. · Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. · Team is routinely exposed to pets that may bite or scratch, and on occasion, exposed to anesthesia, radiation, biological hazards, and medication/ controlled substances. Experience, Education and/ or Training · A Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree, or equivalent, from an accredited university. · State Veterinary Board License and must be in good standing for the state in which they intend to be hired, prior to their start date. DISCLAIMER: This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive listing of duties expected of this position. This job description, the duties and expectations may change at any time.