Referral Specialist jobs in Fargo, ND

Full-Time Surgery Technician Position

● We are currently seeking technicians for our Surgery department. Shifts will be 10 hours in length and will be scheduled Monday – Thursday.

Who We Are

Red River Animal Emergency Hospital and Referral Center was established in 2005 as North Dakotas first dedicated Emergency Hospital. Over the years RRAEH’s passion to serve its veterinary community has led to non-stop growth of our staff, facility, and level of patient care. Even as we continue to grow, we work hard to make sure every employee is valued and heard, that we are always pushing ourselves to grow and learn, and that we are providing the best patient care and customer service! RRAEH strives to provide the highest level of medicine for our veterinary community, while creating a pleasant and fulfilling work environment for our team. Our hospital was founded by local veterinarians and remains that way, with many of our owners working side by side with you in our hospital. We are currently a team of 95 plus employees who are dedicated and passionate about veterinary medicine. In the last few years, we have expanded to open our Referral Center that has created space for additional specialties so that we can better serve our veterinary community. We currently have a full-time Oncology and Surgery service and are looking to add Internal Medicine very soon. We are proud of our hospital, our staff, and our community, and we are excited about the opportunity of having you work with us!

The Veterinary Surgery Technician

The Surgery technician at RRAEH will work closely with our Surgeon and Veterinary Technician Specialist in developing our Surgery Service. In this role, you provide nursing care and knowledge in the areas of anesthesia/analgesia and surgery. Ideally, the surgery technician candidate will possess – strong IV catheter placement and phlebotomy skills; accurate drug calculation and dispensing; ability to closely monitor patients under sedation and anesthesia; ability to obtain excellent radiographs; excellent interpersonal and communications skills; ability and desire to build strong rapport and lasting relationships with clients and their pet’s; and desire for continued growth as a technician through CE and training. RRAEH’s Surgery technician should have a strong interest in learning about all aspects of Anesthesia, Surgery, and using this knowledge to instruct and educate clients.

Are you looking for challenges outside of spays, neuters, and dental cleanings? Would you like to grow your skill set? Surgery thrives on utilizing their technicians to perform and provide exceptional anesthetic, pain management, and surgical care to patients who require procedures such as- intrathoracic, and complex abdominal or orthopedic procedures.

As a Veterinary Surgery Technician at RRAEH, you will:

● Review referring veterinarian (rDVM) medical records, obtain a history, vitals, and necessary pre-anesthetic diagnostics for all patients scheduled for sedation, anesthesia, and surgery

● Prepare and place peripheral IV catheters with appropriate fluids and IV lines. Know how to set up, run, and troubleshoot IV/syringe pumps

● Know commonly used drugs and dosages, how to calculate corresponding dosage volumes, and properly log controlled drugs

● Setup anesthesia machines; ensuring proper levels of inhalant, anesthetic tubes, and reservoir bags

● Obtain surgical orders from the surgeon for each patient including: pre-, intra-, and post-operative drugs, anesthesia, IV fluids, CRIs

● Calculate and prepare anesthetic drugs, induce anesthesia, and use properly selected endotracheal tubes to intubate patients

● Monitor and diligently record vital signs for all anesthetized or sedated patients, with monitoring equipment; maintain appropriate plane of anesthesia; and complete anesthesia monitoring sheet

● Prepare for and administer epidurals and various locoregional nerve blocks (training will be provided)

● Prepare patients for surgery according to procedure and surgeon’s preferences, properly clip surgical site and perform aseptic patient scrub

● Fill out patient’s treatment sheets and enter on Vet Radar per surgeon’s orders

● Obtain laboratory samples for submission to diagnostic lab, complete request form, and prepare samples for shipping

● Calculate and prepare constant rate infusions (CRIs) for patients during surgery and post-operatively

● Extubate/recover patients safely and round cases to the assigned technician

● Assist the surgeon during physical exams, use proper restraint showing compassion and care for each patient and their conditions.

● Perform diagnostics and treatments at the direction the veterinarian including: drawing blood, taking radiographs, removing sutures/staples, drains, bandage changes, and wound care

● Understand proper use of digital x-ray machine, minimize radiation hazards, operate software

● Operate all functions of EzyVet and Vet Radar including open and navigate the dashboard, enter medical notes, patient weight, vital signs, and callback massages; create and edit estimates/invoices, patient documents, labels and whiteboard; and manage patient appointments

● Fill medications, appropriate sized e-collars, slings, or other specialized harness

● Discharge patients from the hospital:

o Review medications and discharge instructions

o Answer any questions or concerns the client may have and aid in scheduling follow-up appointments

● Provide customer service to clients and pDVMs by taking inquiries, patient updates, addressing client callbacks, and alert the surgeon to urgent messages. Follow-up as necessary until all requests and needs are met

● Expected to build goodwill and positive relationships with clients, primary/referring veterinarians, and coworkers; shows good judgment in patient care and communication with others and supports the values of the practice

● Assist other Surgery technicians/assistants and client service team as needed

Additional Responsibilities:

● Stay current on hospital and department policies, procedures, and notifications by checking your RRAEH email and mailbox routinely

● Attend and participate in all staff meetings, required training sessions, and continuing education opportunities

● Maintain cages, treatment, surgery prep areas, exam rooms, and lobby in a neat and sanitary condition

o Follow general cleaning procedures and help complete beginning/end-of-day and weekly/monthly checklists

● Maintain accurate and timely inventory of medical supplies

o Restock treatment, surgery prep, ORs, and exam rooms as needed

o Work with the Inventory Manager and Surgery team to maintain inventory for the service, including equipment, tools, plates, etc.

● Provide and maintain clean bedding, food, water, and litter pans for surgery ward patients according to the individual patient needs. Walk patients outside

● Scrub in and assist during surgical procedures as necessary

● Other duties and special projects as assigned

● Knowledge of CT imaging (we have a 16 slice CT) (training will be provided)

Benefits and Salary:

We want you to grow with us, let us know your goals and we will help you to reach them!

Salary: Starting wage $22 an hour (more with Surgery and/or technician experience)

Schedule: Monday through Thursday. No Holidays and No Weekends (10-hour Shifts, possibility of overtime but not guaranteed)!

(Opportunity to train and pick up ER shifts, but the Surgery Service will be main priority) *Schedule may be subject to change pending needs of the clinic but will not be executed without sufficient notice from management*

Full-Time benefit options include (Most benefits begin day 1 of employment!):

● Health Care Benefits – Medical is partially paid for by RRAEH (Blue Cross Blue Shield Platinum), dental & vision options available

● 401k Retirement Plan with match

● Pet Care Discounts/Pet Food Discounts

● Scrub Allowance

● CE Allowance and frequent in-house CE opportunities

● Employee Assistance Program

● PTO

● Shift Differential of $5 an hour (between 8pm and 6am)

● Reimbursement of licenses and specialty dues

Qualifications:

● Experience working in a veterinary practice preferred but not required if certified or licensed in veterinary technology

● Graduate from AVMA-accredited Veterinary Technology program is required, equivalent work experience in surgery may be considered if tech is not certified or licensed.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $22.00 - $25.00 per hour

Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 10 hour shift
• 4x10
• Day shift
• No nights
• No weekends

Work Location: In person