Veterinarian

Scope of Work

The Veterinarian works closely with the Animal Services Manager to ensure a healthy animal population and consistent best practices in shelter medicine.Under general supervision, maintains the health and welfare of all animals in the shelter and manages a diverse collection of animals by providing professional veterinary care. Performs quality high-volume spay and neuter surgeries.

Work hours:

• Compressed Work Schedule: In-shelter days on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday

• Occasionally, special occurrences, such as community outreach or educational events, require your presence on days when you are not regularly scheduled to work.

• Provide medical consultations via phone on days outside the shelter and/or after hours, supporting staff with expertise and guidance.

Incentives:

• Spay and neuter procedure incentives.

• Opportunities for professional development and continuing education, with no out-of-pocket expense.

• Attractive new facilities. Work in a state-of-the-art facility that opened in late 2021 with a full surgical suite.

Retention Incentives:

• Education/Student Loan reimbursement incentive for new veterinary school graduates.

• An attractive retention incentive is available for tenured veterinarians, dependent on experience level.

Budgetary Responsibilities: Assists with and makes recommendations concerning the annual budget.

Essential Job Duties

• Performs daily rounds and evaluates the health and welfare of the animals in the shelter.

• Meets with staff to discuss animal health issues and preventive health measures.

• Provides timely preventative care, diagnostic procedures, triage, and general medical and basic surgical treatment of all animals in the shelter.

• Provides high-quality sterilization surgery on shelter population.

• Orders, issues, and administers drugs and medical supplies in compliance with federal, state, and local requirements.

• Develops, coordinates, and implements preventive health surveillance, analysis, and nutrition programs.

• Manages the surgery suite; manages inventory of equipment and supplies in the surgery suite.

• Exercises independent judgment within broad policy guidelines; interprets concerns, defines desired results, and determines veterinary programs' and special projects' scope and priorities.

• Supervises, prioritizes, assigns tasks and projects; trains staff; develops staff skills and meets regularly with staff to discuss and resolve workload and technical issues.

• Coordinates operations with external partners and other public and private agencies. Works with the Animal Services Manager in budget planning.

• Monitors and reviews trends in shelter operations and health management issues; recommends operational, procedural, and policy improvements.

• Supports the relationship between the City of Midland and the general public by demonstrating courteous and cooperative behavior when interacting with citizens, visitors, and City staff; maintains confidentiality of work-related issues and City information; performs any other duties as needed or assigned.

• Performs necropsies.

• Assists with planning and participates in low-cost vaccination clinics.

• Administers the rabies control program.

• Vaccinates all animals not currently vaccinated against rabies before their release when vaccination is appropriate and certifies all animals released from quarantine observation as being free from rabies.

• Knowledge of the principles of infectious disease presentation, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management, including but not limited to URI, kennel cough, panleukopenia, parvo, distemper, other infectious causes of diarrhea, ringworm, common internal parasites, common external parasites, FIP, FeLV, FIV, and rabies.

• Knowledge of general principles of vaccinations in developing vaccination protocols focusing on vaccinations for common shelter conditions.

• Provides staff training relevant to animal husbandry, humane animal handling, sanitation and disease control, basic animal behavior, medical care, surgical support, and animal first aid.

• Evaluate sick and injured animals for the most humane treatment/disposition.

• Assists in the training and performance of proper euthanasia of animals by injection.

• Establishes and implements written medical treatment protocols for the shelter environment.

• Ability to interpret radiographs.

• Ability to provide emergency medical care, stabilization, diagnosis, and treatment of ill and injured animals brought to the shelter.

• Ability to interpret local ordinances, statutes, rules, regulations, and city policies pertaining to animal services.

• Ability to input animal records into a computer to requisition and control euthanasia drugs in accordance with all applicable state and federal regulations and laws. Knowledge of drug classifications, rules, and regulations of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

• Ability to stay abreast of new trends and innovations in animal sheltering.

• Able to attend advisory board meetings and staff meetings.

Physical and Environmental Conditions

Ability to sit, stand, and drive a vehicle to and from various work sites. Employees may be exposed to extreme temperatures. Employees also may work around potentially hazardous chemicals or dangerous animals. Ability to lift bags of materials such as dog food or animals.

Required Qualifications

Required Contacts:

Employee communicates with other employees in the workgroup and will respond to questions from the general public regarding ordinances, Animal Services, or animals. Will interact with the Texas Animal Control Association, National Animal Control Association, Texas Department of Health, other animal control organizations, local SPCA, news media, veterinarians, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and other city officials.

Required Qualifications:

• Must be a graduate of an accredited college or university with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.

• Must have a license to practice veterinary medicine in the State of Texas.

• 3 Years of experience is preferred but NOT required.

• Certifications Required: Required License to practice veterinary medicine in the State of Texas and a valid Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) registration certificate (Schedule 2, 2N, 3, 3N, 4, 5).

• A valid Class C Driver's License is required.

• Ability to read and understand complex items such as literature, proposals, legal documents, financial documents, contracts, technical items, and detailed reports.

• Advanced level of math with the ability to apply fundamental concepts of theories, work with advanced mathematical operations methods, and functions of real and complex variables.

• Ability to write editorials, journals, speeches, manuals, or critiques.