Veterinary Assistant

Want to work in a beautiful hospital with a great culture and team atmosphere?

Our AAHA-accredited and fear-free hospital in thriving Minnetonka seeks a Full-Time Veterinary Assistant to join our growing team!

Pay range: $18-21/hour

WellHaven Pet Health of Minnetonka is a small animal practice just 20 minutes from the heart of Minneapolis. We are located in a phenomenal school district for your children (Minnetonka schools), close to shopping, 30 minutes or less to the U of MN College of Veterinary Medicine, and multiple other 24-hour emergency facilities for your patients. Centrally located in part of the metro area 20-30 minutes from the Twin Cities, you can enjoy festivals, good food, great entertainment, and museums. MN loves the outdoors, and you will see us on the lakes all seasons!

Why work for WellHaven Pet Health of Minnetonka?

So, what makes us different? Wellhaven Pet Health is a small corporation that focuses on the people in our industry and works to make your job more enjoyable. WellHaven Pet Health of Minnetonka is an AAHA-accredited, Fear Free certified, small animal practice just 20 minutes from the heart of Minneapolis. Our hospital is run by Dr. Mary Luebbers, who started as a veterinary assistant over 20 years ago. Given Dr. Luebbers's extensive knowledge of the industry, she understands the day-to-day challenges experienced at all levels of the hospital. She works diligently to create a collaborative and engaging environment that lends itself to professional development. Dr. Luebbers is also one of the founders of Lead Well with Women, which works to empower, engage, and create leaders within our industry. While upholding the highest standards in veterinary medicine, Dr. Luebbers and her team strive to individualize each role in the hospital to utilize your skills and knowledge to the best of your abilities. You will use your talents while learning from highly productive and knowledgeable teammates in an industry-leading hospital that genuinely wants you to succeed.

Our facility provides you with modern equipment, a cloud-based computer system, a Cubex pharmacy system for controlled drugs, digital radiography including dental radiographs, an in-house IDEXX lab suite, and a rigorous anesthesia monitoring system (BP, EtCO2, SpO2, EKG) including a Doppler.

The WellHaven Bloomington Urgent Care is our sister hospital, only a 20-minute drive! They only see urgent care pets, and the DVMs working at this facility are highly skilled and love to mentor and teach about urgent and emergency medicine!

Our practice encourages preventative Care through Care Companion Plans to offer clients an easy and affordable way to stay current on vaccines, bloodwork, and prophylactic dental. We are proud to provide full mouth digital radiographs standardly with all dental procedures and have an ultrasound, digital radiography, and a full Idexx suite of in-house lab machines. We want to expand our team with someone motivated, enthusiastic, reliable, and a team player.

Our multi-doctor hospital is a comprehensive service small animal veterinary hospital that provides comprehensive medical care, including surgery, dentistry (with Dental Radiography), internal medicine, emergency, and critical Care. We also emphasize preventative health care, which includes puppy and kitten wellness, annual examinations, and dental awareness. We have several Free-Free certified associates and encourage all team members to utilize Fear-Free techniques while handling patients. We also work with and support rescue caseload here and love our partnerships in the community - ask about it!

Job Summary

The Veterinary Assistant plays a crucial role in supporting veterinarians and veterinary technicians, ensuring the well-being of pets, educating clients, and maintaining the highest standards of veterinary care.

Key Responsibilities

Main Accountabilities:

• Demonstrate proficiency in applying technical skills acquired through education and experience, which includes expertise in surgery, dentistry, laboratory procedures, venipuncture, proper restraint techniques, and strict adherence to established protocols for maintaining a sterile and safe environment

• Contribute to the day-to-day efficiency and smooth operation of the hospital

• Utilize exceptional communication skills to engage with team members and clients effectively

• Maintain thorough and accurate medical charting for all patients, consistently meeting hospital quality control standards

• Educate clients about Wellness Plans, offering guidance on pet care and overall health as appropriate

• Assume responsibility for select reception duties, such as answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, and facilitating patient intake and discharge

• Obtain pertinent medical history and patient information

• Assist in managing hospital supplies, including inventory tracking and restocking as necessary

• Ensure the completion of all assigned hospital duties before the end of each shift

• Act as an advocate for the overall success and performance of the hospital

Customer Service Delivery:

• Consistently provide professional, efficient, and exceptional service

• Demonstrate excellent communication and organizational skills when interacting with the veterinary team and clients

• Effectively adapt to individual clients and their needs

• Effectively resolve customer complaints as appropriate

Other:

• Adhere to OSHA standards and regulations as outlined in company policies

• Ability to perform other job duties as assigned

Required Skills and Knowledge

Ability to:

• Enhance and acquire new veterinary technical skills such as proficiency in anesthesia, surgical assistance, and dentistry

• Work independently and exercise good judgment

• Multi-task effectively

• Remain action-oriented and effectively set priorities

• Work well in an extremely fast-paced work environment, remaining calm and resilient

• Exhibit proactive initiative in addressing tasks and challenges as they arise

• Complete work, maintaining a high level of accuracy while managing constant interruptions

• Learn new computer software systems (EMR, Scheduling, etc.)

• Provide a high level of accountability

Experience/Knowledge in:

• Handling dogs, cats, and exotic animals

• Providing basic animal care, such as feeding, bathing, grooming, and monitoring for signs of distress or illness

• Common medical procedures, including administering medications, wound care, and assisting with diagnostic tests

Demonstrates:

• Strong customer service focus while effectively adapting to individual clients and their needs

• Excellent communication skills and the ability to manage a variety of emotional situations remaining empathetic, compassionate, and approachable

Education and Experience

• High School Diploma or equivalent

• 6+ months of experience in the veterinary industry

• Completion of an NAVTA-approved veterinary assistant program or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that demonstrates the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities (preferred)

Work Location, Environment, and Physical Requirements

• The Vet Assistant position is performed onsite at our hospital or at an approved offsite event location. Remote work is not available for this position

• Hospital environment includes limited space, smells from pet waste, and noise (barking, etc.)

• Schedules may include 10+ hour shifts, Saturdays, evenings, and holidays

• 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 the ability to adjust focus

• Ability to lift 50+ pounds

• Able to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and climb

• May routinely be exposed to pets that may bite or scratch, biological hazards, anesthesia medications (smells), radiation if near an Xray machine, prescription medications, including controlled substances

Additional Information

Our hospital is part of the WellHaven Pet Health (WellHaven) network of hospitals. This allows us to have a more extensive and stronger support system, connecting with other hospitals in the area while remaining autonomous.

WellHaven helps veterinarians, and their teams succeed both personally and professionally. We value our medical teams and strive to support each team member each and every day. Our focus on personal growth, practice support, and life balance frame the relationship we want to have with our hospital teams. This people-first approach has made a considerable difference in the lives of our teams, clients, pets, our communities, and the health of our hospitals.

Weve been recognized in Inc. Magazine for making a difference in our community and in Forbes for being named one of America's Best Startup Employers. It is an exciting time to be part of the WellHaven team and an excellent time for you to consider joining us!

Please learn more about WellHaven at www.wellhaven.com.

WellHaven Benefits

WellHaven offers competitive pay and a great benefits package.

Please review our benefits package at: https://wellhaven.com/wellhaven-employment-benefits/

Commitment to Diversity

WellHaven is an Equal Opportunity Employer. WellHaven is committed to complying with all applicable federal, state, and/or local laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex (including transgender status), marital status, familial status, status with regard to public assistance, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, age, military or veteran status, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, or any other status protected by law.

In accordance with federal, state, and local law, WellHaven may provide reasonable accommodation to known physical or mental limitations of applicants during the hiring process unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on WellHaven. For more information, please contact WellHaven HR at HR@wellhaven.com.