Patient Care Assistant (Behavior)

About this role

The Schwarzman Animal Medical Center is seeking candidates that possess exceptional assistant knowledge, patient care and technical skills to assist and support Licensed Veterinary Technicians (LVT) & Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) to triage, stabilize, treat and monitor patients in the hospital. The patient care assistant will perform excellent patient handling task, complete administrative duties, be proficient in medical record keeping, client & patient advocacy, and training

Minimum Qualifications

• Must have a high school diploma or equivalent

• Prior, advanced clinical and administrative experience at a veterinary hospital

• Low-stress animal handling experience for fearful and aggressive patients, with ability to lift and restrain animals weighing up to 50 pounds

• Exceptional ability to understand and interpret veterinary medical records

• Basic, proficient understanding in the development and treatment of common behavioral disorders

• Reliable and consistent attendance, punctuality, and dependability

• Reliably and consistently work independently and proactively, including on days that are remote and dedicated to telemedicine

• Reliably and successfully work as part of a team

• Maintain professional and respectful working relationships and customer satisfaction with all stakeholders, including department staff, medical staff, support staff, clients, and referring veterinarians

• Consistent ability to remain composed in stressful and emergency situations

• Adherence to detailed protocols and documentation requirements.

• Commitment to continuous learning and skill development.

• Willingness to work flexible shifts, including nights, weekends, and holidays, in a 24/7 hospital setting

Responsibilities:

• Ability to take notes while in exam rooms with veterinarians and clients

• Efficiently obtain and review medical records, including diagnostic results, from referring veterinarians, specialists, and emergency hospitals ahead of all appointments, with an ability to ensure all pertinent records are available for the veterinary behaviorist to review

• Obtain and review intake behavioral questionnaires

• Identify missing information and coordinate retrieval prior to appointments

• Consolidate pertinent information from intake behavioral questionnaires; medical records; and diagnostic results in order to prepare detailed and accurate SOAPs for the veterinary behaviorist to review at least 3 business days ahead of appointments

• Process and communicate prescription requests as directed by the veterinary behaviorist, including to outside pharmacies for medications the hospital dispensary does not stock

• Provide low-stress handling of fractious patients during appointments to allow for humane and safe restraint during physical examinations and diagnostic sample collection

• Astutely observe and record body language of patients

• Provide competent assistance to the licensed veterinary technician when monitoring tranquilized patients for sedated examinations and humane euthanasia

• Assist with cleaning and maintaining cleanliness of examination room

• Triage patient concerns and determine appropriate urgency and escalation to the veterinary behaviorist

• Provide clear, consistent, and timely expert behavioral guidance to clients for concerns that do not require escalation to the veterinary behaviorist, including education on safety recommendations for fractious patients; recommendations for appointment preparation; and concise review of treatment plans created by the veterinary behaviorist after appointment completion

• Exercise comfort and confidence in supporting clients navigating emotionally challenging behavioral situations with compassion and professionalism

• Efficiently respond to appointment requests in a timely manner and provide thorough explanation about the service’s operations to set appropriate expectations for prospective clients

• Schedule initial consultations and rechecks

• Maintain accurate medical records and documentation, requiring competent understanding of the hospital’s electronic medical record system

• Facilitate communication among clients, referring veterinarians, other services within the hospital, and other members of the team

• All other related duties as assigned

Schedules:

• TBD

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to lift 50 pounds

• Able to stand, walk, lift, and bend for extended periods.

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