Veterinary Care Generalist - Emergency and Critical Care Services

Learn to provide standard paramedical technical support in a professional and courteous manner:

• Work as a team with students, interns, residents and faculty to provide skilled nursing care for all patients including, but not limited to emergencies, critical care, post-surgical, acute and chronic conditions, and isolation, which may include methicillin resistant organisms and zoonotic diseases.
• Perform patient triage, patient history, obtain approval for initial stabilization and resuscitation orders from the owner.
• Use problem solving skills to assist with patient care in both emergent and non-emergent situations.
• Recognize physical abnormalities such as, but not limited to; cardiac murmurs and arrhythmias, abnormal pulmonary auscultation, respiratory difficulty and distress, change in mentation, abnormal physical exam findings, and signs of shock.
• Recognize pulmonary or cardiopulmonary arrest and immediately initiate Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) if indicated. Perform both basic and advanced CPR life support as directed by the veterinarian.
• Restrain patients using appropriate restraint techniques.
• Administer sedation and monitor patient vitals as directed by the veterinarian.
• Record the administration of all controlled substances on the appropriate forms and patient records.
• Perform venipuncture and cystocentesis.
• Perform electronic submission of samples to clinical pathology and the diagnostic laboratory.
• Perform and analyze venous and arterial blood gases, packed cell volume (PCV)/total solids (TS), blood glucose (BG), lactate, ketostick, slide agglutination, etc.
• Use basic monitoring equipment such as; indirect blood pressure (doppler and oscillometric), electrocardiogram (ECG), pulse oximetry, and continuous temperature monitoring.
• Complete and review patient monitoring and treatments as directed on the patient's care plan, such as Intensive Care Unit (ICU) flow sheet or Emergency Room (ER) patient record. Contact veterinarian with abnormal findings when something is not within the set call parameters.
• Assist veterinarians with variety of procedures including abdominocentesis, thoracocentesis, pericardiocentesis, wound care, chest tube placement, nasogastric/nasoesophageal tube placement and unblocking urinary obstructions.
• Perform placement of peripheral intravenous catheters (IVCs) and the placement of both central venous jugular catheters and peripherally inserted central catheters.
• Perform a variety of procedures including indwelling urinary catheter placement, direct arterial blood pressure monitoring, continuous ECG monitoring, and nasal oxygen tube placement.
• Maintain, trouble shoot the care and use of intravenous (IV) fluid and syringe pumps, indwelling urinary catheters, Jackson-Pratt grenade style drains, chest tubes, continuous chest tube suction (Pleuravac), central line catheters, peripheral IVCs, feeding tubes, oxygen cage, nasal oxygen, nebulization, and temporary and permanent tracheostomy care.
• Assist in calculating drug dosages and fluid/CRI rates.
• Set up and administer IV fluids, continuous rate infusions (CRI's) and other medications as directed by the veterinarian.
• Aseptically prepare blood products for administration, monitor appropriately during transfusion and record monitoring parameters.
• Set up and administer enteral feedings through nasogastric (NG), nasoesophageal (NE), esophagostomy (E)-tube, gastrostomy (G)-tube, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), or jejunostomy (J)-tubes, as directed by the veterinarian. Perform treatments and administer medications under the direct or written orders of the veterinarian.
• Record treatments, procedures, supplies, and thorough notes on patient's medical record.
• Record and enter charges for supplies and procedures into the Electronic Medical Record (EMR).
• Maintain ECC patient logs.

Learn to provide instruction in a professional and courteous manner:

• Orientation, direction and instruction of students and clinicians.
• Instruction of ECC procedures.
• Instruction of problem-solving skills to assist with patient care in both emergent and non-emergent situations.

Learn to maintain work space and equipment:

• Perform regular cleaning and stocking, as well as complete daily and weekly assignments.
• Participate in on-call for ECC.
• Assist with documenting and troubleshooting issues with equipment.

Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule

The work schedule for this position may include evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays as well as assigned on-call.