Veterinary Assistant

Department:

Animal Poison Control Center

Division:

Animal Health Services

Location:

Urbana, IL

Job Summary:

The Veterinary Assistant I assists in management of calls that come in on the APCC hotline by obtaining a complete history, documenting exposure circumstances in the electronic medical record, calculating dosages and using in-house protocols to either manage the case or to escalate the case to a higher level technician/assistant or a veterinarian for further management. Veterinary assistants may also contribute to other projects (e.g. database research, library searches, writing, etc.) that may arise.

Job Responsibilities:

• Professionally manage cases initiated by telephone, email, or fax from practicing veterinarians, animal owners and others involving animals that have been potentially exposed to an agent or disease.
• Following protocol constraints, place outbound calls to follow up on select hotline cases.
• Utilize the electronic medical record to obtain a complete case history, document exposures and detail treatment recommendations. Set pending actions to have records evaluated and closed by appropriate medical personnel.
• Consult the on-site and off-site experts as needed for additional information.
• Advance through protocol levels from 1-4 as skill level increases.
• Maintain high medical and record quality levels and respond to quality assessments provided by Director of Content and Records Management and Medical Director/VP APCC.
• Assist with special projects as requested.
• Work rotating shifts based on need as determined by APCC scheduling crew.

Education:

• Associate or bachelor's degree in an animal science or related field is desired.

Experience:

• Poison control or call center experience is beneficial.
• Involvement in private veterinary practice, poison control center, or university or industrial research is beneficial.

Knowledge Requirements:

• Must have strong interest in toxicology.
• Must have knowledge of and experience with PCs, basic office and Windows software, e-mail and Internet searches.

Skills Requirements:

• Superb telecommunications and interpersonal skills.
• Good computer literacy and typing skills.
• Must be self-confident, motivated, and have the ability to interact effectively with pet owners, veterinary professionals and other staff members.
• Must work well with or without direct supervision.

Additional Information:

• Ability to work a flexible schedule including days, evenings, weekends, holidays and nights is required.

Benefits:

Our generous benefit package includes the following for full-time employees and (if qualified, we offer domestic partner coverage!) Medical, Dental, Vision, STD, LTD, 401(k), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Transit checks, Tuition Assistance Program, Training Seminars, EAP, 50% hospital discount, Vacation, Sick, Personal & Company Holiday time off.