Job Description

Position: Medical Team Lead                                                                                                      Reports to: Practice Manager

General Description

The medical team lead trains, monitors, evaluates, and leads medical team to support veterinarians with outpatient exams and services, care for hospitalized patients, and surgical procedures.  The medical team lead effectively leads and motivates his/her team to build positive long term relationships with clients, provide excellent patient care, demonstrate hospital core values and achieve TCVH’s mission.

Job Requirements/Skills/Physical Demands

Education/Experience

·         High school graduation or equivalent; a degree in veterinary technology preferred.

·         Must have at least 4 years’ experience as a technician in the veterinary industry; veterinary technology degree may substitute for up to 2 years’ experience

·         Must be CVA III, Licensed Veterinary Technician, or be enrolled in a program to obtain licensing credentials.

·         Basic computer literacy is required, including the ability to type on a computer keyboard, use a computer mouse, view information on a computer screen and use the Internet is required. Experience with Microsoft Windows, Word, and Excel is helpful.

·         Experience with veterinary software preferred

Language/Communication

·         Must be able to speak, hear, read, write, and communicate clearly in English, in person, on the telephone and in writing.

·         Above average written and verbal communication skills are required to effectively lead the medical support team, communicate with doctors, clients, and management.

·         Must be able to communicate to clients about hospital policies and common pet health issues and prevention.

·         Must demonstrate the ability to continually provide positive and consistent client service

·         Must be able to work within a team environment and communicate with team members effectively.

·         Must carry out all duties in a professional and courteous manner and remain respectful and polite in speech, tone, and actions under all circumstances

·         Must be able to provide client and team member education that demonstrates a high level of knowledge of veterinary medicine as well as well as the many facets of the veterinary industry.

Mathematical Skills

·         Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

Reasoning Ability

·         Must be able to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.

·         Must be able to problem solve common issues and seek guidance when appropriate

Soft Skills

·         Must have organizational skills sufficient to prioritize work and complete assignments accurately and efficiently while maintaining attention to detail despite frequent interruptions.

·         Must demonstrate personal accountability for actions and personal development.

·         Must be able to work in a flexible way that allows for changes in assignments and priorities depending upon identified client service and patient needs

·         Must have a developed sense of integrity and commitment to client satisfaction.

Other Required Skills

·         Must be able to operate and train others to operate all necessary equipment including x-ray and laboratory equipment

·         Must be highly skilled in venipuncture, IV catheter placement, restraint, cytology, radiology, anesthesia monitoring, monitoring of patient vitals, and surgery prep and assisting.

·         Must be able to work energetically for the entire assigned shift, sometimes exceeding 9 – 10 hours per day.

·         Must be willing to operate all necessary equipment including anesthesia, x-ray and laboratory equipment

·         Must be willing to cross-train and perform reception duties when needed

Physical Demands:

·         Must be able to lift approximately 50 pounds, walk dogs of up to 130 pounds, and work on feet all day. 

·         Must be willing and able to physically hold and restrain pets

·         Manual finger and wrist dexterity and ability to maintain repetitive motions for typing is required.

·         Potential exists for bite wounds, scratches, and other injuries that could be obtained by patient handling.

·         Must be able to squat, kneel, and bend to clean cages and other areas of the hospital facility

·         Must be able to withstand frequent exposure to unpleasant odors and noises.

·         Must be able to cope with emotionally challenging situations.

Hours

·         Hours will vary; however, shifts are generally scheduled between 7 am and 6:30 pm Monday-Friday

·         Weekend availability is required including split-shift (2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening) on Sundays and some holidays

·         Regular and predictable attendance is required in order to meet the needs of patients, clients, and the team.

Essential Functions

Leadership

·         Consistently model behaviors that support TCVH’s mission and core values.

·         Demonstrate core competencies to exploit strengths, identify areas of opportunity, and continuously improve upon modeling core competencies to strengthen leadership effectiveness.

·         Listen actively to team member concerns, show empathy, seek to understand and uncover the root of the problem, and help team members develop effective solutions.

·         Mediate conflict between team members by encouraging teamwork and applying policies fairly and impartially.

·         Enthusiastically reinforce positive/desired behavior and effectively coach to correct undesired behavior.

·         Facilitate effective meetings with teams and individuals to communicate important initiatives, lead change, promote higher performance, and provide recognition.

·         Actively seek opportunities to build relationships with each individual team member on an ongoing basis.

·         Partner appropriately with other hospital leaders to define goals/objectives, prioritize tasks, and solicit feedback that supports continuous leadership development.

Supervisory Duties

·         Supervise veterinary technicians/assistants, pet care attendants, and interns.

·         Assist in recruiting and interviewing.

·         Train new medical team members and perform ongoing training to enhance the skills of current team members in both formal and informal settings.  Prepare training material and record and document all training, including trainer and trainee signatures.

·         Coach team members and support the progressive disciplinary policy.

·         Facilitate compliance at every level: DEA, TBVME, HR Law, OSHA, etc.

·         Write and deliver performance evaluations by collecting performance feedback throughout the evaluation period by actively observing behavior, auditing, and soliciting feedback from doctors and other team members.

·         Manage work schedules for medical team, pet care attendant, and interns.

Other Management Duties

·         Manage controlled drug compliance program

·         Manage equipment maintenance

·         Manage Radiology Safety program

Veterinary Technician Duties: Must be able to perform and train others to perform all duties of a veterinary technician/assistant, including but not limited to:

Client Service

·         Provide compassionate care for pets and clients

·         Provide a positive and friendly experience for clients by being respectful and friendly to both clients and their pets

·         Follow established hospital policies and procedures when handling client concerns and complaints.

·         Call clients to report testing results, check on patients, and other telephone correspondence.

·         Field questions and inquiries about services, triage, and products.

·         Answer each call with a sense of urgency, encourage callers to schedule appointments when appropriate, answer questions, and properly route remainder of calls.

·         Provide knowledgeable advice concerning the care and treatment of animals.

·         Educate clients regarding patient health through verbal, written, and other forms of communication (online media, etc.).

·         Communicate necessary follow up and home care instructions.

·         Back-up receptionists by scheduling appointments and answering phones when receptionists are not available.

Patient Care                                                              

·         Implement low stress measures for patient comfort during hospital visits

·         Safely restrain pets and make use of appropriate restraint aids

·         Perform venipuncture and IV catheter placement

·         Accurately draw up and administer medication to pets, per veterinarian’s orders

·         Assist with positioning, taking and development of x-rays

Team Relations

•         Maintain positive, cooperative relationships with other employees.

•         Communicate effectively with team members and with other departments

•         Be respectful in all communications with clients and team members

Medical Records

·         Take patient history by asking clients open ended, probing questions regarding patient’s health and actively listening to answers.

·         Document legibly and keep accurate medical records in accordance with hospital policy.

·         Maintain accurate and complete records of all client calls concerning patient health status in Practice Management Software and follow-up or assign to appropriate team member.

·         Obtain patient vitals at each patient visit and record in patient record

·         Obtain complete and accurate patient histories and document in SOAP format in patient file

Pharmacy

•         Accurately transcribe veterinarian’s prescription orders into medical record

•         Accurately dispense medications without error.

•         Know common drug uses and protocols and be able to explain them to clients.

Laboratory

•         Monitor and collect urine and fecal samples

•         Operate and maintain in hospital laboratory equipment

•         Process in hospital blood work and other laboratory procedures as directed

•         Ensure blood work and other test performed in outside facilities are processed correctly

Surgery

•         Set up, operate and maintain equipment for surgery and other procedures

•         Prep patients for surgery

•         Perform endotracheal intubation

•         Administer and monitor anesthesia.

•         Assist in diagnostic, medical and surgical procedures.

•         Discharge patients based on the veterinarian’s orders, ensuring that patients are well groomed and in a medically appropriate state.

•         Care for surgical materials and hospital equipment.

Additional Duties

•         Assist veterinarian with humane euthanasia and body care

•         Prepare deceased patients for cremation or return to client

•         Prepare and maintain the exam rooms and treatment areas.

•         Clean cages and runs

•         Maintain a clean and orderly facility

•         Clean and sanitize all areas of the hospital facility including exam rooms, treatment room, isolation area, employee break room, restrooms, reception area, lobby, etc.

•         Every staff member is responsible to maintain the cleanliness and sanitary condition of the entire hospital, including the parking lot, sidewalks, and entries. Trash, urine, feces, blood and such should be cleaned and sanitized immediately.

•         Follow all contagious patient management protocols

•         Walk, feed, and administer prescribed medications to pets according to treatment orders

•         Provide clean bedding, water, and litter pans for pets

•         Retrieve pets that are being discharged

•         Stock all areas of the hospital with supplies as needed

•         Do laundry

•         Wash and sanitize pet dishes

•         Perform reception duties

Other duties as assigned.