Lead Veterinary Technician: Emergency Room (ER)

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Job Category:

University Staff

Employment Type:

Regular

Job Profile:

Veterinary Technician II

Job Summary:

The School of Veterinary Medicine, UW Veterinary Care (UWVC) Hospital is seeking a Lead Veterinary Technician to provide clinical leadership and operational support within the Emergency Service. This role helps ensure efficient patient care, effective communication, and a safe, high-quality environment for patients, clients, and the veterinary team.

The Lead Veterinary Technician supports daily ER operations by coordinating patient triage, workflow, staffing needs, and collaboration across hospital teams. This position serves as a resource for veterinary technicians, assistants, and students by providing guidance, training, mentorship, and clinical support.

This role also helps maintain emergency protocols, supports equipment and supply management, promotes patient safety, and identifies opportunities to improve processes. The Lead Veterinary Technician works closely with faculty, supervisors, and frontline staff to solve operational challenges and support excellent emergency veterinary care.

Join a collaborative, fast-paced Emergency Service team where your skills directly impact the lives of animals, their families, and the future of veterinary medicine. Our hospital environment brings together talented veterinary professionals who are passionate about teamwork, learning, and providing the highest quality care.

This position reports to the ER supervisor and will collaborate closely with that individual to ensure the service runs smoothly.

This position can be full or part-time, between 90% (36 hours) - 100% (40 hours).

Schedule: General work hours are from 8:00pm - 6:00am (Four 10-hour shifts). Rotating schedule with alternating weekend hours on Saturday or Sunday.

Key Responsibilities:

Provide day-to-day clinical leadership to support efficient patient flow, high-quality patient care, and safe hospital operations within the Emergency Service.

Coordinate patient triage, task prioritization, and communication between ER, CCU, ICW, Client Care, and Reception to optimize patient admissions and hospitalization capacity.

Serve as the primary resource for staff questions, clinical workflow guidance, and operational problem-solving while ensuring compliance with hospital policies and Emergency Service SOPs.

Act as the patient safety advocate by promoting best practices, identifying safety concerns, and supporting consistent standards of care.

Mentor, train, onboard, and support new CVTs, veterinary assistants, and student hourly employees, including hiring, scheduling, and ongoing development of student staff.

Provide clinical support on the floor during high-volume periods, staff shortages, call-outs, and coordinate staff breaks to maintain patient care coverage.

Maintain expertise in ER equipment, ensuring equipment is operational, troubleshooting issues, coordinating repairs, and overseeing inventory, specialty orders, and supply management.

Develop, implement, and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), including emergency protocols, sedation/anesthesia guidelines, after-hours procedures, and on-call processes.

Coordinate after-hours operations by understanding on-call protocols, initiating appropriate staff call-ins, communicating with off-site clinicians, and assisting with patient referrals or deferrals when needed.

Serve as the liaison between frontline staff, faculty, and supervisors by communicating operational concerns, identifying recurring issues, and recommending process improvements.

Support financial stewardship by reviewing charge capture for accuracy and assisting with payment collection and deposits during after-hours operations when needed.

Key Job Responsibilities:

Serves as a point of contact for animal owners and stakeholders providing information and answering questions (10%)

Documents and disseminates results to the appropriate entities (5%)

Tracks supply inventory levels and places replenishment orders (10%)

Completes appropriate laboratory tests and collects specimens according to established medical orders and care plans

Develops recordkeeping processes, maintains organization of and updates records related to medical procedures and billing (5%)

Monitors animal health status and records, provides nursing care, notifies veterinarian when status changes, and records in the medical record (15%)

Assists in the facilitation of trainings for animal care staff and supervises student employees as needed (25%)

Prepares, completes, monitors, and documents complex technical animal care procedures and work unit activities, assessments, and medication administration according to established care plans and medical necessity (30%)

Department:

• School of Veterinary Medicine
• UW Veterinary Care Hospital
• Emergency Room (ER)

Compensation:

The starting hourly rate for this position is $26.00/hour, with flexibility based on your experience and qualifications.

You can further increase your hourly rate with:

$3.00/hour for night shifts

$4.80/hour for weekend shifts

With these incentives, you can earn up to nearly $8/hour in additional shift differentials, significantly boosting your total hourly compensation.

Sign-on Bonus of 3% of base pay (based on FTE) to be paid over the first year of employment!

UW Veterinary Care offers competitive wages (including night and weekend differential, if applicable), outstanding employee benefits https://hr.wisc.edu/benefits/new-employee-benefits-enrollment/benefits-for-employees-covered-by-the-wrs/ ample paid time off https://hr.wisc.edu/benefits/leave/paid-leave/ , financial support for continuing education and pursuing specialty certification, referral bonuses, an annual shoe allowance, and a yearly provision of hospital-branded clothing.

This position is being posted at Vet Tech levels 2 and 3. Level and pay are commensurate with experience.

Required Qualifications:

Ability to lift a minimum of 50 pounds independently

Physical and manual dexterity to perform specialized technical tasks

Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment

Demonstrated experience developing or improving standard operating procedures (SOPs), workflows, and quality improvement initiatives

This position is posted at Vet Tech levels 2 and 3. Level is determined by qualifications based on type of prior veterinary tech experience:

To qualify for Level 2: Generally, over 2 years of veterinary tech experience, may substitute years of experience for specialization

To qualify for Level 3: Veterinary Tech Specialist (VTS), or highly qualified and specialized in a specific area, may have prior experience from another university hospital

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience with mentoring, training, or leading veterinary technicians and assistants

Minimum of three years of experience in a veterinary emergency hospital or fast-paced veterinary practice

Education:

High School Diploma or equivalent required

Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) required

Associates Degree preferred

Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) in emergency & critical care or other advanced credential preferred

How to Apply:

Begin the online application process by clicking the 'Apply' button. You will be asked to submit a current resume.

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.

The deadline for assurin