Job Title – Veterinary Assistant
Do you like to have variety and excitement in your day, but also want to feel like you’re making a difference when you go to work?
Are you a master multi-tasker who can think on their feet and stay organized, even if things aren’t able to go as planned?
Do you love building meaningful relationships in and out of the work place, and having great conversations with people?
Are you a problem solver, who likes the idea of working somewhere that there will always be room for personal and professional growth?
Do you have a strong work ethic and gain great satisfaction from insuring that everything you’ve done is done well and done fully?
If this sounds like you, please keep reading!
About Us/This Job
Seaside Home Veterinary Care is an in-home veterinary service that has a strong focus on building meaningful relationships with our clients in the communities we serve. We do this by communicating readily and frequently with our clients via various channels, listening to their needs, and getting to know their animals in an inherently intimate setting – their own home.
Our mission is to provide relationship driven in-home veterinary care to those that desire, or require it, while providing a high quality work environment with a great culture for all those who are part of our team.
Part of this involves having adequate staffing with well-defined expectations for all staff members, so that everyone has the tools necessary to perform their job well. Hiring another team member right now is going to help us stay on track with this part of our mission.
We have well-defined values that we consider when making all of our decisions, both regarding recruitment and daily operational decisions. Everyone, including owners and bosses, work according to these values. It is important that members of our team are familiar with and share these values.
We aim to be humble and realize that we all have room for growth.
We hold ourselves, and one another, accountable for our actions, words, and expectations.
We can be trusted to keep our promises, help one another, and show up as our best selves each day.
We keep kindness at the top of our priority list each day, both when it comes to our clients, colleagues, and one another, always choosing to help when we can, even if it’s just in a small way.
We value integrity and making our decisions based on what is right and moral.
We are adaptable and flexible in a way that allows us to still bend where necessary to help, rather than following a formula when responding to unique situations.
If the above outlined values do not align with you, not a problem! There is likely an organization out there that is your perfect fit. We use these values to hire, and manage this business, in order to keep the culture we have worked hard to establish, so if this aligns with you – then please keep reading on!
About the Job
We are looking for an outgoing, people and animal loving, go-getter to join our small and intimate team as a Veterinary Assistant.
In this role, you will be rotating through the different veterinary support staff roles on a regular basis. You will be regularly going out on the road with the veterinarian to help facilitate in-home veterinary appointments. This involves getting comfortable anticipating the needs of the veterinarian by observing and listening as the client and the doctor are discussing a plan, and being comfortable having close contact with unfamiliar animals. You should have some comfort with animal restraint, but this is a skill that is also developed with time and practice.
The ideal candidate will be very comfortable making conversation with people, and taking instruction from the veterinarian. You will be expected, also, to document some of the day via video recording and photos on a phone provided by us to keep our followers up to date on our day-to-day excitement! Being comfortable driving in various weather and traffic will also be essential, as the veterinarian often uses the time travelling between appointments to accomplish work related tasks
When working on the administrative and technical side, you will be processing lab samples to either be interpreted by the veterinarian, or sent off to the lab, handling the precious remains of people’s beloved furry family members, speaking with clients to follow up with the health status of their pets, and many other things. In the office you, with your team, will be the primary point of contact between our clients and our business. You will assist them in ordering products, booking appointments, and learning about what we can offer them.
Inventory and billing are important aspects of all roles as well, and require a strong focus on detail to make sure things are always running smoothly. Adaptability and a willingness to learn are major assets in these roles since there are lots of different things to be mastered. We are very encouraging of personal and professional growth, and happily support any interest in improving processes and work flow and efficiency if you feel you can help contribute to these things.
Another important to note aspect of this job is a rotating responsibility for planning and facilitating (with the Veterinarian) regular trips to Grand Manan Island to see in-home Veterinary appointments.
About You
You will be a compassionate, hard-working, team player who helps our clients see how much we care. You will identify personally with the previously identified values, and they will help guide you whenever you aren’t sure how to navigate a situation in this role.
This role is not for you if you are most comfortable in a predictable environment. It is not the role for you if you aren’t ready to have to step outside your comfort zone regularly. If you are uncomfortable being around big emotions, and being social with people you don’t know very well, this role will not be good for you.
You notice even the tiniest little differences in or changes to things, and you have been told on many occasions that “organized” should be your middle name. You are comfortable with unpredictability and get excited about contributing your own zest for organization to the team. If you prefer to live life with “organized chaos” or “absolute chaos”, this is probably not the role for you. You will be our prized team member if you are masterful at the art of organization.
If you take great joy from making people’s day, and from being there for people in some of their toughest times, you will have the opportunity to feel incredibly rewarded in this job. If you value working hard, and as a team, and being part of a work culture that values every employee for their contribution, then you will fit right in.
Location and Start Date
** Current as of January 26th, 2023 and will change when no longer current **
We are actively working through recruitment with current candidates for a full-time permanent position at this time, but we are also applying for funding for a summer position with Seaside Home Veterinary Care. There could be potential for this to turn into a longer term opportunity.
This job is based in Saint John, New Brunswick. Since we are a mobile business, we do not have a clinic, but we do have an office where administrative and technical work is done. This is also the location where the Assistant starts with the Veterinarian each day.
Reward and Remuneration
Wage range starts at $16/hour but is commensurate with experience and education. Health and dental benefits are part of this position, and commence 3 months after beginning in the position.
How to Apply
Please only submit your resume WITH a cover letter explaining why you think you would be a good fit for this role, and why you would be excited to join our team. Please share some of your personal and professional goals as well.