Facility
Houston Zoo
Closing Date
[jobclosingdate]
Description
The Houston Zoo is looking for an energetic and experienced veterinary technician that is ready to tackle the challenges and variety of practicing high quality zoological medicine at a world class zoo.
The Veterinary Department of the Houston Zoo has over 130 years of combined zoo experience and consists of four full time veterinarians (three are ACZM boarded), 4 registered veterinary technicians, 4 animal keepers, 2 pest control specialists, a hospital manager, and a medical clerk. The veterinary team operates 7 days a week year round and provides medical care to zoo collection animals as well as local wildlife and sea turtles.
The Houston Zoo has a large collection of 5,000 animals including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. We have a strong preventive medicine program and hands-on case management philosophy. We are heavily involved in local and international in situ conservation as well as ground breaking research projects, such as the Attwater’s prairie chicken and Houston toad reintroduction projects, sea turtle rehabilitation, and our ongoing elephant herpes virus research program with Baylor College of Medicine.
The Denton A. Cooley Animal Hospital at the Houston Zoo is a spacious, well-equipped building with separate quarantine and necropsy facilities. We have advanced anesthetic monitoring, endoscopy and laparoscopy equipment, digital radiography, in-house and portable ultrasound units, and a diagnostic laboratory with Idexx Catalyst DX, Idexx Vet Lyte, Hemavet, and a teaching microscope. We also work closely with veterinary specialists in our area when advanced diagnostics or therapies are needed for our patients.
The veterinary technicians are important and highly integrated members of the hospital team and have opportunity for personal and professional growth at the Houston Zoo. Continuing education and other career advancement opportunities are possible, as well as opportunities to work directly with animal keepers to train zoo animals for medical procedures. The Houston Zoo provides a very competitive benefits package including 401k, AZVT membership, technician registration and zoo uniforms.
DESCRIPTION:
Provides a variety of semi-technical and technical animal health tasks encompassing animal management, diagnostic radiology, laboratory and surgical procedures, and therapy/treatment techniques.
PHYSICAL EFFORT:
This position involves considerable physical exertion, such as regularly climbing of ladders, lifting of heavy objects (up to 80 pounds) on a highly frequent basis and/or assuming awkward positions.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
There are routine exposures to significant levels of heat, cold, noise, moisture and air pollution. The position may involve exposure to chemical substances, ionizing radiation, venomous and dangerous animals, and physical trauma of a minor nature such as cuts, bruises and minor burns.
PHYSICAL SKILL:
Requires the ability to make closely coordinated eye/hand movements within very fine tolerance and/or calibration demands; or the ability to make rapid closely coordinated eye/hand movements on a patterned response space within somewhat fine tolerance demands; or the ability to make coordinated eye/hand movements within fine tolerances with large equipment as an extension of the worker.
Education and Pre-requisites
KNOWLEDGE:
Completion of an accredited program in veterinary technician training and current status as a registered or certified technician is required.
Registered veterinary technician (RVT) certification or ability to obtain licensing/registration in Texas within 6 months of employment is required.
EXPERIENCE:
Two years zoo experience preferred, recent work experience in a veterinary clinic/hospital required.
SUPERVISION:
None
Compensation and benefits
Not specified.
Application instructions
Applicants can visit www.houstonzoo.org/careers to download an application
E-mail resume and completed application to careers@houstonzoo.org
Houston Zoo is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer