The Animal Rescue League of Berks County is seeking a Full-Time (but open to considering Part-Time) Shelter and HVHQSN Veterinarian to complete medical and surgical services to the animals in our care as well as to animals in the community. Our organization consistently achieves a 95% save rate for dogs and an 87% for cats. We are adding additional programming for our Community Cats this year to help with the overpopulation and increase the number of live outcomes. In 2021, we welcomed over 5300 animals into our shelter and over 3800 publicly owned animals in our Medical Center. This opportunity will oversee high volume, high quality spay & neuter for cats as dogs in our community through low-cost services at our Medical Center and will also assist with shelter animals. A successful candidate will follow our mission and be a good fit with our culture to ensure each animal has the best opportunity to live a pain free and heathy life within and beyond our shelter walls. 

Work Environment:

• The employee will regularly be exposed to the following: potentially zoonotic diseases (including rabies), large animals, wildlife, loud noises (e.g. barking dogs), and odors
• Examination, restraint, and treatment of a high volume of animals is physically and emotionally demanding
• Euthanasia is performed in the facility and assisting with best practice euthanasia is a specific job task for this position
• Surgery and Medical Facilities of Note:
  • Two-table surgery suite with heated hydraulic surgery tables, oxygen concentrators and wet table for dental procedures
    • Digital Radiographs
      • Dental Radiographs
      • Butterfly IQ Portable Ultrasound
      • In-House Chemistry Blood Analyzer
      • In-House T4/cortisol Analyzer

Medical and Surgical Care:

• Provide leadership and direction for the daily medical and surgical care of animals.

• Triage and stabilize ill and injured animals and diagnose and treat a wide variety of medical conditions with a particular focus on infectious diseases.
• Serve as internal expert at disease recognition and develop treatment plans for the animals.
• Assist with development and implementation of disease prevention programs both in the shelter and Medical Center.
• Interpretation of laboratory data and radiographs
• Discuss medical findings/recommendations with staff in a manner that fosters common understanding of medical terminology and allows easy communication with the public regarding an animal’s medical history
• Recognition and documentation of cruelty cases, including preparation of veterinary statements and expert witness testimony
• Monitor patients and multi-task veterinary requests made by other departments.
• Administration and monitoring of anesthesia
• Handle a wide variety of animals effectively and in a humane manner including but not limited to cats, dogs, and small animals
• Treat animals with care and respect, providing compassionate, low-stress patient care to all patients utilizing Fear Free guidelines
• Oversee all aspects of veterinary care including physical examination, diagnostics, treatment recommendations and delivery, prescriptions, and discharge information
• Provide compassionate high-quality preventive and primary medical and surgical care to patients
• Perform high volume spay/neuter, comfortable with pediatric procedures
• Perform additional non-spay or neuter surgeries as required including, but not limited to dentistry, soft tissue (e.g., enucleation, foreign body removal), and orthopedic surgery (e.g., limb amputation, FHO)
• Assist in placement and euthanasia decisions when needed
• Necropsy examinations of deceased animals when required
• Direct medical technicians and assistants in the daily performance of their duties
• Employ exceptional time management skills when in appointments and surgery

Customer Service:

• Communicate respectfully with clients and be able to relay important medical information about patients within a timely manner
• Discuss examination and medical test results with owners in order to allow owners to make informed choices for the medical care of their pets.
• Counsel owners about end of life and other sensitive medical care decisions when needed
• Represent the ARL in a professional and courteous manner at all times
• Follow all written and verbally communicated departmental Standard Operating Procedures.
• Interact effectively and politely with a variety of people in all types of situations.
• Evaluate problems accurately and display good, sound judgment when working without supervision and under emotional stress.
• Work effectively, both independently and in a team environment, in an atmosphere of multiple projects, shifting priorities, and deadline pressures.
• Present a neat, clean, and professional appearance, and wear a uniform while on duty.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Administrative:

• Document all exam findings, test results, and treatment recommendations on medical records prior to the end of each working shift
• Communicate effectively and appropriately cross-departmentally
• Oversee controlled substances use and logging with the assistance of the medical leads
• Keep current in the veterinary field (read journals and attends seminars) and maintain awareness of new products and pharmaceuticals.

Skills and Requirements:

• DVM, VMD, or equivalent degree
• DEA license, or ability to obtain DEA license
• Licensure in PA to practice veterinary medicine
• USDA Accreditation preferred or willingness to become accredited
• Set the tone for professionalism and performance expectations within Medical Department
• Convey ideas, concepts, policies, and procedures to staff, as well as ensuring their understanding and compliance
• Stay up to date on the most current shelter medicine protocols recommended by UC Davis
• Must have a passion for the mission of ARL
• Previous clinical experience, particularly in shelters, preferred but not required
• Strong surgical and diagnostic skills
• Interest in and understanding of shelter medicine, epidemiology, and herd health
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills, able to multi-task and prioritize
• Dependable, reliable, and efficient
• Must have a valid PA driver’s license
• Must be able to lift at least 50 pounds, stand for prolonged periods of time, and perform multiple surgeries on a daily basis
• Basic familiarity with computers, MS Office and database experience