Summary:

As a veterinary technician at the Animal Poison Control Center, you will help pet owners and their pets every single day! You will individually and as part of a team have direct impact in saving animal lives and preventing suffering. If you are ready for a new challenge and want to work in veterinary medicine in a new remote capacity, come join us in our fast paced work at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center!

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) is the leading animal poison control call center in the nation. The APCC’s professional team supports veterinarians and pet owners 24/7 using a proprietary database containing over four million cases. The Center is committed to protecting and improving the lives of animals through promotion of poison prevention and publication of new findings. The APCC helps over 400,000 animals annually.

The Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) systematically gains toxicology knowledge through the APCC’s staged training and mentoring process. The CVT plays a critical role at the APCC as the first point of contact for pet owners who need assistance with pets that have been exposed to potentially dangerous substances.  The environment is team oriented and supportive to set CVTs up for success in this fast paced and challenging position.  Our CVTs obtain a complete history, document exposure circumstances in the electronic medical record, calculate dosages, and use in-house protocols to either manage cases or to escalate cases to a veterinarian for further management. The CVT participates in other projects and events that are established to support APCC work, further education, and enhance communication within the ASPCA.

The ASPCA supports our staff with career development, and the CVT has multiple potential career paths including Senior CVT, People Manager, and others.

This is a regional remote position. Candidate must reside within 250 miles of the ASPCA Office in Champaign, IL and be available for travel to Champaign, IL.

Additional Work Benefits

Work/life balance:

• After the 3-month training period, a standard schedule of five 8-hour shifts
• Paid vacation, sick, and personal time
• Continuing education days and allowance
• Ten paid holidays/floating holidays
• A schedule that includes half-weekends off
• Comprehensive, low-cost benefits package

Growth opportunities:

• The ASPCA has robust professional development programs to help you grow as a technician and a leader
• The ASPCA is a qualifying employer for the Public Student Loan Forgiveness program
• We are one of the largest and most impactful animal welfare organizations in the world, so you will always have a strong team to lean on for support
• Tuition assistance may be available to help employee achieve a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Technology or a Master’s in Toxicology
• For applicants with a bachelor’s degree:  Employment at APCC is considered qualifying toxicology work experience for the American Board of Toxicology. Qualified team members may be eligible to sit for board certification after 10 years of work supervised by a toxicologist

Responsibilities:

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Case Management (90%)

• Professionally manage medical cases initiated by telephone, email, and other electronic means from practicing veterinarians, animal owners, and others, involving animals that have potentially exposed to deleterious agents or diseases.
• Obtain complete case histories and provide detailed and accurate diagnostic and treatment recommendations appropriate to the professional level of the caller and based on established APCC protocols.
• Enter (type-in) information into the electronic record efficiently and accurately as conveyed during communications with caller and consultations with APCC DVMs.
• Document exposures and risks, and relay detailed treatment recommendations per protocols and verbal instructions.
• Create follow up actions to have records evaluated and closed by appropriate personnel.
• Utilize ASPCA/APCC resources to manage cases and access protocols, policies, and procedures.
• Maintain excellence in customer service and high medical record quality levels. Respond to quality assessments provided by quality assurance and management staff.  Meet case management quality, customer service, and volume metric goals as set for specific levels of tenure.
• Consult the on-site experts, managers, and senior staff as needed for additional case-management information.
• Complete follow up phone calls to pet owners and veterinary clinics as needed to obtain additional information regarding outcomes on specific cases.

Training,  Professional Development, and Supporting Opportunities (up to 10 %)

• Actively participate in on-site, off-site and virtual training, including attendance at monthly support staff rounds.
• Assist in supportive activities which may include development of protocols for the medical library database, contributions to APCC blog posts on toxicology related topics, participation in the staff mentorship program, and assistance with special projects as needed.
• May be assigned to other duties as necessary.

Exemplifies the ASPCA's Core Values

• Has Commitment and dedication to improving the lives of animals
• Demonstrates Ownership and feels responsible for outcomes
• Believes in Team – that we are stronger together
• Seeks to Elevate others and reimagine what is possible
• Focuses on Impact, specifically making change for animals

Additional Information

• Staff will work daytime hours during their initial training and will be moved to later shifts incrementally, following the training schedule. Once training is complete, this position will begin as an evening or late evening shift, with shifts starting at 5p CT or later. Eligibility for earlier shifts is based on seniority. Shifts are subject to change at/in the sole discretion of the ASPCA.
• This is a regional remote position. Candidate must reside within 250 miles of the ASPCA Midwest Office in Champaign, IL.
• Up to 20% travel may be required, as this position requires occasional on-site training and support.
• Veterinary Technician credentials (required) in the state of residence, i.e., CVT, LVT, RVT. Must obtain CVT credentials in Illinois within one year of hire.

Qualifications:

Ability to act and react to emergency and/or challenging situations in a compassionate and consistent manner., Ability to apply sound reasoning and decision-making., Ability to communicate effectively with concerned, emotional, and worried persons via telephone., Ability to de-escalate and maintain a professional demeanor during difficult or escalated interactions, Ability to distinguish different auditory tones, Ability to establish and maintain effective and collaborative working relationships with supervisors, co-workers, and the public., Ability to learn and use new software in a professional setting, Ability to remain calm under challenging circumstances., Ability to work flexible hours on days, evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed, Bilingual Proficiency, Display excellent active listening skills and the ability to quickly develop a rapport with callers over the phone, Distraction-free, dedicated work environment, Emergency veterinary medicine experience is strongly preferred, Enthusiasm for working amidst complexity and change, Experience in veterinary practice, poison control center, or university is beneficial, Must be able to recover from tough situations quickly and maintain a professional demeanor, Must be comfortable being stationary, typing, and working at a desk for 8 or more hours., Must be detail-oriented and be able to work in a meticulous, thorough and detailed manner, Must be proficient in math and dosage calculation comprehension, Must be proficient with technology and be able to work with multiple databases and programs simultaneously in a rapid manner, Must display excellent internal and external customer service skills, Must have knowledge of and experience with PCs, basic office and Windows software, e-mail and Internet searches, Must have strong interest in toxicology, Must have strong interpersonal and communications skills

  

Licensed Veterinary Technician - American Association of Veterinary State Boards

Language:

English (Required), Spanish

Education and Work Experience:

Associates: Veterinary Technician, Bachelors: Veterinary Technician, High School Diploma (Required)

  

At least one year of experience as a credentialed veterinary technician is required

Our EEO Policy:

The ASPCA is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, age, marital or domestic partner status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances.

Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and certain state or local laws.  A reasonable accommodation is a change in the ASPCA’s standard application process, which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on the ASPCA.  Please inform the ASPCA’s People Team if you need an accommodation in order to complete any forms or to otherwise participate in the application process.

Individuals seeking employment are considered without regards to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, age, marital or domestic partner status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status,  or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances.

ASPCA is an Equal Opportunity Employer (M/F/D/V).