Job Description

The Animal Care Technician will be responsible for providing care to animals in kennels, veterinary centers, research laboratories, and other facilities. They will ensure the animals receive proper food, shelter, medical care, and human interaction. They will also maintain an organized record of animal information, assist in medical surgeries and procedures, administer medications, collect laboratory samples, and send examination reports to the animal owners. The Animal Care Technician will also be responsible for cleaning and disinfecting kennels, wards, cages, equipment, runs and common areas of the facility with appropriate cleaning agents in order to maintain a healthy, clean, safe and sanitary facility for shelter animals and the public. They will provide humane handling and care for shelter or museum animals; and perform related duties.

** Examples of Important and Essential Duties** :

• Under general supervision and direction of the supervising veterinarian, checks and monitors the general health of shelter animals, including those that may be isolated or quarantined; evaluates problems or symptoms reported by staff, checks for injuries, observes for signs of illness or unusual behavior; conducts basic physical screening exams and triage; provides for treatment according to pre-established guidelines and/or in consultation with supervising veterinarian, including referral to emergency clinic if necessary.
• Under general supervision and direction of the supervising veterinarian, renders emergency treatment, first aid and follow-up care to all animals in need; provides necessary care and treatment to alleviate problems detrimental to impounded animals' health and well-being; administers prescribed medications and immunizations; provides basic dental and skin care; documents condition, treatment and/or disposition of animal.
• Assists the veterinarian in surgery; ensures that all equipment and instruments are at hand, operable and sanitized; may induce and/or monitor anesthesia.
• Performs a variety of diagnostic procedures, including collecting and labeling cultures, samples and skin scrapings for analysis, taking and developing x-rays and conducting laboratory tests.
• Maintains inventory of all pharmaceuticals, equipment and supplies; orders, and receives pharmaceuticals, equipment and supplies; and maintains order of storage area.
• Properly kennels and provides care and feeding to animals in vet room, including those needing special attention such as quarantine cases.
• Performs euthanasia of animals in accordance with established laws and departmental policy by injecting animals with controlled substances or using induction chamber for gas euthanasia; may administer Schedule 2 barbiturates and/or narcotics.
• Maintains accurate and legible case files and records; documents information regarding the condition, care, disposition and/or euthanasia of animals; uses a computer to input, update and access information regarding shelter animals and to produce written documents.
• Assists in instructing shelter staff in proper care and feeding of a wide variety of animals, basic animal health practices and procedures, and signs of common health problems.
• Conducts physical exams and screens animals for suitability for adoption based on established policies and procedures.
• Provides food, water and proper care for all shelter animals.
• Under the direct and indirect supervision of the Shelter Veterinarian, administers medication, vaccines and microchips, conducts feline immunodeficiency virus/feline leukemia virus (FIV/FELV) testing through venipuncture and provides treatment to all shelter animals and documents this activity in animals’ medical records.
• Performs the euthanasia of animals by intravenous injection with controlled substances; disposed of the euthanized animal; when necessary, decapitates animals for rabies laboratory testing, stores remains and prepares and processes related documentation’ may assist in the determination of animals to be euthanized; administers Schedule 2 barbiturates and/or narcotics.
• May assist management, the Veterinary Medical staff and other individuals, in animal husbandry, surgery or related procedures, as required by law and departmental policy.
• Performs related duties as required.

Qualifications

** Minimum Qualifications**

1. Six (6) months verifiable hands-on professional or volunteer experience in the care, feeding and/or handling of animals in a facility that cares for and/or houses animals (e.g. animal care/control agency, humane society, veterinary hospital, boarding or pet day care facility, or pet store), working principally with dogs and cats; OR

2. 30 semester or 45 quarter units of coursework in an animal husbandry, veterinary science or a related program at an accredited college or university.

** Special Condition** :

Possession of a Registered Veterinary Technician License

** License and Certification:**
Possession and maintenance of, or the ability to obtain and maintain, a valid California Class C Driver’s License.

Must complete euthanasia training within six (6) months of appointment.

Working conditions : Exposure to strong and/or unpleasant odors, including those from animal excrement, cleaning agents and chemical compounds, and frequent exposure to extreme noise.

** Note(s):**

• One-year full-time employment is considered equivalent to 2000 hours (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40 hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above forty (40) hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.
• The above minimum qualifications reflect special conditions associated with the position(s) to be filled. They may differ from the standard minimum qualifications associated with this class code.
• Applicants must meet minimum qualification requirements by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

** Verification:**

Please make sure it is clear in your application exactly how you meet the minimum qualifications. Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. For more information, p lease review our articles on Employment Application and Minimum Qualifications and Verification of Experience and/or Education.

Note: Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@careers.sf.gov that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Additional Information

** Selection Procedure/Examination Requirements**
After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

** Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ):**
Candidates will be required to complete a MQSQ as part of the employment application at a later time. This MQSQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the minimum qualifications for this position. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications.

** Supplemental Questionnaire (Weight 100%):**
Candidates deemed to meet the minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in a Supplemental Questionnaire designed to measure their relative knowledge, skills and abilities in job-related areas, which may include, but not be limited to: knowledge of basic diagnostic procedures; animal emergency and first aid procedures; techniques for administering medications and treatments to animals; laboratory testing procedures; general surgical procedure; procedures for safe and humane euthanasia; pharmaceuticals and equipment used in an animal health facility; work-related safety standards and procedures; ability to observe, evaluate and effectively respond to the condition of animals; euthanasia of animals, decapitation for rabies testing, collect blood samples for feline immunodeficiency virus/feline leukemia virus (FIV/FELV) testing, animal first aid, and storage of animal remains and lab specimens; administer topical, oral , subcutaneous and intravenous medication and injections; interact courteously and effectively with co-workers, staff, volunteers and members of the general public from a variety of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, including individuals who may be angry, hostile or distraught; maintain effective, cooperative and professional working relationships; speak clearly and effectively, listen and elicit information in order to communicate work-related information; lift, carry and restrain animals and objects weighing up to 60 pounds.

A passing score must be achieved on the written examination in order to be ranked on the eligible list.

** Eligible List/Score Report:**
A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be 6 months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

To find Departments which use this classification, please see: https://sfdhr.org/sites/default/files/documents/Forms-Documents/Position-Counts-by-Job-Codes-and-Department-FY-2022-23.pdf.

** Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:**
Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. Clerical errors may be corrected by the posting the correction on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov.

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 111A.35.1. The standard for the review of such appeals is ‘abuse of discretion’ or ‘no rational basis’ for establishing the position description, the minimum qualifications and/or the certification rule. Appeals must include a written statement of the item(s) being contested and the specific reason(s) why the cited item(s) constitute(s) abuse of discretion by the Human Resources Director. Appeals must be submitted directly to the Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission within five business days of the announcement issuance date.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About The Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Exam Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst at rosalie.platzer@sfgov.org.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.