SUMMARY: The inpatient technical nurse (IPN) performs medical tasks under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian to help diagnose and treat the illnesses and injuries of animals. The IPN is additionally expected to receive direction from the Lead Nurse and Duty Manager. Hawthorne Animal Hospital is currently working on a model in which each IPN is assigned to a veterinarian and specific patients for the day.
TYPICAL TASKS: The IPN shall be responsible for, but is not limited to the following:
Laboratory
Restrains animals in order to effectively perform healthcare tasks such as draw blood or place intravenous catheters
Assists with blood draws, fecals, cystos, and so forth for examination and analysis
Prepares and labels samples for laboratory testing, and runs all in house lab work
Conducts client call backs to alert clients of labwork results under instruction from DVM
Surgical and Dental
Cleans and sterilize equipment and materials to ensure safe use
Sets up surgery room to ensure it is prepared once the veterinarian and patient are ready for the procedure
Prepares animals for surgery (TPR’s, IV’s, etc.)
Assists with surgical and dental procedures in order to support the veterinarians throughout the procedures
Monitors animals during procedures (anesthesia level, vitals, etc.) to ensure their safety
Recovers pets post operation to ensure they come out of procedure successfully
Cleans surgical and dental rooms to maintain health and safety regulations for a hospital healthcare facility
Examination and Treatment
Overall, get familiarized with your patients in order to know if they are improving or declining and what the goals are for the day
Administers emergency first aid to animals in critical situations
Prepares and administers medications, vaccines, and other various treatments as directed by veterinarians
Assists OPN’s with ear cleaning, nail trims, anal gland expressions, wound care, and so forth in order to provide general patient healthcare
Performs and assists with x-rays as needed
Cleans messes when necessary to provide a safe and healthy hospital environment
Conducts hourly rounds to ensure consistent treatments and optimal patient care
Monitors trends in patients to alert DVM of any changes
Correctly charts hourly rounds, according to standard operating procedures, with detailed precision in order to ensure all pets have proper healthcare documentation
Feeds, waters, and spot bathes animals when needed in order to ensure we do not discharge patients with blood or any other bodily fluids on them
Takes animals outside for potty breaks and walks to ensure their comfort and daily functions are properly allowed
Clean cages and messes to ensure animals are staying in proper living conditions
Monitor and administer boarding medications to provide proper nutrition and health
Uses and follows Calibration systems and procedures to ensure patient health and safety
Office Management
Conducts charges to ensure the hospital is being paid properly for services provided
Utilizes and properly monitors health care plans in the hopes that payments will be more feasible for clients to manage. Must update owner if the healthcare plan changes due to new treatment plan
Fills medications to ensure prescriptions are sent to the pharmacy
Creates hospital sheets in order to track patients admitted into the hospital
Discharges and prepares client instructions for post visit care
Stocks various hospital rooms (treatment, special, comfort, dental, surgery, ICU) to ensure they are adequately prepped before being utilized
Fulfills cleaning duties at end of shift via the “Daily Duties” list for daily task completion
Attend all staff and training meetings
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of the job.
Active Listening – Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Monitoring – Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself or other individuals to make improvements or take corrective action.
Service Orientation – Actively looking for ways to help people and animals
Oral Expression – The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Customer and Personal Service – Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Diagnostic and Treatment- Knowledge of taking blood pressure, using Tonepin and Laser Therapy. Placing a catheter in a male dog, maintaining catheters and perform tasks with use of doplar.
Biology – Knowledge of animal anatomy and diseases, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment
Critical Thinking – Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Judgment and Decision Making – Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
QUALIFICATIONS: In order to be eligible for the In-Patient technician position at Hawthorne Animal Hospital, applicants must adhere to the following:
Must work effectively in a fast-paced and high stress environment
Must have a high school degree
Veterinary technician certification is preferred along with an Associate’s or comparable degree related to veterinary technician education
At least 6 months of experience is preferred (job shadowing and internships are acceptable)
Pass a drug screen test
Pass a criminal background check
Be able to, on occasion of need, lift at least forty pounds of weight
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Reports to: Veterinarians
Works most closely with: Nurses and veterinarians
Equipment commonly utilized: Sterilizers, x-ray, anesthesia machine, dental machine, Doppler (blood pressure), oxygen cage/tank, fluid pumps, lab machines, centrifuges, lasers (therapy), CO2, computers, client tracking database, some surgical equipment, and general animal care equipment
Working condition considerations: On feet walking and standing 90% of working time, noisy working conditions, requires bending, stooping, and lifting, and generally very fast-paced.
Common hazards: Animal-related hazards such as bites, scratches, zoonotic illness transmission, working with sharp objects, chemical exposure, and back injuries due to lifting and stooping