ACE Large Animal Care TechThis position involves caring for the horses used in teaching activities within the Animal Care for Education (ACE) Unit (the nonclient animal facility) at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. With some time also spent caring for the cattle. This is a weekend position including both Saturday and Sunday, and some weekday hours as necessary. Duties include general horse and cow husbandry, medication administration, feeding, and facility maintenance and oversight of wage student employees that also support weekend animal care. This position also assists with implementing veterinary instruction, which may include setting up equipment prior to upcoming labs. Other responsibilities include determining supply needs, identifying and correcting equipment and facility dysfunctions and reporting to a supervisor for repair. All work must be performed to the accreditation standards of the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) and USDA which includes maintaining and documenting quality control standards for sterilization equipment and other records, observing and reporting on the health of animals, and exercising judgment in monitoring animals or seeking veterinary consultation for animals maintained within ACE. This position also performs some maintenance and field work on cow and horse enclosures, and may include trailer transportation of animals if needed. Previous experience handling, restraining and providing basic veterinary care to cows and horses; previous experience in animal husbandry; knowledge of health care procedures for animals; experience with truck and trailer transportation; excellent organizational, time management and communication skills; ability to independently prioritize and order assigned daily tasks; demonstrate ability to work flexibly with team members to accomplish department goals; demonstrate ability to recognize abnormal behavior and clinical signs in animals, generate a basic rule out list for common disorders, and determine when a veterinarian should be consulted. Training will be provided for any equipment usage.
