Seeking Experienced Veterinary Technician (ER, ICU & Surgery)
Sign-On Bonus + Competitive Pay Incentives Available
Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is one of the nation's most innovative and respected animal welfare organizations, saving more than 10,000 dogs and cats every year while leading the national No Kill movement.
Unlike traditional veterinary practices, our technicians work alongside experienced veterinarians managing emergency cases, infectious disease, critical care, surgery, neonatal medicine, rehabilitation, and complex shelter medicine cases that many organizations simply cannot treat.
If you're an experienced veterinary technician looking for challenging medicine, continuous learning, and the opportunity to make an extraordinary impact every single day, we'd love to meet you.
Whether your background is emergency medicine, general practice, specialty medicine, surgery, ICU, or shelter medicine, you'll have the opportunity to expand your clinical skills while directly saving the lives of vulnerable animals across Texas.
Qualified candidates may be eligible for sign-on bonuses and additional pay incentives based on experience, certifications, and demonstrated technical competencies.
Austin Pets Alive! is a nationally recognized leader in innovative shelter medicine and lifesaving programs. Our medical teams provide advanced treatment for homeless, neglected, injured, and critically ill companion animals while helping Austin maintain one of the highest live-release rates in the country.
Through our groundbreaking medical programs, emergency response initiatives, neonatal kitten nursery, parvovirus treatment program, ringworm treatment center, intensive care services, and high-volume surgery program, APA! continues to redefine what is possible in animal welfare.
Every day presents new medical challenges, unique patient cases, and opportunities to save animals that many organizations would be unable to treat.
The Experienced Veterinary Technician serves as an integral member of APA!'s Medical Clinic, delivering advanced nursing care, emergency treatment, diagnostics, anesthesia support, and surgical assistance for dogs and cats requiring routine, urgent, and lifesaving medical care.
This role requires a confident technician capable of working independently while collaborating closely with veterinarians, fellow technicians, volunteers, and medical leadership.
Successful candidates possess strong technical skills, exceptional critical thinking abilities, and the confidence to thrive in a fast-paced, high-volume medical environment where no two days are alike.
This position reports directly to the Medical Clinic Manager or designated medical leadership.
Provide exceptional nursing care for hospitalized, surgical, emergency, and wellness patients throughout all stages of treatment.
Perform comprehensive patient assessments while recognizing subtle changes in patient condition and escalating concerns appropriately.
Provide compassionate care while maintaining the highest standards of patient safety and medical excellence.
This position reports to the Medical Clinic Management team, specifically their Clinic Team Manager. This position will work closely with fosters, adopters, other clinic staff and APA! veterinary staff. This position also requires regular communication with all other teams in the organization to provide quality patient care.
Independently triage medical emergencies and prioritize patient care.
Assist veterinarians during emergency procedures and stabilization efforts.
Monitor critically ill patients and accurately communicate changes in condition.
Provide advanced nursing care for ICU and hospitalized patients.
Maintain detailed medical documentation throughout patient treatment.
Assist with emergency response during mass intake or disaster situations.
Confidently perform:
- Venipuncture
- IV catheter placement
- Blood collection
- Laboratory sample preparation
- Medication calculations
- Drug administration (IV, IM, SQ, oral)
- Fluid therapy
- Catheter maintenance
- Diagnostic imaging assistance
- Radiology positioning
- Microscopy
- Cytology preparation
- PCV/TS
- Blood glucose monitoring
- In-house diagnostic testing
Accurately calculate medication dosages using patient weight and established medical protocols.
Maintain precise electronic medical records throughout every patient encounter.
Assist veterinarians during high-volume and specialty surgical procedures.
Monitor anesthesia throughout surgical procedures while recognizing and responding to changes in patient status.
Prepare surgical suites and equipment.
Maintain sterile surgical technique.
Recover surgical patients safely while monitoring pain management and anesthetic recovery.
Administer post-operative medications and treatments.
Assist with surgical inventory, instrument sterilization, and controlled substance accountability.
Provide medical care for animals experiencing:
- Trauma
- Infectious disease
- Parvovirus
- Ringworm
- Respiratory disease
- Neonatal illness
- Orthopedic injuries
- Chronic medical conditions
- Critical illness
- Behavioral medical concerns
Participate in innovative treatment protocols unique to shelter medicine.
Work collaboratively across departments to provide comprehensive patient care.
Serve as a clinical resource for veterinary assistants, newer technicians, and volunteers.
Assist with onboarding and mentoring newly hired technicians.
Model excellent patient care, professionalism, teamwork, and communication.
Support continuous improvement initiatives and contribute to maintaining a positive, collaborative culture.
Confidently explain treatment plans, medications, diagnostics, discharge instructions, and follow-up care to adopters, fosters, volunteers, and members of the public.
Maintain professionalism and compassion during emotionally challenging situations.
Partner with veterinarians to ensure clear communication and excellent customer service.
Austin Pets Alive! is proudly volunteer-powered.
Experienced Veterinary Technicians work alongside volunteers every day by:
- Creating an inclusive and welcoming environment
- Providing hands-on guidance when appropriate
- Helping volunteers contribute safely to patient care
- Supporting volunteer learning and engagement
- Recognizing volunteer contributions to our lifesaving mission
Volunteers are an essential part of our medical team, and every staff member plays a role in helping them succeed.
Partner closely with:
- Veterinarians
- Medical Directors
- Clinic Managers
- Surgery Team
- Shelter Operations
- Animal Care Teams
- Foster Team
- Adoption Team
- Behavior Team
- Volunteers
to ensure exceptional patient outcomes and coordinated care.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Minimum of 5+ years of progressively responsible experience as a Veterinary Technician, including significant experience in high-volume shelter medicine, high-volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN), emergency/critical care, surgery, or specialty practice.
- Demonstrated expertise in advanced anesthesia, surgical nursing, and perioperative patient care, including pre-operative assessments, anesthetic induction and maintenance, advanced monitoring, pain management, surgical preparation, sterile technique, recovery, and recognition and intervention of anesthetic emergencies.
- Expert proficiency in advanced veterinary technical skills, including venipuncture, IV catheter placement (cephalic, jugular, and saphenous), blood collection, cystocentesis assistance, urinary catheter placement, diagnostic sample collection, radiology positioning, dental procedures, wound management, bandaging, splinting, emergency triage, fluid therapy, and critical patient nursing.
- Extensive knowledge of shelter medicine principles, including infectious disease prevention and management, population medicine, biosecurity, isolation protocols, outbreak response, neonatal and pediatric patient care, vaccination protocols, euthanasia procedures, and Fear Free® or low-stress handling techniques.
- Demonstrated experience assisting veterinarians with complex surgical procedures, including orthopedic, soft tissue, emergency, and specialty surgeries, with the ability to anticipate surgeon needs and independently manage surgical workflow.
- Advanced knowledge of veterinary pharmacology, controlled substances, anesthetic agents, emergency medications, fluid therapy, and precise drug calculations. Ability to independently prepare medications, verify dosages, compound medications when appropriate, and ensure regulatory compliance.
- Advanced understanding of canine and feline diseases, trauma, emergency stabilization, diagnostic testing, laboratory procedures, medical record documentation, treatment planning, and nursing care.
- Proven ability to independently assess patient condition, recognize medical emergencies, prioritize caseloads, exercise sound clinical judgment, and make appropriate recommendations in a fast-paced, high-volume environment with minimal supervision.
- Demonstrated leadership experience mentoring, training, and developing veterinary technicians, assistants, externs, interns, and volunteers while promoting clinical excellence, accountability, teamwork, and a culture of continuous learning.
- Experience leading or supporting hospital workflow, surgery scheduling, inventory management, controlled substance compliance, OSHA standards, DEA regulations, medical quality assurance, and standard operating procedure development strongly preferred.
- Exceptional organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across veterinarians, medical leadership, operations, behavior, foster, and animal care teams.
- Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT, CVT, or RVT) preferred or equivalent combination of advanced experience and demonstrated technical competency.
- Current valid driver's license with an acceptable driving record for occasional animal transport or operational needs.
EXPECTATIONS
- Committed to embodying APA!’s Core Values: Innovation, Respect, Drive, Resourcefulness, and Inclusion and cultural values: Humble, Hungry, Smart
- Passion for working well with staff, volunteers, and customers—helping all individuals feel successful, appreciated, and connected to APA!’s mission
- Strong commitment to volunteer engagement and support; dedicated to working well with volunteers across all roles
- Comfortable working cross-functionally and serving as a liaison between volunteers, customers, and team members
- Effective written and verbal communication skills; able to interpret rules, procedures, and instructional materials
- Self-starter with strong time management; able to work independently and collaboratively
- Excellent interpersonal skills; maintains a calm and professional presence in all situations
- Strong attention to detail and high standards for quality
- Adaptable to change and able to perform related duties as needed
- Dedicated to delivering an exceptional and inclusive customer experience
- Commitment to APA!'s customer experience expectations
- Commitment to APA!’s no kill mission and care philosophies
- Willing and committed to working well with volunteers and staff in all roles Leadership identifies and puts forth.
PHYSICAL JOB REQUIREMENTS
- Must be able to routinely lift 40-50 pounds
- Must be able to work around animals (including diseased, injured, and/or potentially aggressive animals), loud noises, unpleasant smells, chlorine or other chemicals, indoors, and outdoors in all weather
- Must be able to comfortably interact with cats/dogs of various health levels, including those who may carry zoonotic diseases such as ringworm, scabies, intestinal parasites, etc.
- Must be able to work in a medical clinic environment and be witness to a variety of animal medical conditions and procedures
- Able to be on your feet for multiple hours of the day
- Must be able to visually observe people and animals from up to 150 feet away
- Ability to hear normal speech at close contact and shouting up to 150 feet away with the ability to hear and discern dog vocalizations both soft and loud
- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
- Must be able to pass all required dog handling training required for this position
- Must be able to focus in a loud and busy environment despite distractions
- Must be able to walk around shelter as needed - uneven ground, keeping a safe distance from dogs and handlers
- If reasonable accommodations are requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job absent undue hardship to the organization.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
- Work is normally performed inside the APA! Medical Clinic; some outside work is required
- Exposure to unpleasant odors and noises.
- Exposure to bites, scratches and animal waste
- Possible exposure to contagious diseases
- Rapid pace with exposure to potential hazards including animal waste, disinfectants, and high levels of noise
- Must be comfortable witnessing veterinary surgical procedures
- Uses own transportation to travel and transport
- Occasional after-hours or weekend work may be required to support program needs
TIME COMMITMENT
- This is a full-time, nonexempt position with an average of 40 hours per week.
- Shift and schedule flexibility is required, as weekly schedule is subject to change
- Able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed
PAY: This position starts at $18.00 - $24.00 / hour. Upper ranges may be contingent on employee's successful completion of internal APATec certifications (applicable to shelter operations, customer service, and medical roles). *Certifications and stipends are discretionary and subject to change based on business need. Employee's may be eligible for relocation and retention bonuses. Please speak with our hiring team to learn more.
LOCATION(S)
- Hwy 290 Medical Clinic - 4942 W Hwy 290 Austin, TX 78735
- APA! Main - Town Lake Animal Center 1156 West Cesar Chavez Austin, TX 78703
- Occasional travel to offsite locations may be required
BENEFITS
Austin Pets Alive! is proud to offer a competitive benefits package for full-time employees, including subsidized employer-sponsored medical coverage, subsidized and voluntary life insurance, voluntary dental, vision and short-term disability options, all effective the first day of employment. We also offer voluntary wellness and emergency sick plans, up to 2% match on 401(K) retirement plan, supplemental benefits, flexible spending accounts and additional life coverage. Full-time employees receive 10 paid holidays and accrue 10 days paid time off during the first year of employment, with an additional 5 days of PTO accrual upon completion of 12 months of employment. Employees will also receive professional development opportunities through APA!’s ongoing mission to advance our animal welfare professionals in our life-saving work.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCOMMODATIONS STATEMENTAustin Pets Alive! is an equal employment opportunity employer and we value having staff who come from communities that are most impacted by the issues we engage on. We especially encourage people of color, LGBTQ people, women, transgender and gender non-conforming people, and people with disabilities to apply.
Austin Pets Alive! does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Austin Pets Alive! is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion, respect and integrity, community focus, and innovation.
APA! is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in the employment application process. To request an accommodation, please contact Talent Acquisition at
[email protected] at least one week in advance of your interview.
