Career Opportunities

Companion Animal Hospital in Groton, Connecticut is looking for a full-time GP veterinarian to join our amazing team! We are open and interested in anyone who can provide alternative medicine options such as Chinese herbal, acupuncture, and Reiki.  

Companion Animal Hospital has been a staple in the community since 1982 and has been AAHA accredited for over 30 years. We are a progressive, full-service small animal hospital which includes avian and exotic pet care. Our team is passionate about providing the highest standard of medicine and individualized care for every patient—whether they have feathers, scales, or fur. Cats and dogs are treated with the same compassion, respect, and medical excellence as our avian and exotic patients, and we pride ourselves on building lasting relationships with pets and their families. 

We have a separate ward for avian and exotic patients, and perform wellness, grooming, reproductive management strategies, dental care including occlusal adjustments for small mammals, and surgical options (dental surgery, reproductive surgery, fracture repair, beak repair, mass removal, ovariohysterectomy, salpingohysterectomy, exploratory, cystotomy etc.) for all common pet exotic species. We have specialized housing for exotic pet patients including incubators and oxygen cages.

Our hospital offers:

• Flexibility with schedule and no on call hours!
• Tibial Tuberosity Advancement surgery
• Low light laser therapy
• Digital radiology, using IDEXX Radiology Consults
• Dental Equipment – we have a strong emphasis on dental care
• IDEXX in house lab equipment
• IDEXX Reference lab with daily pickup
• Live in Technician that covers evening and weekend treatments
• Cornerstone software
• Tenured, qualified support staff
• Recent renovations with a fantastic new break room

We offer a great compensation package, including a competitive salary, health insurance, 401K, PTO, generous CE allowance, additional PTO for CE, and reimbursement for membership and license fees. For more information, and to be connected to the hospital team, please email your resume to Brandy Lane at blane@petvetcarecenters.com or apply online. 

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Position Overview: The veterinary assistant provides support to the veterinarians and technicians in their daily tasks by cleaning and maintaining equipment, feeding, exercising and grooming patients, preparing and sanitizing surgery suites, restraining and handling patients, and clerical and administrative work. They deliver quality care for all patients and provide exceptional service.

Essential Functions:

• Provide compassionate care to all patients
• Greet patients and their owners as they arrive and show them to an examining room, taking the patient's weight and other vital signs upon arrival
• Triage patients, perform physical exams, treatments, and administer medication as directed by the licensed veterinary technicians (LVT's).
• Calm and soothe anxious patients
• Assist doctors and technicians with the administration of medications or with patient restraint
• Perform laboratory tests and take radiographs
• Operate and maintain hospital equipment, including EKG, fluid pump, syringe pump, scales, anesthetic monitors, and machines, etc.
• Fill prescriptions, calculate and administer medications, maintain proper documentation, logging, and security of controlled drugs.
• Feed patients as prescribed by the attending doctor or as the client has requested; record appetites; recognize and report any unusual conditions or abnormal behaviors
• Communicate in a positive manner with clients and ensure that they feel comfortable leaving their pet(s)
• Educate clients about insurance, wellness, and medicinal plans
• Maintain the cleanliness of the hospital each day; clean equipment, kennels, and facilities using chemicals and supplies; ensure the safe use of chemicals; complete laundry
• Bath and care for patients who stay overnight; ensure that every animal released is clean and properly groomed prior to their release
• Adhere to the hospital's safety and wellness regulations
• Understand and carry out oral and written directions
• Maintain accurate medical records
• Show up for work regularly; full-time presence at work is essential for every shift
• Promote hospital products and services and support the organization
• Respond respectfully with urgency to directions given by Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or Licensed Veterinary Technicians (LVT).
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the Manager; may have other assigned duties if working in a specialty area (i.e., dentistry, surgery, emergency, radiology, cardiology, neurology, internal medicine, etc.)

Competencies:

• Care and Compassion – displays a desire to build rapport, provide personal assistance, and emotional support
• Animal Restraint and Safety – uses sound judgment when handling patients and always takes appropriate precautionary steps when needed
• Communication – uses effective and appropriate methods of interacting with others
• Team Orientation – works cooperatively with the team to address tasks and accomplish goals
• Dependability – demonstrates responsibility in completing all job tasks
• Cleanliness Standards – consistently follows sanitization and sterilization policies and procedures
• Energy and Productivity – completes tasks quickly and thoroughly without prompting
• Time Management – manages time and prioritizes work tasks effectively
• Technical Skills and Learning – keeps up-to-date with new technical skills and knowledge in the field
• Care and Use of Equipment – takes appropriate steps to perform operation checks and maintenance of equipment

Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent
• One or more years' experience in a veterinary environment successfully performing all of the duties of this position
• Vet Tech (VTNE) Certification preferred
• Experience with surgical monitoring, radiology, dental prophylaxis, and client education preferred
• May consider an equivalent combination of education, certification, training, and/or experience

Position Requirements:

• Maintains current knowledge in the field of expertise and actively seeks opportunities for continuing education and skill improvement.
• Ability to restrain animals, fill prescriptions, and monitor sedation procedures
• Ability to work with or around sick animals, potentially hazardous materials, cleaning chemicals, gas anesthetics, zoonotic diseases, and unpleasant odors
• Requires knowledge of hospital procedures, policies, and services; client and patient treatment protocols; hospital computer systems; and the standard procedures, records, and terminology used in a veterinary hospital.
• Must be flexible with scheduling and able to work some weekends and holidays
• Depending on the functional area of assignment, tasks may involve extended periods of time at a keyboard or workstation and/or extended periods of time standing and/or walking.
• This is a strenuous job that requires a lot of lifting, cleaning, and constant motion. May involve some climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, or crawling
• Some tasks involve the periodic performance of moderately physically demanding work, usually involving lifting or carrying moderately heavy animals (up to 50 pounds)

Additional Information: The list of essential functions, as outlined in this job description, is intended to be representative of the tasks performed within this classification. The omission of any job function does not preclude management from assigning duties not listed herein if such functions are a logical assignment to the position.