Veterinary Care Assistant Required to help Busy Growing Vet Practice

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Veterinary Care Assistant required to help busy growing vet practice 

 

Help! We need somebody to keep things running smoothly during COVID (and beyond) with our animals and clients.

 

Are you looking for a starter role within the veterinary industry that combines working with pet owners and pets? 

 

Can you handle a busy reception role where half of your time will be spent looking after clients and half looking after the animals?

 

Are you willing to do the dirty jobs like cleaning kennels (including pet poop), doing washing up and laundry as well as give the animals cuddles and love while they are in our care?

 

If so then read on, we may well have the role you’ve been looking for.

 

About Us

 

Roundwood Vets exists to support and enrich the lives of the pets, families and the community we serve. We’ve been on quite a journey since taking over the practice four years ago when there was just one vet and nurse! Since then we’ve more than quadrupled in size and over the next four years, we plan to do the same again. Our objective is to serve more than 3000 families each year across London using a mixture of old and new methods of delivering healthcare - all blended together.

 

This means there are going to be lots of exciting opportunities for doing meaningful work - from working as a clinical nurse, to running clinics, to helping to build our educational library and implementing our training and development program.

For example, we’re investing in technology to help improve standards of care but also in improving the way we communicate with and reach pets and their families in the community. We see our nurses having a huge role to play in creating and running this kind of service. We also employ care assistants so you are free to do the things only registered nurses can do. 

 

We are looking for people who look at old ways of doing things, put them under the microscope and ask, does this way still work? Is there a better way? We want people who are hungry to learn and we are happy to support and fund this growth.

 

A year ago we were in the process of rebuilding a team to fit our new vision. This year, we are growing well and need to increase the nursing team, to make sure we can handle the case volume and keep the team sane. And we are only just getting started!
 

One of our plans for this year is to find and implement an “employee ownership model” so the people who contribute so much of their lives to working in the practice can get a share of the success. Because let’s face it, we all put so much on the line to do this job, there really should be better rewards. When so many others are selling out to corporations, we think a co-operative model is the way forward in helping to preserve our culture and make sure everyone benefits in the long run. To that end, we are launching a share scheme for all staff in addition to our generous salary and rewards package.

Alongside the investment we’ve made in reshaping the team, we’ve also invested heavily during COVID in systems and equipment to further enhance our standards of care. 

 

In terms of what we are like as a clinical practice, we think of ourselves as being a bit like a family doctor. We are definitely here to help the local community and their pets. We believe in giving clients the time and attention they need to make good decisions for their pets and in building strong relationships with clients and each other. We are also careful about what clients we work with and we have a wonderful client base as a result of this work.
 

Hopefully the message we’re getting across is that we have a clear vision,  believe in growth opportunities for individuals and want to see all of our people thrive and be rewarded as we bring our vision to life.
 

About You

 

You probably know you want to work in the animal care industry, but you may not be 100% certain which role would be best suited to your skills. 

 

You will be bright and bubbly but at the same time capable of being focussed on getting your tasks done well. You will be someone who is well organised, has a keen eye for detail and learns quickly.

 

You will be working with instructions from our vets and nurses so good reading and numerical skills are essential. You don’t need a degree in English or maths, but you must understand we operate in an environment where basic mistakes can cause big problems.

 

You will be someone who enjoys working with people just as much as pets. You will have worked elsewhere before - experience as a sales assistant, or in a fast-paced, procedural environment like a McDonald’s restaurant would be a big plus.
 

Obviously, if you’ve worked in a veterinary practice before this would also be an advantage. But these things are not 100% essential and we will be giving you all the training you need to become effective at your job. The most important thing is that you share our values and bring a great attitude to work. Those values are, conscientiousness, honesty, teamwork, fun, kindness, growing & learning. As long as you’re friendly, open-minded and willing to listen and learn, we can teach you the skills you’ll need.

 

About the Job

 

The job will initially be 40 hours per week. Some of the things you will be responsible for are:

 

1. Answering phone and booking appointments and procedures according to our operating protocols.

2. Taking payments and cashing up.

3. Making our clients and their pets feel special and welcome when they walk through the front door each time.

4. Educating clients on the products and services they required to keep their pets happy and healthy.

5. Administrative tasks like processing forms and filing. 

6. General cleaning throughout the practice including clinical areas like kennels and operating theatres.

7. Cleaning and preparing instruments ready for surgery the next day.

8. Laundry work.

9. Feeding, walking and observing pets as part of helping them to safely recover from illness and surgery.

 

As you improve your skills and assuming you fit the team, we anticipate that we will begging your nurse training 12 months after joining the practice.

 

Weekend work will also be required as the role grows. The ability to speak Spanish or Portuguese would be great, but not essential. Eligibility to work in the UK is however essential.

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The Salary and Benefits Package

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In return for being a great part of this team for 40 hours each week, we offer a great package including:

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• Base salary from at £16,000-19,000

• Medical health insurance

• Perkbox membership

• Discounted pet care package

• Share options after working with us for 12 months

• Plus a profit share bonus!

 

If this sounds like a role that excites you then please complete your application by replying to this job advert with your resume AND cover letter explaining in detail why you would be a good fit for this role. Please note that any application which does not meet these minimum requirements will automatically be rejected. 

 

We look forward to hearing from you very soon.