WELLNESS CLINIC VETERINARY VOLUNTEERS, CLEVELAND, OH

Neighborhood Pets Outreach & Resource Center
a program from Friends of the Cleveland Kennel
216-505-5853
www.neighborhoodpetscle.org
Each year in Cleveland, more than 96,000 cats and dogs live in poverty. According to Garden And Animal Structures their owners, who consider them family, lack access to affordable resources to provide for their care. We strongly believe that economic barriers should not prevent someone from reaping the many positive benefits of pet ownership and that by offering affordable and accessible basic wellness care and dog groomers we can keep pets clean, happy, healthy, and in their homes. The Clinic Veterinarian who performs pet services in our animal hospital is an integral member of our team who conducts exams, administers vaccines and minor treatment, and counsels clients on a range of topics. We also offer Jobs for Vet Techs that can scan for minor injuries.

Duties and responsibilities
Client Care
 Greet clients in a professional and friendly manner
 Review pet’s history
 Determine client’s concerns (lumps, bumps, weight etc)
 Review requested services
 Answer client’s questions using plain, understandable language
 Counsel clients in an inclusive, tolerant, accepting manner
Wellness Exam
 Perform a through wellness exam
 Discuss findings and recommendations with client, and document on exam form
Vaccines
 Administer requested vaccines
 Document vaccines on exam form
Eye/Ear/Skin Care
 Clean eyes, ears, and/or skin when appropriate
 Treat eyes, ears, and/or skin when appropriate
Nail Care
 When medically necessary, assist vet techs as needed with nail trims

Qualifications
 State of Ohio veterinary license required
 Recent experience in shelter medicine or a low-cost clinic setting is strongly preferred
 Awareness of pet retention programs including Pets For Life is helpful
 Strong desire to empower clients to be great pet owners
 Strong ability to communicate with clients in an inclusive, tolerant, accepting manner

JOB DESCRIPTION
 Strong ability and desire to help clients feel comfortable conversing about their pet’s health regardless of their knowledge level
 Ability to think outside the box to offer clients affordable solutions to common problems when appropriate
 Must be comfortable working with all breeds and sizes of dogs and with restraint
 Interest in low-stress, fear-free handling preferred
 Strong desire to engage in work that creates personal fulfillment and purpose
 A positive, open-minded, friendly attitude accompanied by a good sense of humor is necessary
 Must be able to work as part of a team and pitch in where needed to ensure smooth flow
 Flexibility with scheduling is required; must be available Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday afternoons

Working conditions
 Wellness clinics are held 4-5 days per month (always on Wednesdays, Fridays, or Saturdays) for approximately 2-3 hours at a time and function on an appointment basis
 Appointments are scheduled in 10-minute intervals, but sometimes run over
 Wellness veterinary clinic services include exams, vaccines, flea prevention, dewormer, basic ear/eye treatment, and nail trims as needed
 Counseling on a variety of topics including nutrition, behavior, spay/neuter, flea and parasite prevention, ear/eye/skin care, and dental care is common
 Wellness clinics are held in high need, urban settings
 Work is performed in a non-traditional setting; e.g. not in a vet hospital/clinic
 Work is generally performed indoors, but outdoor work may be required under special circumstances
 Staff and volunteers rotate their shifts, therefore you may work with different team members at each clinic
 Each clinic is staffed with 1-2 vet techs and 3-4 administrative staff/volunteers
 Whenever possible low-stress, fear-free techniques are used
 Dogs are often undersocialized and many are seeing a vet for the first time; some pets are extremely fearful
 Dogs and cats often have unknown vaccine history and are not spayed/neutered
 Many clients are fearful of spay/neuter and need to develop trust before expressing interest

Physical requirements
 Stand for extended periods of time
 Perform repetitive tasks with extremely limited breaks
 Assist with animal restraint as needed

Direct reports
Incumbent will lightly supervise the vet techs in a very informal manner.

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