Puppy School Trainer & Nurse
We are seeking an energetic CASUAL Veterinary Nurse for our veterinary hospital, which offers veterinary consultations, a full suite of medical and surgical facilities and puppy school in alignment with our fear-free gentle animal handling policies.
Shifts are required to be worked between 7am – 8 pm, Monday to Sunday, and the successful candidates must be available to work anytime, including weekends and school holidays, at short notice. The average weekly hours are 15–25 hours, with up to 38 hours/week available for the right level of skill and experience and fear-free certification.
The key accountabilities of the roles will be running a puppy school and running our hospital reception.
In addition, you will be responsible for the quality of pet welfare and providing care for both hospitalised and day pet patients and servicing puppy preschool participants. Duties will also include, as needed by us, cleaning kennels, medicating, feeding pets, basic washing/grooming and nursing sick pets. You will be assisting our technicians and veterinarians with staff providing you with guidance when engaging with our clients and patients.
About You
You are EXPERIENCED, reliable, resilient, positive, and highly motivated, with genuine affection for cats, dogs, wildlife-all animals. Your enthusiasm speaks for itself with excellent trade references from your career to date in the animal industry.
To be a high performer in this role, you will be:
- Prepared to jump at the chance to help others in your team and implement Fear-free Protocols and able and happy to follow directions from experienced staff members.
- Physically fit and strong, being able to work at a brisk pace and carry out tasks (including physical ones) within timeframes.
- Available & Flexible for varying shifts and shift lengths and have the flexibility to cover other unplanned absences at short notice.
- A good communicator and able to work independently, as well as willing to ask for guidance on more complex matters.
- Have a strong character, be emotionally strong, resilient, optimistic and enthusiastic.
- A minimum of 3 years’ experience in small animal clinical work including reception.
- Dog training experience, using positive reward-based training techniques with certificates to prove your training.
- Fear Free Certification at a minimum Level 1, or keen to achieve Fear Free certification.
- You've completed other certifications in Animal Studies, including cert 4 in nursing, Veterinary Technology or are enroled in Veterinary Science.
- It’s an additional advantage if you have dog training, doggy daycare, grooming experience.
- Committed to working safely and following Standard Operating Procedures.
- Willing and able to always adhere to hospital operating procedures and work health and safety requirements.
- You are a fast learner, and happy to do fear-free grooming with us.
IMPORTANT: This is an active and physical role working in a clinic. In addition to office-based work, the employee will be required to work indoors and outdoors (sometimes in inclement weather conditions, and in proximity to cats and dogs, on their feet for a significant portion of their day. They must be able to sit, stand, walk, lift, carry, push, pull, bend, crouch, kneel, squat, reach, stretch, coordinate and restrain animals up to 55kg on leads, communicate, speak, and interact with team members, customers, internal and external stakeholders, and members of the public in person, over the phone, and online, and occasionally take difficult conversations, including providing critical feedback, advice and receiving complaints, in order to perform the inherent requirements of the role.
Your own car and license are required to get to and from work, and from time to time run clinical errands.
About Us
We are the animal lover’s choice! Avoca Drive Animal Hospital is passionate about pets & veterinary care, and we strive to deliver health, happiness, and improved wellbeing to our pet families. From our beginnings as a small hospital on the Central Coast, NSW, we are now a leading professional in the fear-free veterinary service.
The Benefits For You
- Training and support from a friendly, encouraging team.
- Employee account credits and discounts for in-house veterinary work on your pets.
- Continuing veterinary education is provided by Sydney University & Fear Free USA.
- Employee Appreciation Events.
- Ongoing Fear free membership
If you are energetic, and want to work with a small but friendly, active, hard-working team of like-minded vet professionals, email us now([email protected]) and submit your resume and cover letter telling us why you're our next nursing superstar!
Note: Candidates must have unrestricted work rights in Australia in order to apply for this role.
