Veterinarian, Adoption Center

Summary:

Overview

Are you a compassionate veterinarian with a passion for helping at-risk animals? Do you excel in a fast-paced and ever-changing work environment? Is working with a dynamic and dedicated team in a mission-driven organization the description of your dream job? If so, you should consider the role of the Adoption Center Veterinarian.

As one of our staff veterinarians, you’ll be a critical player on this high-performing staff and volunteer team that works collaboratively and effectively with internal and external stakeholders to further the ASPCA’s ultimate desired outcome that all animals live good lives. Staff veterinarians attend to the health of individual animals and the entire shelter population equally, with an eye toward minimizing length of stay (LOS) for animals and utilizing best practices and innovative programs to ensure all animals in the care of the Adoption Center receive timely services and support to move quickly and successfully into safe and loving homes.

Success in this role requires a clinician experienced in shelter medicine, comfortable with complex medical case management, and committed to animal welfare. The ideal candidate is organized, efficient, and excels in a fast-paced, evolving environment. Strong communication, teamwork, and decision-making skills are essential to provide high-quality medical care that meets each animal’s needs and accounts for behavioral complexities. 

Who We Are

The Adoption Center currently provides shelter and adoption for five groups of animals:

• Animal victims of cruelty and neglect brought to us by the NYPD and our National Field & Disaster Response team
• Animals brought to us through our Community Engagement team
• Underage kittens and other medically compromised stray animals  
• Animals surrendered by their owners and in need of adoption into new homes
• Animals transferred in from shelter/rescue partners

Where and When You’ll Work

• The Adoption Center Veterinarian reports directly to the Senior Director, Veterinary Services and has no direct reports.
• This role is an onsite role at our 92nd Street location and the schedule is Sunday-Wednesday, 9am-7pm (10-hour shift daily).

What You’ll Do

At the ASPCA, we are passionate about minimizing fear, anxiety, stress and pain in our patients.  Team members in this position are responsible for providing service and communication to clients, members of the public, co-workers, and patients that are consistent with ASPCA standards and Fear Free® values.

To succeed in this role, the Adoption Center Veterinarian will be a skilled clinician with a passion for attending to the welfare of each animal and the entire shelter population equally. The right candidate must be extremely well organized and efficient to operate in a fast-paced, continually changing environment.  Finally, the staff veterinarian must also be an excellent communicator and team player, as well as someone who excels at guiding and coaching team members in providing quality medical care for animals. 

What You’ll Get

Compensation

Starting pay for the successful applicant will depend on a variety of factors, including but not limited to education, training, experience, location, business needs, internal equity, market demands or budgeted amount for the role. The target hiring range is for new-hire offers only, and staff compensation may increase beyond the maximum hiring range based on performance over time. The maximum of the hiring range is reserved for candidates with the highest qualifications and relevant experience. The expected hiring salary range for this role is set forth below and may be modified in the future. 

• The target hiring range for this role is $148,000-$156,000. Additionally, this position is eligible for a signing bonus (for external candidates) and relocation bonus to non-local residents.  Also, we are a qualified employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

Benefits

At the ASPCA, you don’t have to choose between your passion and making a living. Our comprehensive benefits package helps ensure you live a rewarding life at work and at home. Our benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Affordable health coverage, including medical, employer-paid dental and optional vision coverage.
• Flexible time off that includes vacation time, paid personal time, sick time, bereavement time, paid parental leave, and 10 company paid holidays that allows you even more flexibility to observe the days that mean the most to you.
• Competitive financial incentives and retirement savings, including a 401(k) plan with generous employer contributions — we match dollar-for-dollar up to 4% and provide an additional 4% contribution toward your future each year.
• Robust professional development opportunities, including classes, on-the-job training, coaching and mentorship with industry-leading peers, internal mobility, opportunities to support in the field and so much more.

For more information on our benefits offers, click here.

Responsibilities:

Responsibility buckets are listed in general order of importance, and include but are not limited to:

 

Provide High Quality Patient and Population Care:

• Provide timely, high-quality, practical, compassionate and cost-efficient veterinary care to a wide range of canines and felines in accordance with shelter medicine principles and best practices

• Provide skilled and efficient diagnosis and treatment of patients with timely recognition of, and planning for, conditions requiring care through the ASPCA Animal Hospital (AAH)

• Practice and model low-stress handling techniques to minimize animal fear, anxiety, and stress

• Maintain regular and close communication with veterinary colleagues in other ASPCA programs, including with AAH regarding care of hospitalized patients, Community Medicine (CM), Animal Recovery Center (ARC), Recovery & Rehabilitation Center (R&R), and Kitten Nursery (KN) staff regarding medical needs and animal flow between the populations

• Ensure that in-house and foster animals receive medical exams upon admission and are provided with on-going care as appropriate; ensure veterinary care provided is aligned with, and contributes to, the efficient and humane flow of animals from intake through outcome

• Direct patient care provided by medical team members

• Maintain accurate and thorough documentation of all exam findings, test results, diagnoses, treatments and procedures, in accordance with principles of medical record-keeping.

• Create Certificate of Veterinary Inspections (CVI) for animals being transported interstate

• Closely collaborate with other departments, including ARC, Kitten Nursery, and R&R, and with other teams, including Operations and Behavior, at the Adoption Center to ensure the overall welfare of animals in our care, to effectively share information in a timely fashion with relevant stakeholders, and to ensure that decision-making regarding treatment, pathway plans, and outcomes for each animal is informed by all relevant considerations.

• Play a leading role in daily Medical-Behavior-Sheltering rounds (daily rounds/pathway planning); ensure individual patients and the population are assessed daily and treatment/intervention recommendations are implemented in a timely fashion

• Guide appropriate and timely decisions about euthanasia – with attention to animals’ physical, medical, social and behavioral needs collectively

• Monitor the health and welfare of the shelter population, identify potential disease outbreaks, and implement appropriate mitigation measures. Ensure effective use of quarantine and isolation spaces to manage individual animal needs and effectively protect population health; ensure appropriate designation and use of PPE

• Perform humane euthanasia

• Adhere to all protocols put forth by Occupational Safety and Health Administration

• Follow and enforce all ASPCA Adoption Center SOPs; provide input to written SOPs and other related materials including information sheets and data sheets

• Offer input and feedback on medical protocols and standards of care

• Obtain continuing education as required by ASPCA and state licensing board

• Provide medical information and representation to other ASPCA departments, public and media

• Deploy with other ASPCA teams, including but not limited to Community Engagement, Community Medicine, National Field & Disaster Response, the Cruelty Recovery Center, and the Rehabilitation & Recovery Center per availability and programmatic needs.

• Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor, department head, or SVP

 

Teach and Coach Quality Patient Care:

• With the Senior Director, Veterinary Services, contribute to a culture of learning at the Adoption Center, including ensuring a respectful and welcoming environment, active participation in goal setting and monitoring, clear expectations, and regular practice of feedback and after-actions

• Model a standard of continual improvement in all aspects of Adoption Center care and handling of dogs and cats

• Teach and mentor nursing and animal care staff on shelter medicine principles and Adoption Center shelter medicine protocols

• Ensure the medical team provides timely adoption follow-up and foster support via email, phone and in-person; step in to handle situations that require a higher level of decision-making

• Competently and compassionately explain animals’ conditions to staff and responders with easily understood language. Provide mentorship for student externs and other potential teaching opportunities

• Inform and advise relevant internal stakeholders of medical conditions of shelter animals, including outbreaks of infectious disease and concern for reportable disease

• Attend interdepartmental, AC, Medical Staff meetings and training sessions

• Mentor, train, and support rotational assessments for shelter medicine rotating veterinary residents, interns, and externs

Qualifications

 

• Ability to successfully work efficiently and calmly in a high-volume, fast-paced environment and effectively multi-task with a high degree of integrity and accountability and without loss of attention to detail

• Ability to work well within a team and communicate effectively and respectfully with all levels of staff

• Solid veterinary medical knowledge, including familiarity with shelter medicine principles and best practices

• Strong clinical skills, including efficient diagnosis and treatment of cats and dogs for a variety of medical conditions

• Excellent low-stress animal handling and restraint skills

• Ability to teach and coach others

• Excellent written and oral communication skills

• Strong organizational skills and a high level of attention to detail

• Basic computer skills, including Excel, Microsoft Office, and email; familiarity with PetPoint or other shelter software systems a plus

• Able to lift 40 pounds

• Able to work standing for 8 or more hours

• Ability to exemplify ASPCA’s core values and behavioral competencies

Education and Work Experience

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (or equivalent degree) from an accredited veterinary college

• Eligibility for licensure in New York State (NYS) as a veterinarian required; current licensure in NYS strongly preferred

• USDA accredited in New York State or completed within 4 months of hiring

• Minimum 3 years small animal clinical practice with at least 1year clinical shelter medicine experience managing both individual animal and population level care required

• Veterinary internship and/or advanced clinical training in shelter medicine preferred

• Fear Free® shelter certified or completed within 60 days of employment

Veterinarian License - Other

Language:

English (Required), Spanish

Education and Work Experience:

Doctorate: Veterinary Medicine (Required)

Fear Free® certified or completed within 60 days of employment, Minimum 2 years clinical practice involving cats, Prior experience and/or advanced training in shelter medicine strongly preferred, Veterinary Internship Preferred