Overview
The Department of Clinical Sciences is responsible for providing didactic and clinical training of DVM students, conducting research pertaining to diseases of large and small animals, and providing health care services for large, small, and exotic animals.
The section of Community Medicine and the Shelter Medicine Program work to improve the quality of life for homeless, displaced, abused, or neglected animals through the education of veterinary students, veterinarians and veterinary paraprofessionals in the principles, core competencies, and best practices of community and shelter medicine.
The Luke and Lily Lerner Spay/Neuter Clinic (LSNC) provides students at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine with opportunities for surgical training while serving pets and people in need. The clinic’s mission is to instruct veterinary students in the best practices of small animal sterilization surgeries, to provide free or low-cost services to pets in need from the surrounding community, and to provide the surgical training component for Community Medicine.
The Lerner Spay Neuter Clinic provides high level spay neuter services to shelter and community animals while training veterinary students in the clinical competencies needed for anesthesia and surgery of healthy feline and canine patients. Several surgical training programs are run out of the Lerner Spay Neuter clinic with the main one being the Introduction to Anesthesia and Small Animal Surgical Techniques (ISAAST), which is a required class for all students. We offer a fourth-year clinical rotation, Primary Care Procedures, which has a focus on spay neuter, other basic surgery and dentistry. We also run an outreach clinic for clients living in public housing and periodic Community Cat Clinics. Finally, we assist with dental training labs and other clinical skills laboratories run by our colleagues.
What You'll Do
The Staff Assistant will serve as an outreach coordinator and is responsible for coordinating the various outreach programs for Lerner Clinic which include the coordination of weekly preventative care clinics in the field, and the booking of community cat clinics held once or twice a month in the clinic. This position will spend about half of the time coordinating and scheduling services for outreach clients and half the time providing reception and administration duties for the Lerner Clinic and general clinic operations. All staff in Lerner support the dual mission of meeting the needs of underserved clients and pets while teaching veterinary students important clinical skills included in the curriculum.
As an Outreach coordinator you will be responsible for:
Client Coordinator:
- Support our outreach program at the Worcester and Grafton Housing Authorities.
- Use strong interpersonal skills and effective communication skills
- Manage client communication via phone or email to schedule animals for clinics and individual veterinary services, including follow-up care.
- Manage and maintain positive relationships with clients by building trust and being sensitive to the client’s needs as well as identifying and addressing obstacles to care.
- Create a schedule that best suits the needs of the clinic and its teaching efforts.
- Assess potential areas for schedule improvement and pass feedback to clinical management.
Reception/Medical Records:
- Greet and check clients in for services
- Assure smooth clinic flow and a positive experience with the clinic.
- Assure paperwork is accurate, complete, completed in a timely manner and needed follow up care is scheduled.
- Support doctors and technicians as needed with various administrative tasks associated with clinics and teaching activities.
General Program Support:
- Assist with other activities for shelter medicine including assisting with and preparing space for clinical electives occurring in the clinic.
- Maintaining supplies and medical records, as directed. Staff must be flexible and able to adapt as programming and teaching needs change over time.
- Willingness to drive our program van is a requirement for this position.
What We're Looking For
Basic Requirements:
- Spanish language speaker
- High School/GED degree or equivalent experience
- At least 1 year in a veterinary clinical setting
- Valid Driver’s License
- Excellent computer skills, especially in Word and Excel
- Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in written and verbal expression
- Strong organizational skills
- Ability to lift up to 40 lbs. with or without accommodation
Preferred Qualifications:
- Associates or Bachelors Degree
- Strong preference for additional language skills: Portuguese or other
- Individual should be highly organized with outstanding communication skills and experience in an educational environment
- An understanding of the organizational mechanics of animal shelters and shelter medicine is an advantage in communication with students about the program
- Experience working with dogs and cats in a clinical setting or desire for this training is preferred
- Experience as a veterinary assistant, veterinary receptionist, or veterinary technician would be considered a strongly desired background
Pay Range
Minimum $21.80, Midpoint $25.95, Maximum $30.10
Salary is based on related experience, expertise, and internal equity; generally, new hires can expect pay between the minimum and midpoint of the range.
