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Animal Health Technician
UCI Series Concepts
Class Specifications - I.25
Animal Health Technician IV - 9534
Animal Health Technician III - 9535
Animal Health Technician II - 9536
Animal Health Technician I - 9537
December, 1978
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SERIES CONCEPT
Animal Health Technicians perform or supervise technical paraveterinary
health care procedures, standard nursing activities, and provide
diagnostic services and related research support. The series includes
those positions that supervise clinical and/or diagnostic units directly
supporting facilities related to the collection and handling, housing
and disposition, and care and treatment of a wide variety of animals as
well as those positions that are involved with technical work directly
related to the quarantine and isolation, evaluation and examination,
prophylaxis and treatment of hospitalized animals and animals used for
teaching and research.
Animal Health Technicians may as ancillary duties install, operate, and
maintain specialized instruments and equipment; perform clinical
laboratory work in facilities not large or specialized enough to have
full-time laboratory technicians; and participate or assist in
teaching activities, such as, working with faculty in presenting,
developing, or modifying portions of course material, demonstrating
procedures, discussing animal health care procedures, and providing
technical supervision to students and other animal associated personnel
during assigned periods.
The levels within the series are dependent upon the degree of health
care, administrative, and supervisory responsibilities assigned to the
incumbent.
CLASS CONCEPTS
Animal Health Technician IV
Under direction, incumbents are assigned major administrative
responsibility for technical health care procedures. Such positions
might be found in a clinical, diagnostic, research or campus-wide
facility. A typical supervisory position at this level is assigned
responsibility in a clinical setting for the supervision of seven or
more animal health care personnel and for coordinating the related
activities of a wide variety of personnel (10-20 staff personnel or
20-40 students) who use the service or facility. A typical
non-supervisory position at this level is responsible to the Laboratory
Animal Veterinarian at a campus with a large and varied laboratory
animal population for administratively overseeing the campus' animal
care and health practices, the screening of all incoming animals, the
campus' diagnostic and disease control practices, and overall compliance
with animal welfare standards.
Animal Health Technician III
Under general supervision, incumbents are assigned supervisory
responsibilities for three to eight Animal Health Technicians or
associated animal care personnel; or are assigned a major
technical-administrative responsibility above that associated with
nursing care, animal diagnostic and laboratory animal research services.
Examples of the latter are a position in a major, large animal surgery
unit with responsibility for asepsis, scheduling, restraining,
anesthesia, and the coordination of all activities of other Animal
Health Technicians assisting in the facility; and an Animal Health
Technician in an animal diagnostic research laboratory performing
technical research and laboratory procedures, coordinating
other Animal Health Technicians and related animal care personnel,
student associated activities, and other levels of highly technical
unsupervised services.
Animal Health Technician II
This is the operational or journeylevel of the series. Under
supervision, incumbents perform standard paraveterinary health care
procedures. Typical assignments include the performance of (a) a wide
variety of standard, repetitive procedures within one clinical or
diagnostic specialty; or (b) a limited variety of highly specialized
procedures, or of non-standard procedures requiring ingenuity,
resourcefulness, and adaptability; and/or (c) diagnostic services on a
wide variety of animals. Procedures are typically performed without
detailed technical supervision, usually in a clinical or laboratory
animal setting.
Positions at this level are typically non-supervisory. They may,
however, include lead responsibility for a small clinical laboratory,
animal research or animal diagnostic area, with at least one Animal
Health Technician I or a group of Laboratory Assistants, or associated
Animal Technicians permanently assigned. Such responsibility typically
includes ordering supplies and equipment and insuring proper operation
and maintenance of clinical equipment and performing routine animal
research and diagnostic procedures. Incumbents may participate in
teaching activities by demonstrating techniques or procedures or
otherwise assisting faculty and students.
Examples of duties found at this level include performing daily
observations of colonies/wards for signs of illness and to follow-up on
sick calls; performing gross necropsies to detect abnormal situations;
administering gaseous anesthetics and IV fluids; monitoring the
effectiveness of medication programs; performing routine physical
examinations; applying tourniquets and/or pressure bandages to control
hemorrhage; administering pharmacologic agents to prevent or control
shock; performing resuscitative oxygen procedures; establishing open
airways including intubation appliances; applying temporary splints or
bandages; applying wound dressings and external supportive treatment in
severe injury cases; recording vital and necessary information pertinent
to sick or injured animals; drawing venous blood and inserting
indwelling catheters; catheterizing the urinary bladder; performing
parenteral injections; intubation and introduction of fluids; collecting
and administering whole blood or plasma; taking electrocardiogram and
electroencephalogram tracings under anesthesia or sedation; performing
routine urine and fecal analysis; taking and preparing skin scrapings
for microscopic examination; performing routine laboratory procedures
including hematology, parasitology, microbiology, serology, and
chemistry; loading cassettes, developing and exposing X-ray film;
preparing animal patients for surgery including clipping, scrubbing, and
disinfecting the operative site, as well as sterilizing drapes, gowns,
gloves, instruments, etc.; scheduling and assisting in surgery;
preparing medicaments for dispensing; recording all drugs and procedures
prescribed and actually performed on animals in individual case (or
animal) records; maintaining surgery, x-ray, and laboratory logs;
maintaining pharmacy records; performing nursing duties relative to
critical care animal patients including the administration of parenteral
fluids, the monitoring of the patients and the operation of ICU
laboratory, and/or to patients whose condition (neurologic, cancer,
etc.) requires specialized care and treatments; and informing clients or
other responsible parties of the status of a hospitalized animal.
Animal Health Technician I
Under direct supervision, incumbents perform standard repetitive,
technical health care procedures and/or receive training in the more
difficult procedures usually requiring formal education or extensive
experience in animal health care.
The fields of work are generally those indicated in the Series Concept
and further illustrated by the examples in the Class Concept for Animal
Health Technician II. Continuing supervision over other staff personnel
is not normally assigned.
This is the entry level in the series. It is differentiated from Animal
Health Technician II by the scope of assigned tasks and the close
technical supervision received by incumbents.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Animal Health Technician IV
A baccalaureate degree in a basic science or health-related field plus
four years of applicable experience; certification or eligibility for
certification as a registered Animal Health Technician by the
California State Board of Veterinary Examiners; or an equivalent
combination of education and experience; and knowledges and abilities
essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the
position
Animal Health Technician III
Completion of an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) or State
of California approved two-year animal health technician curriculum plus
four years of applicable experience; certification or eligibility for
certification as a registered Animal Health Technician; or an equivalent
combination of education and experience; and knowledges and abilities
essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the
position.
Animal Health Technician II
Graduation from an AVMA or State of California approved animal health
technician program plus two years of applicable experience;
certification or eligibility for certification as a registered Animal
Health Technician; or an equivalent combination of education and
experience; and knowledges and abilities essential to the successful
performance of the duties assigned to the position.
Animal Health Technician I
Graduation from an AVMA or State of California approved animal health
technician program; or an equivalent combination of education and
experience; and knowledges and abilities essential to the successful
performance of the duties assigned to the position.
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