Animal Care Helper

Animal Care Helper

About Queen's University

Queen’s University is the Canadian research intensive university with a transformative student learning experience. Here the employment experience is as diverse as it is interesting. We have opportunities in multiple areas of globally recognized research, faculty administration, engineering & construction, athletics & recreation, power generation, corporate shared services, and many more.

Come work with us

Job Summary

**1. Give a short summary of the duties and responsibilities of your job.**
- Feeding and watering assigned animals or cages as prescribed. Filling water bottles and feed containers at room level with prescribed feed for that species.
- Observing animal’s behaviour and body condition while attending to their cages and report any abnormalities to the Facility Manager or Animal Health Technician. Reporting any apparent problems in the cages or rooms within the facility.
- Following prescribed methods and transfer animals from one cage to another.
- Putting enrichment devices in or on cages as prescribed.
- Moving clean and dirty caging. Flushing watering systems or automatic watering cages.
- Performing minor room maintenance such as changing exhaust filters as prescribed.
- Bedding and preparing pens or cages as directed. Process includes sterilization by running autoclave.
- Accurately identify, handle, weigh, and restrain animals used in the facilities using indelible pens, cage cards, animal record cards, and appropriate restraint devices.
- Lifting heavy animals and equipment e.g. bags of food, paper, cleaning fluids, caging, and food containers.
- Cleaning and general cosmetic care of rooms.

These skills are applied to the housing, maintenance and use of the following species: mice, rats, guinea pigs, monkeys, hamsters, etc.

**Job Description**:

**2. To fulfil your duties what knowledge, skills and specialized techniques are required? How would each be normally acquired? How long would it take to become proficient in each of the areas of your work?**
- The minimum job requirement is a secondary school diploma and 1 year of post-secondary education in a related field. Ability to follow directions and work with animals and experience handling animals is required. The graduate would normally develop proficiency after a month of direct training with follow-up support over 6 months.
- The duties, skills, and specialized techniques required include the following: adapt basic knowledge and skills to those required on the job, and properly handle animals.

**3. Is it necessary in this position to oversee the work, or to instruct other staff? If so, what does this involve?**

No

**4. What other people must you deal with in this job and why? (i.e. is there direct contact with students, teaching staff, other departments, and people outside the university community).**

The incumbent deals with department staff giving feedback and asking questions and may deal with research staff who have questions about animals the incumbent is providing care for.

**5. How is your work assigned to you and how closely is your work checked by someone else?**

Schedules are posted providing a daily outline of work to be performed. For general daily work, the helper is responsible for meeting departmental standards and procedures. Deviations from daily routine are posted or are communicated by the Facility Manager, designate or Animal Health Technician.

**6. a) Are the sorts of problems encountered in this job usually covered by established procedures or do you frequently have to develop or invent solutions to problems yourself**

Minor problems are solved by established standard operating procedures, but the helper can make decisions on priorities and exceptions to daily routine if verified with the Facility Manager. If major or unusual problems arise dealing with the healthy status of animals, the Animal Health Technician or Facility Manager is contacted.

When major problems dealing with animal management arise, the Senior Technician, Facility Manager or Veterinary Doctor is contacted.

**6. b) Are you involved in establishing standard procedures? (Give examples)**

The entire animal care group has input with regard to standard procedures. All staff input into weekly meetings, which play a role in the development of standard operating procedures.

**7. a) What is the size of your department (i.e. #of classes for which you are involved with labs., # of students, # of staff you might come in contact with, # of technicians in department).**

1 University Veterinarian

1 Clinical Veterinarian

1 Facility Manager

1 Administrative Assistant

9 Animal Care Technicians

1 Animal Care Helpers

5 Casual Animal Care Technicians

Over 200 students, technicians, faculty, and principal investigators

**7. b) What kind of equipment or material are you responsible for? Are you solely responsible for it and what is its approximate value?**

Autoclaves Plastic cage racks

Bed