Veterinary Assistant

Harbour Veterinary Clinic — Victoria, BC

Operated by the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee (IBKC), a nonprofit animal rescue

About Us

Harbour Veterinary Clinic is a nonprofit, community clinic run by IBKC. We provide accessible veterinary care while also supporting on-site rescue work. It's busy, mission-driven, and deeply hands-on—especially in surgery.

The Role (VA first, reception as needed)

We're hiring a Veterinary Assistant with current, in-clinic hands-on skills who can occasionally cover basic reception tasks. Your core day is in treatment and surgery: prepping patients, assisting in procedures, monitoring, and recovering patients—then jumping up front when the phones spike or coverage is needed.

What You'll Do

Clinical & Surgery (primary):

• Patient restraint, TPRs, weight checks, and triage flow.
• Surgical prep: clipping, aseptic scrub, room/station set-up, instrument packs, autoclave.
• Intra-op support: circulating assistant, instrument handling, maintaining sterility.
• Anesthesia support: charting, monitoring parameters under RVT/DVM direction.
• Post-op recovery: extubation support, temperature management, pain-scoring, discharge notes.
• Diagnostics: in-house lab runs (CBC/chem/UA), fecals, SNAP tests, cytology preps.
• Radiology positioning and safety.
• Pharmacy: fills, labels, client use-instructions per protocol.
• Treatment area cleanliness: turnover, laundry, biohazard, and infection control.

Reception (as needed):

• Answer phones, book appointments, check-in/out.
• Process payments and provide accurate, empathetic client communication.
• Keep the lobby welcoming during peak times.

Rescue Support (team culture):

• Basic care for on-site rescue cats/kittens as needed (feeding, litter, sanitation).
• Help us maintain a calm, fear-aware environment for patients and rescues.

You Are

• Clinically confident: You've done this in a clinic and can step into a surgery day with energy and confidence
• Calm under pressure: Fast pace, full schedule, shifting priorities—still safe, kind, and precise.
• Team-reliable: We're a small team on a big mission; attendance, punctuality, and energy matter.
• Client-kind: Clear, compassionate communication—especially on high-stress days.
• Mission-aligned: You care about access to care and rescue work.

Must-Have Experience

• 1+ year in a veterinary assistant role with surgery exposure (spay/neuter or GP/ER surgery).
• Comfort with restraint, surgical prep/pack, room turnover, basic anesthesia monitoring support, and recovery.
• Basic lab skills (fecals, SNAP tests, urinalysis preps) and radiology positioning.

Nice to Have

• Experience in high-volume spay/neuter or shelter medicine.
• DaySmart Vet Software
• Cat-handling chops (we see lots of them).

Schedule & Benefits

• Schedule: 4 days/week, ~10-hour shifts (3-day weekends) + occasional rotating Saturdays.
• Benefits: Paid time off, RRSP matching, discounted services for employee pets, staff store discount, on-site parking.
• Compensation: Competitive and commensurate with experience ($27-$31) range)

How to Apply

Apply through Indeed with your resume and a brief cover note describing your recent surgical assisting experience (what you've prepped, monitored, and recovered). Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a working interview.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• Dental care
• Discounted or free food
• Extended health care
• On-site parking
• Paid time off
• RRSP match
• Store discount
• Paid time off
• Wellness Program

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Permanent

Pay: $18.32-$26.94 per hour

Expected hours: 40 per week

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Company events
• Dental care
• Discounted or free food
• Employee assistance program
• Extended health care
• On-site parking
• Paid time off
• RRSP match
• Store discount
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision care
• Wellness program

Application question(s):

• Tell us about your experiences with animal rescue or other volunteer/community work. What role did you play, what did you enjoy most, and what challenges did you notice? If you haven't volunteered formally, share how you've given back to your community in other ways and why that's important to you.

Please do not skip this question, we are looking for team members who believe in giving back as much as we do

Work Location: In person