Veterinarian

Idaho Falls Zoo

Description

The Idaho Falls Zoo is an AZA accredited institution dedicated to wildlife conservation and is seeking applicants for the position of zoo Veterinarian to help care for the magnificent animals at the zoo. This position is a contracted position for three days a week as the primary zoo Veterinarian that works closely and collaborates with a veterinary technician, the General Curator and Animal Care team, which are all committed to excellence in animal welfare.

This involves, but is not limited to, maintaining and updating a preventive medical program, providing acute care for sick or injured animals, providing convalescent care for animals recovering from illness or injury, performing post‑mortem examinations, giving recommendations regarding protocols for managing the animal collection (collection planning, exhibit design, nutrition and environmental enrichment, etc). The Veterinarian practices empathy and compassion with our animals and staff.

• Provide comprehensive medical care to the animal collection. This includes being familiar with the biology, husbandry, and medical requirements for species in the animal collection, applying appropriate diagnostic testing/techniques to allow for the timely identification of disease processes, and providing medical treatment for all health abnormalities. Treatment may encompass the generation and analysis of health history, physical and/or chemical restraint, physical examination, surgery, laboratory testing of appropriate biological samples, radiography, ultrasound and radiographic interpretation, as well as prescribing and delivering medications.
• Develop and maintain a preventive medicine program which includes class and/or order‑specific protocols for all animals; schedule, develop, and maintain a parasite monitoring and control program; update, modify, and implement vaccination protocols, and disease and diagnostic testing in accordance with AZA, AAZV, AVMA, and USDA standards.
• Perform and supervise clinical, diagnostic, and laboratory procedures skillfully; analyze and interpret findings, including clinical pathology (hematology, clinical chemistry, parasitology, microbiology, cytology, urinalysis, and serology) and pathology (post‑mortem examinations, necropsy, histopathology).
• Be trained on and be familiar with all chemical immobilization equipment in the IFZ hospital, and participate in the training of other IFZ staff in emergency chemical immobilization procedures.
• Consult with staff on the design or modification of animal facilities related to animal health, manage quarantine and disease testing for incoming and outgoing animal acquisitions and dispositions, and perform weekly rounds to evaluate the health and welfare of all animals in the Zoo.
• Develop, coordinate, and implement preventive health surveillance, analysis, and nutrition programs, review diets, and make recommendations for changes based on recent available research.
• Champion animal wellness and serve on the animal well‑being committee.

• Coordinate services of consulting and back‑up veterinarians.
• Participate in the training/on‑the‑job education of technician(s), interns, volunteers, students, and other staff members assigned tasks related to animal health care including but not limited to the animal hospital, medications, treatments, animal handling and restraint, anesthesia, zoonotic diseases, husbandry and emergency preparedness.
• Effectively communicate with staff of other institutions and related regulatory agencies, and act as liaison to the USDA, DEA, SD Animal Industry board and other appropriate state and federal agencies.
• Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal laws and regulations as related to the animal collection and veterinary practices, maintain medical records up to date and to AZA, AAZV and USDA standards, and participate in implementing changes in animal care as related to animal health maintenance of collection animals.
• Coordinate with the General Curator on budget for veterinary department supplies (equipment, pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, etc.) and manage inventory of equipment…