Lab Animal Care Technician

Overview

The role of the Division of Animal Resources (DAR) is to facilitate research and teaching with animals at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. The Tufts Farm and Laboratory Animal Medicine Service (LAMS) are integral units of the DAR. We maintain teaching, research, and production animals. The role of the Laboratory Animal Medicine Service is to facilitate research and teaching with animals at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.

To do this, LAMS develops and implements a high-quality program of animal care and use to enable the teaching and research activities of the school. This program is characterized by a high level of client service, strong veterinary expertise, effective technical service delivery, quality animal housing and care, compliance with federal and state regulations and maintenance of AAALAC accreditation.

The Laboratory Animal Care Technician is a vital member of the integrated team responsible for the care of animals in the DAR. Provide excellent husbandry and care to a wide variety of laboratory and teaching animals. Specific animal duties include: receipt and transport, provision of food and water, changing and cleaning of cages, monitoring health and welfare, documentation of census and animal health records, handling and restraint, sanitation of caging and rooms.

Operation of various equipment and transport vehicles. The candidate must be committed to the humane handling and care of animals used in research and teaching and be able to provide services to a variety of research investigators. This position will require working in a Farm environment, BSL-2 environment and a BSL-3 and/or select agent environment.

Essential Functions as a Lab Animal Technician will be:

Animal Care and Husbandry

• Cleaning, feeding, and watering animals on a daily basis.
• Receive, properly identify, transport, handle and restrain animals by appropriate techniques.
  Report animal problems immediately to veterinary care staff
• Provide necessary enrichment for animals housed in this facility.
• Follow SOPs, regulations, and guidelines to promote animal health and welfare

Sanitization, Facility Maintenance and Equipment Operation

• Sanitize animal rooms, caging, animal use equipment and support areas with approved chemical agents by appropriate techniques.
• Operate equipment such as cage and rack washers, autoclaves, foggers, and vehicles for animal transport.
• Potential use of heavy equipment such as forklift, bobcat and hoist
• Follow health and safety policies by complying with established procedures and regulations to promote personnel safety.
• Maintain facility security to ensure animal and personnel safety

Recordkeeping

• Document and maintain daily animal census and animal health records with accuracy.
• Monitor environmental parameters daily through proper documentation and report any deviations immediately to the supervisor.
• Dispose of waste and hazardous items by executing established procedures
• Farm animal husbandry and care such as chickens, sheep, bovine, horses, goats, llamas etc.
• All Animal Resources employees are cross trained to take care of various Farm animal species that belongs to the Farm Unit, so that they are able to fill in for their colleagues when needed.

Miscellaneous

• Administer medications.
  Assist Veterinarians and Investigators in procedures performed on laboratory and farm animals (ex. treatments, surgical assistance, pre- and post-operative care)
• Use of computer for e-mail access and data entry

Knowledge and experience as typically acquired by

• 1 to 2 years' prior experience with animals either in a research or veterinary setting.
• H.S. Diploma
• A valid driver's license is required and must be maintained for the duration of employment.
• Comfortable using Microsoft Windows programs including Word, Excel, PowerPoint;
  Sirius, the e-mail network and internet.
• This position involves working with a variety of species; heavy lifting; frequent pushing and pulling of heavy equipment; standing for long periods; and use of autoclaves, cage washers, hoists; operating motor vehicles and forklift or bobcat.
• Employment may be contingent upon…