Clinical Veterinarian

At Houston Methodist, the Clinical Veterinarian position is responsible for providing diagnostic and clinical veterinary care for laboratory animals maintained in support of the Houston Methodist (HM) research program. This position provides regulatory oversight to ensure compliance with all federal regulations and guidelines pertaining to the use of laboratory animals, including the FDA Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) regulations. The Clinical Veterinarian position participates in research protocol creation, IACUC protocol review and works on research protocols to ensure the humane treatment of animals. This position requires a high level of case management, organizational capabilities, and communication skills.

FLSA STATUS
Exempt

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from an accredited school of veterinary medicine

EXPERIENCE

• Two years of experience in the field of Laboratory Animal Medicine

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Required

• Must have one of the following certifications: DVM - Doctor of Veterinary Medicine - State Licensure within 1 year or ACLAM - Certified American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) within 3 years

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
• Expertise in laboratory animal medicine and veterinary medical knowledge
• Familiarity with laws, policies, and regulations governing the use of animals in research
• Excellent communication skills
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Demonstrates adaptability and flexibility in the face of changing demands.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Trains investigators, graduate students and technicians in the humane care and use of laboratory animals. Provides oversight and guidance to the technical veterinary personnel and animal care staff.
• Reviews animal use protocols and provides assistance to investigators with protocol development.
• Contributes towards improvement of department scores for employee engagement, i.e. peer-to-peer accountability.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Maintains a comprehensive clinical program for all animals used in research and teaching, including sentinel and quarantine programs, vendor screening, oversight of animal import and export, and diagnostics.
• Provides assistance with anesthesia, surgical, post-op care, and technical support when requested for research activities using animals.
• Participates in post approval monitoring of research protocols to ensure compliance with federal regulations and guidelines and the humane use of animals.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Monitors the preventive medicine and enrichment programs for animals used in research and teaching.
• Supports pre-clinical GLP compliant protocols, adhering to documentation, communication, training and study oversight requirements. Assist with SOP development, record review, and QA monitoring of research projects within the animal facilities.
• Conducts audits of duties performed by the animal care and veterinary technical staff to ensure compliance with departmental SOP’s as well as federal regulations and guidelines.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Monitors the distribution and accounting of controlled substances.
• Utilizes resources with cost effectiveness and value creation in mind. Identifies cost saving initiatives within the department and communicates recommendations.
• Ensures cost recovery of billable time and supplies expended in support of research projects.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Serves, when needed, as a voting member of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
• Generates and communicates new ideas and suggestions that improve quality of animal care or service to HMRI investigators.
• Seeks opportunities to identify self-development needs and takes appropriate action. Ensures own career discussions occur with appropriate management. Completes and updates the My Development Plan on an on-going basis.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform: No
• Scrubs: No
• Business professional: Yes
• Other (department approved): No

ON-CALL*
*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. Disaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* Yes

TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area Yes
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from an accredited school of veterinary medicine

EXPERIENCE

• Two years of experience in the field of Laboratory Animal Medicine

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Required

• Must have one of the following certifications: DVM - Doctor of Veterinary Medicine - State Licensure within 1 year or ACLAM - Certified American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) within 3 years