• Do you have a passion for patient advocacy? Have mad nursing skills that you just don’t get to use in your current job?
• Would you like to place IVCs, collect and run bloods, be exposed to nursing a large variety of species and learn CPR
• Do you want to develop special interest skills in animal welfare, private practice, anaesthesia, pocket pets, dentistry, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, and medicine?
• Are you interested in upskilling and having the opportunity to engage in exciting organisation wide learning and development opportunities both clinical and non-clinical?
• Would you like to be a part of a vibrant, fun working culture and improve your work-life balance?

Then it’s time to think about joining the team at RSPCA Victoria!

 

About RSPCA Victoria

RSPCA Victoria is a non-government, community-based, not-for-profit organisation whose vision is ‘ending cruelty to all animals’. We are Victoria’s best-known and most respected animal welfare organisation.

Our organisation’s purpose is to work with the community to achieve outstanding animal welfare through education, advocacy, and animal care and protection. RSPCA Victoria’s values - clarity and accountability, respect and consideration, and expertise and collaboration - set clear expectations for all our staff and volunteers.

 

About the role

We are currently expanding our veterinary nurse team at Burwood East Veterinary Clinic and are looking for full - time nurses to join us. We are a large Clinic with a rotating staff of approximately 50 nurses and 25 vets, which includes veterinarians with advanced education in internal medicine, orthopaedics, shelter medicine, soft tissue surgery, ophthalmology and emergency and critical care. Accompanying this inspiring group is a varied skill set of nurses who encourage, support and inspire each other to continually improve.

Our facility incorporates five operating theatres, eight consulting rooms, four shelter hospital wards, two private patient hospital wards, a cat specific isolation ward, digital x-ray capability as well as dental x-ray, in-house pathology capability, ultrasound capability and ECG.

This role will provide you with

• Exposure to wide range of routine and non-routine surgical procedures including but not limited to orthopaedic surgeries, soft tissues surgeries and the odd emergency surgery.
• Exposure to a wide case load of hospitalised patients including but not limited to the management of ophthalmic procedures post op, orthopaedic procedures post-op, various zoonotic and infectious disease management, exotic medicine, wound management, management of neglect and cruelty cases and the management of hospitalised patients post external specialty surgery.
• Opportunity to advocate for preventative care through nurse consults providing the community with animal care information on husbandry, nutrition, parasite control and pet behaviour
• Continual CE conducted in house during rostered hours!
• Support to further qualify in an area of expertise and become one of our veterinary nurse experts in a field of your interest.

 

The successful candidate will want to commit to an environment of continual improvement and continued professional development.

This role entails:

• 10 x 9 hours shifts per fortnight on a rotating roster with 1 in four weekends, 1 rostered day off in 20 workdays and a long four-day weekend once a month.
• No on call or after hours care
• Working in a collaborative environment where vets, nurses, animal attendants, behaviour teams, customer service officers and foster coordinators work to achieve the best possible outcomes
• A roster that includes a variety of shifts, working in a different area each day. Your week could have any of the following shift types incorporated into it.
  • Wards – Private inpatients, shelter cats, shelter dogs, cat iso, pocket pets, including wards support roles assisting your nursing team
  • Theatre including ophthalmology, orthopaedics, or minor procedures (dental, x-rays, ear flushed etc)
  • Reception, Phones, Consulting, Pharmacy/Dispensary Nurse
  • Support roles such as assisting the vets in consults and managing the inpatients which can be up to 40 patients.
• Opportunities to travel in the role as part of our community outreach programs.
• Responsibilities of:
  • Providing a high level of customer service both verbally and written
  • Inpatient care: TPR, walking, feeding, cleaning and administration of prescribed medications.
  • Communication of treatment plans and liaising with other department (Foster, Adoptions, Shelter)
  • Wound management.
  • IV catheter placement and management of intravenous fluids and CRI’S
  • Admission and discharge of hospitalised and surgery patients as well as triage of emergencies and providing grief support.
  • Surgical nursing including preparation of post op instructions and communication of plans and patient recovery.
  • Sterilization and preparation of instruments
  • Utilisation and use of all in house pathology equipment as well as pathology collection; specifically, but not exclusively blood collection and testing.
  • Safe animal handling.

 

How are we different?

Here at RSPCA, you will be enabled to follow through the patient’s plan, incorporating shelter medicine into your skill set enabling you to see a patient and follow their journey from surrender or stray to post-op care to adoptions and all the odd bits in-between.

Our nurses are protected by an enterprise agreement, currently under negotiations. This can be located on fair work website.

• Encouraged work-life balance and a broad range of leave entitlements, including annual leave, personal leave, additional leave (6 days per year pro-rata), purchased leave, paid parental leave, study leave and paid family and domestic violence leave.
• Recognised by Mental Health First Aid Australia, as a skilled workplace - Access to a range of mental health and wellbeing supportive initiatives, including confidential counselling services and education programs
• Generous discount on products and services, including Royal Canin, Hush Puppies footwear and RSPCA Victoria retail and vet clinic products and services
• Salary packaging and novated lease arrangements on offer with leading provider, Maxxia.

 

What we are looking for from you

• Well-developed veterinary nursing knowledge and skills.
• Experience working in a veterinary nursing role is desirable, including basic knowledge of animal anatomy, behaviour, disease recognition and safe/calm handling practices.
• Ability to work in a fast paced and challenging work environment, whilst showing great care and compassion to the animals in our care.
• Demonstrated experience working collaboratively in a team environment.
• The ability and commitment to work on a rotating roster, which includes some weekends and some public holidays.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong problem solving and organisational skills.

 

Qualifications and Recruitment Requirements

• Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing is desirable or equivalent experience is essential.
• Willingness to undergo a National Police Check
• A current tetanus vaccination (or willingness to obtain one).

 

How to Apply

To learn more about our organisation and this job opportunity, please visit our website at www.rspcavic.org/careers/employment-opportunities/ and download the Position Description.

Alternatively, please contact Gabrielle Houston, Veterinary Nurse Team Leader, via ghouston@rspcavic.org.au for a confidential discussion.

 If this role is of interest to you, submit your application with your cover letter and resume, addressing how you meet the selection criteria.

** Please note that we are actively reviewing applications and to apply as soon as possible **

 

RSPCA Victoria is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and we strongly encourage people from all cultural backgrounds to apply, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Applicants are welcome to access RSPCA Victoria’s Diversity & Inclusion Policy here

 

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