Veterinary Technician - University Health Network, Toronto

Your Impact

Join the University Health Network (UHN) as a Veterinary Technician within our vital Animal Resource Centre. This key role is central to maintaining the health and welfare of a diverse range of laboratory animals, contributing directly to critical research initiatives. You will be responsible for comprehensive animal care, from daily husbandry to specialized technical services, ensuring all activities adhere to the highest standards of animal welfare and regulatory compliance. This is an excellent opportunity for dedicated professionals seeking University Health Network careers to make a tangible difference in a dynamic Toronto healthcare environment.

As a Veterinary Technician, your responsibilities will include:

• Performing feeding, watering, and cage changing as per ARC Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) appropriate for each animal species.
• Ensuring appropriate environmental enrichment (EE) is offered for all species as per ARC SOP.
• Taking care of special research models, such as immune-deficient mice, according to protocol.
• Providing care for large animal species as per protocol.
• Caring for, cleaning, and general maintenance of assigned animal housing rooms and associated equipment.
• Attending to animals in Biohazard areas, strictly following proper SOPs, personal protective equipment (PPE), and decontamination procedures.
• Maintaining responsibility for the health and welfare of assigned animals, conducting daily visual inspections, monitoring food and water intake, and cage conditions.
• Alerting on-call veterinarians to animal health issues and submitting sick cases.
• Carrying out veterinary instructions, including administering drugs, as per written (sick case) or verbal directives.
• Updating sick cases and treatment sheets as required.
• Notifying laboratory groups of issues concerning their animals verbally or by email.
• Performing necropsy or tissue collection, such as ecto/endo parasite checks, microbiological samples, blood/serum samples, and tissue for histology, as needed.
• Performing tissue sampling and post-mortems as directed by the attending veterinarian.
• Ensuring room and facility conditions meet provincial legislation (Ontario Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs) and federal guidelines (Canadian Council on Animal Care) for animal holding areas, including record-keeping environmental conditions like temperature, humidity, light, and ammonia levels.
• Alerting Supervisors and/or Physical Plant Staff to any issues regarding environmental conditions.
• Carrying out Quality Assurance (QA) measures as directed by Supervisor or Manager, including pH reading and recording, using air settle plates, and fomite swabs for microbiological monitoring.
• Overseeing QA responsibilities in dirty and clean cage wash-up areas by Animal Care personnel, as required.
• Packaging tissue and biological samples appropriately for shipment to various testing facilities.
• Performing technical services on a fee-for-service basis for laboratory staff on a variety of laboratory animal species, including breeding colony maintenance, identification, DNA sampling, drug dosing, blood or tissue sampling, injections, and gavage.
• Administering drugs or treatments as directed by the on-call veterinarian.
• Maintaining record-keeping for breeding colonies and technical services for billing and invoicing.
• Conducting cage and/or animal inventory on a daily/weekly basis for invoicing investigators.
• Inputting inventory data to spreadsheets, such as colony census or breeding program data.
• Ensuring valid animal use protocol numbers are on cage cards and outside animal holding rooms as per provincial legislation and federal guidelines.
• Performing other administrative duties as assigned by the Supervisor or Manager.

Who We're Looking For

We are seeking a highly skilled and compassionate individual with a strong commitment to animal health and care in a laboratory setting. The ideal candidate will possess a solid foundation in veterinary technology and practical experience working with a variety of animal species. If you are looking for administration jobs in Toronto with a focus on animal welfare, this could be the perfect fit.

• Completion of a community college program in Veterinary Technology or recognized equivalent.
• Registration with the Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Science as a Registered Laboratory Animal Technician (may be obtained after employment).
• Minimum one year practical and related experience and/or 2 years on-the-job training.
• Previous experience within a laboratory animal facility.
• Previous experience working with large animals in a research setting.
• Experience handling laboratory animals, both rodents and larger animal species.
• WHMIS training.
• Ability to utilize Excel, Word, and Outlook at moderate proficiency.
• Ability to lift 50 lbs.
• No known allergies to animals.
• Demonstrated initiative and time management skills.
• Effective and professional organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• Ability to exercise good judgement and multi-task effectively.
• Compliance with confidentiality requirements.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to perform duties in a professional and courteous manner and produce high-quality work while meeting deadlines.
• Knowledge of applicable legislative, UHN, and/or departmental policies.
• Client service oriented, with the ability to effectively work with diversity and appreciate that people with different opinions, backgrounds, and characteristics bring richness to the challenge or situation at hand.

The Team

You will be an integral part of the Animal Resource Centre team at UHN, reporting directly to the Manager. Our centre is dedicated to providing exceptional care for all research animals, supporting groundbreaking scientific discovery within the University Health Network. You will collaborate closely with clinical veterinarians and laboratory staff, ensuring seamless communication regarding animal health and welfare.

Benefits

Joining UHN means becoming part of one of the world's leading academic health sciences centres. We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your professional growth and personal well-being, making UHN a rewarding place for University Health Network jobs.

• Competitive offer packages.
• As a government organization, you will be a member of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP).
• Close access to public transit and UHN shuttle service.
• A flexible work environment.
• Opportunities for development and promotions within a large organization.
• Additional perks, including multiple corporate discounts for travel, restaurants, parking, phone plans, auto insurance, and access to on-site gyms.