VETERINARIAN

SALARY INFORMATION
In addition to performance-based merit increases, this position is scheduled to receive salary range increases on the following dates:
Effective July 2, 2021 – 2.5% increase
Effective July 1, 2022 – 3.5% increase

Mandatory Employee Retirement Contributions will decrease on the following dates:
Effective July 2, 2021 – 1.2% decrease

Salary may be negotiable within the range listed above, based on position requirements and successful candidate's qualifications, subject to appropriate authorization.  

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
This recruitment is being held to establish an open eligible list to fill current and future Veterinarian vacancies within the County of Orange. The eligible list established may also be used to fill similar and lower level classifications throughout the County of Orange.
 
DEADLINE TO APPLY 
This recruitment will remain open on a continuous basis for a minimum of five (5) business days, until the needs of the County are met. Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply immediately.
 
The deadline to apply for the first round of consideration will be on
Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 11:59 PM (PST).

THE COUNTY
The County of Orange is a regional service provider and planning agency whose core businesses include public safety, public health, environmental protection, regional planning, public assistance, social services and aviation.  

OC COMMUNITY RESOURCES (OCCR)
OC Community Resources is a multi-faceted department comprised of OC Animal Care, OC Community Services, OC Housing & Community Development, OC Parks, and OC Public Libraries.  

OC ANIMAL CARE
OC Animal Care promotes responsible pet ownership, health and safety of people and animals, and spay/neuter programs. OC Animal Care provides temporary shelter and medical care for "lost" owned or stray animals and opportunities for adoption of these animals.

THE OPPORTUNITY
This is an exciting time for OC Animal Care. With the support of the community and elected officials, construction for a new modern shelter in Tustin was completed in early 2018. The new shelter has indoor/outdoor temperature-controlled kennels, multiple exercise yards to facilitate shelter dog enrichment and the opportunity to manage multiple dog play groups. Cats susceptible to stress are afforded abundant natural light and ventilation in large cat cages, group cat rooms and even catios.

These provisions have a positive impact on the physical and mental health of the shelter animals, which ultimately translates into increased adoptability and shorter length of stay. A community/training facility allows for engagement of staff, volunteers and members of the community. This new shelter provides a positive experience for animals and people alike.
 
OC Animal Care's lifesaving shelter programs focus on humane education, intake diversion, and amplification of animal adoptability through enrichment and veterinary care. In 2018, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a 5-year Strategic Plan with the following Strategic Priority areas:

• Animal Care, Enrichment and Placement
• Stakeholder Engagement and Marketing
• Culture and Organizational Development
• Fiscal Stewardship and Sustainability
• New Shelter Onboarding

The Veterinarian will have the opportunity to leverage strong medical and surgical skills to make a difference within a busy environment driven by our Strategic Plan. With 2019 save rates of 96.52% for dogs and 81.02% for cats, there is no time limit for an animal in our care, and our Strategic Plan drives us to maintain our high canine save rate while increasing our feline save rate. Our high-quality veterinary clinic provides PCV/TP, Blood Glucose, digital radiology, oxygen cages, IV fluid pumps, infectious disease isolation and separation of species that enter the shelter. Multiple surgery rooms afford the ability to more swiftly provide spay/neuter services so as not to prolong animal stays.  
 
This position plays a critical role in balancing resources while maximizing the number of lives saved through quality veterinary care. While the majority of shelter animals are cats and dogs (9,423 and 5,641 in 2018 respectively), we also receive over 3,000 rabbits, pocket pets, wildlife and farm animals.
 
The Veterinarian is responsible for delivery of quality diagnostic, treatment and surgical services to the animals served by OC Animal Care in a cost-effective manner. Veterinarian is distinguished from the next higher level of Chief Veterinarian in that the latter coordinates and oversees the entire medical program and all aspects of animal health within the shelter. The Veterinarian position is primarily a clinical position with occasional need to cover surgical services.

Example of job duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Utilizes clinical skills and implements innovative solutions to identify lifesaving pathways for all pets that enter the shelter.
• Delivers preventative and emergency treatment to impounded animals; regularly reviews medical condition of animals quarantined at the shelter; provides follow-up treatment to injured animals as necessary; directs care and feeding of exotic or unusual animals
• Performs forensic examinations for humane investigations and testifies, as required.
• Meets with Chief Veterinarian regularly to determine strategies in developing, implementing and interpreting protocols.
• Performs medically needed soft tissue surgeries such as enucleation, laceration repair and amputation.
• Performs high volume, high quality spay/neuter surgeries of shelter animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, and pediatrics when augmentation of the surgery team is necessary (infrequent).

This position may be filled as a full-time position, or as one or two part-time positions. Candidates interested in either opportunity are encouraged to apply.  

OC Animal Care provides service 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Incumbents should be prepared to work rotating shifts, including days, nights, weekends and holidays. Incumbents may be drafted for mandatory overtime in the event of an emergency, disaster, or during periods of unexpected staffing shortages.