Assistant Director of Veterinary Nursing- Specialty Services

Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University offers one of the most forward-looking educational environments in veterinary medicine in the country. Located in Grafton, MA, our beautiful campus is situated in a country atmosphere within an easy reach of major highways. Cummings School provides DVM, master's and PhD degrees, and advanced clinical training programs. The Cummings School Veterinary Group (CSVG) is comprised of 7 teaching hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic laboratories. The CVSG supports the education and research missions of the school, as well as providing excellent patient care. With an annual patient caseload of ~100,000, the CVSG serves clients from across New England and is the primary clinical training environment for veterinary students, interns, and residents.

The Foster Hospital for Small Animals (FHSA) in North Grafton, MA provides state-of-the-art, 24-hour, 7-day a week emergency and multi-specialty care for small animals. It provides high-quality veterinary medical/surgical care to inpatient, outpatient, and critical/emergent small animal cases and superior customer service to our clients. In addition, the FHSA provides a positive learning experience for Tufts veterinary students encompassing all specialties at the Foster Hospital for Small Animals. The annual caseload is approximately 35,000 cases per year, with over 60 faculty, 50 residents, 35 interns, and approximately 300 staff. From 120 - 150 clinical year DVM students are educated in the hospital annually.

The Assistant Director Veterinary Nursing-Specialty Services is responsible in collaboration with the Veterinary Nursing Director for the overall management, leadership, and direction of the specialty veterinary nursing staff within the FHSA. This role oversees specialty department supervisors ensuring the highest standards of patient care, staff management, and operational efficiency. The assistant director will lead initiatives for the recruitment, retention, training, and development of veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, and animal care attendants, fostering a collaborative and supportive environment for staff and students alike. The assistant nursing director works closely with the other members of the leadership team and with similar roles in other clinics in the CSVG. We offer a generous compensation package that includes medical, dental, life insurance, retirement, and tuition reimbursement benefits, as well as generous holiday, sick, and vacation time. We offer a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. Some other perks of working at Cummings School include a CE allowance, a beautiful New England campus with an on-campus cafe, and all major holidays being observed by the University.

Essential functions as the Assistance Director of Veterinary Nursing include:

Recruitment, interviewing and retention of Veterinary Technicians:

• Recruitment, interviewing and retention of technicians and veterinary assistants.
• Create new positions to creatively solve staffing needs and create positions that provide career progression opportunities and improved position longevity for internal and external applicants
• Ensure the on-going development and progression through the career ladder for technical staff.
• Mentor technicians and staff members towards career goals including advanced certifications.
• Act as hospital representative and ambassador at technician recruiting events
• Work hand in hand with the Technician Education Manager, Veterinary Nursing Director and the Assistant Veterinary Nursing Director (ECC and Inpatient) with a focus on training and onboarding of technicians to support and improve their professional development and skillsets.
• Assist the supervisors with training and cross-training programs for staff members.

Daily hospital patient care service responsibilities:

• Work to continuously support and improve veterinary technician, veterinary assistant, and animal care attendant teams in the Specialty Services to enhance patient care within the Hospital.
• Direct day-to-day operations within specialty departments to ensure high quality patient care, customer service and productivity
• Assess (in conjunction with Sr. Veterinary Technicians/Supervisors) and allocate staffing resources when staff shortages occur so adequate staffing is available for patient treatments and patient load coverage.
• Establish and nurture an environment that is collaborative and focused on creating the best possible atmosphere for the patients, students, staff, and faculty.
• Fill in for veterinary technicians in times of short staffing to assist with direct patient care

Management and leadership:

• This position supervises the staff who report to this position which consists directly of Sr. Veterinary Technicians for Specialty Services as well as indirectly Veterinary Technicians, Veterinary Assistants and Animal Care Attendants (ACA's) in specialty services.
• Oversee staffing strategies for specialty veterinary technical staff members.
• Coach, mentor and develop senior veterinary technicians and supervisors. Create a training path for supervisors through training in additional management responsibilities and create growth opportunities
• Serve as interim direct supervisor for technical and support staff as needed in the absence of a senior veterinary technician or supervisor for the section
• Conduct annual review meetings and frequent one on one check in meetings with direct and indirect reports
• Work with Human Resources to initiate and follow through with employee performance improvement plans
• Ensure students have a rigorous and supportive training experience within the clinical setting. Hire and manage student technicians.
• Cultivate a community focusing on inclusivity, teamwork and respect
• Balance multiple priorities in departments from the perspectives of staff, students and faculty
• Mediate conflicts and concerns including interpersonal, client concerns and patient care concerns
• Participate in the orientation programs for new residents, interns, staff, and students.
• Participate as an administrative and technician representative in hospital wide groups and participate in initiatives that come from these groups.

Financial management:

• Work closely with Hospital Administration to provide input for the development of the departmental budget for the Hospital.
• Manage the Hospital to the annual profit margin goal that is determined by the Hospital Administrator during the budgeting process. (i.e.: monitor staffing expenses for each service and the amount of over-time pay)
• Responsible for the timely review/approval and submission of timecards for hospitals staff's weekly hours.
• Responsible for the monitoring and compliance of weekly overtime incurred to budgeted levels by each section.
• Provide advice and direction regarding staffing and resources necessary to meet departmental needs.
• Work closely with the equipment manager for equipment sourcing and purchasing and maintenance for current equipment while maintaining fiscal responsibility
• Evaluate departmental efficiencies, caseload, charge capture and appointment structure and make recommendations for improvements that will affect the overall financial health of the department and hospital

General and other:

• Assist Nursing Director, Associate Medical Directors, Hospital Director, and Hospital Administrator on special projects -when needed.

Basic requirements:

• Education - BA/BS with 7+ years of related experience in a veterinary practice environment.
• Candidate should have 3+ years of managerial supervisory experience.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office, specifically Excel and Word.
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs. with or without accommodation.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated leadership experience; excellent computer skills; outstanding organizational, interpersonal, communications and time-management skills; ability to exercise discretion and interact effectively with people at all levels and from diverse backgrounds; maintain professional positive outlook, handle multiple projects simultaneously; ability to work with frequent interruptions and to multi-task; exceptional attention to detail.
• If candidate is a Veterinary Technician, CVT is preferred.
• Enjoy working with people and solving problems.
• Demonstrated knowledge of veterinary patient care software systems.