Animal Technician II Grade B

    Clerical and Technical generic job description

    Family: Research-Support
    Job Code: 626

    Representative duties:

    • Feed, house and handle animals. Change animal cages. Maintain sanitary animal housing conditions
    • Prepare and administer special diets and special water to designated animals
    • Operate animal care processing equipment on either clean or dirty side and/or specific washing center. Detect and report malfunctioning and/or defective equipment
    • Observe animals for signs of illness and stress and report deviations in animal conditions
    • Perform routine animal care with appropriate supervision including drug administration
    • Maintain required records according to institutional, local and federal regulatory standards
    • May receive and house new animals
    • Maintain and sanitize assigned animal rooms, performing appropriate decontamination methods and procedures, including mixing of appropriate cleaning solutions and chemicals. Maintain cold room according to established procedures
    • Maintain inventory of supplies
    • May assist in training and/or instructing staff on sanitation, animal handling, restraint and care techniques appropriate to level
    • May perform duties as driver’s assistant
    • Maintain required activity logs and records
    • Perform additional related tasks as necessary

    The job duties listed above are representative and characteristic of the duties required and the level of the work performed in the job title. The duties will vary from incumbent to incumbent in the job title.

    Required knowledge:

    • General knowledge, high school level; detailed but narrow work-related knowledge in one or several work-related areas.  General acquaintance with broader fields of knowledge
    • Limited acquaintance with University organizational policies and procedures

    Required skills:

    • Extracts and compiles a narrow range of data from written sources, from individuals by asking set questions, or from one or several given data bases; coding based on prescribed simple standards
    • Routine use of a major library catalogue or reference database
    • Files already labeled material using a straightforward alphabetical, numerical or chronological system
    • Understands more complicated written instructions, memoranda, and policy statements
    • Writes simple internal memoranda, fills out complex forms
    • Regular skilled use of more complex machines
    • Performs one or several simple laboratory or scientific procedures that require some training, but that can be reversed or duplicated inexpensively, records results as necessary

    Office and administrative skills:

    • Enters and retrieves data from given sources on a personal computer
    • Refers callers and visitors to the appropriate individual

    Experience, education and formal training:

    • One year of related work experience and a high school level education, or an equivalent combination of experience and education

    Complexity and organization:

    • Limited variety of job tasks requiring coordinating steps/procedures

    Interpersonal relations:

    • Some involvement outside immediate work unit
    • Offers or obtains basic information or provides assistance on general matters
    • Understands and conveys more complex messages and instructions and takes action accordingly

    Supervisory guidelines:

    • Work is subject to general review on an occasional basis
    • Supervisor always plans, assigns, and schedules work and defines objectives clearly
    • Instruction provided only in new situations, methods and procedures that are not clearly related to existing tasks and duties

    Independent judgment:

    • Established procedures/policies govern most work situations
    • Occasional exercise of independent judgment or initiative
    • Problems solved by using established procedures

    Leadership responsibility:

    • Occasionally provides general orientation to routine procedures/policies

    Impact and consequence of error:

    • Work has some effect both outside the work unit and outside the University
    • Errors are difficult to recognize and correct and can cause harm or financial loss to individuals, departments, and the University or to other individuals and groups

    Working conditions:

    • Ongoing possibility of safety risks
    • Occasional conflicting demands, time pressure, deadlines or emergencies
    • Regular sustained concentration
    • Considerable physical effort or a high degree of fine finger or hand dexterity

    Certification:

    • AALAS Laboratory Animal Technologist Certification preferred

    Example 1

    General purpose:

    Maintain mouse colonies and assist with the animal related experiments in the lab.

    Essential duties of the position:

    • Feed, restrain and handle animals
    • Clean animal cages and equipment
    • Observe and evaluate animals for signs of illness or stress. Report deviations in animal conditions
    • Record and log animal census by species and investigator. Maintain and update records
    • Maintain and sanitize animal rooms and facilities. Maintain inventory of supplies
    • May perform care under veterinary supervision, including drug administration, blood collection, and pre and post-operative care. Maintain records of treatments
    • May receive and house new animals
    • Perform additional functions incidental to animal technology activities
    • Must be willing to learn to take care of and screen transgenic mice by PCR. Help with the surgery of grafted mice and take care of them
    • Assist in making peptide specific monoclonal antibodies by injecting the antigen of pulsed DC into mice, sacrifice mice, and remove spleen

    Education and training:

    • One year of related work experience and a high school level education; or an equivalent combination of experience and education
    • Preferred: at least two years of experience working with animals; courses in Animal Sciences; courses in Chemistry and Biology

    Skills and abilities:

    • PC Computer knowledge

    Example 2

    General purpose:

    Provide daily care to laboratory animals that are being used in biomedical research at the School of Medicine.

    Essential duties:

    • Feed, restrain and handle animals
    • Clean animal cages and equipment
    • Maintain and sanitize animal rooms and facilities
    • Observe and evaluate animals for signs of illness or stress
    • Report deviations in animal conditions
    • Maintain inventory of supplies
    • May prepare special foods
    • May maintain records and files
    • May assist in preparing animals for experimentation
    • Perform additional functions incidental to animal technology activities

    Education and training:

    • One year of related work experience and a high school level education; or an equivalent combination of experience and education
    • Eligibility and willingness to complete examination by AALAS as a Lab Animal Technician
    • Preferred: College level courses; one year of experience working with animals

    Skills and abilities:

    • Leadership skills
    • Ability to show attention to detail
    • Organizational, time management, and problem solving skills
    • Oral and written communication skills
    • Must be able to lift 50 lbs. of weight
    • Manual dexterity
    • Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a health screening
    • Preferred: Sensitivity and appreciation of animals