ANIMAL CARE TECHNICIAN I

Job Description

Summary: Independently provide animal care on weekdays, weekends, and holidays, as needed, for up to 400 mice and up to 285 rats. Most of the duties are routine including filling water bottles, providing specialized rodent diets in specified amounts, refreshing pine shaving bedding, cleaning cages using the in-house cagewasher, and providing enrichment (handling, food supplements). General health checks of each and every animal are required, as well as facilities checks including temperature and humidity monitoring. In some cases, routine veterinary care will be performed as instructed (e.g., administration of analgesic and/or antibiotic medications). Independent work with rodents will be allowed following comprehensive and detailed training under the direct supervision of the Senior Technical Research Assistant and the Prinicipal Investigators. Emergency contact information for the Principal Investigators and the Facilities Department will be provided at all times. Scientific disciplines include neuroscience, behavioral science and pharmacology

1. Animal care and husbandry

Weight: 90%

Standards

1. a. Maintenance of animal health within the research unit

Daily maintenance of water bottles with adequate amounts of clean tap water

Daily feeding of specialized diets in specified amounts for each & every animal

Daily observation of health status of each & every rodent in the facility

Notify Senior Technical Research Assistant or Principal Investigators regarding potential health problems

Implement routine veterinary treatments as instructed, including administration of analgesics and/or antibiotics by parenteral SC and IV routes

Daily maintenance of indwelling intravenous catheters by administration of IV sterile physiological solutions

Maintain documentation on health complications observed during routine health checks and routine veterinary treatments for each & every rodent

1. b. Refresh pine shavings bedding for each & every rodent at least twice per week and complete 180 F santizing cage wash at least once per week

discard old bedding

once per week replace old bedding with fresh bedding in same cage

once per week replace old cage with fresh one

put used cages in cage washer and complete 180 F alkaline wash cycle

dry and stack clean cages for next use

2. Laboratory Support Functions

Weight: 10 %

Standards

3. a. Record temperature and humidity daily in each rodent housing room; notify Principal Investigators and/or Facilities if temperature or humidity is outside of standard parameters

3. b. Assist Senior Technical Research Assistant with maintenance of inventory of all supplies related to animal care and husbandry

3. c. Assist with general cleaning of animal laboratory areas when necessary (minor cleaning weekly and intensive cleaning twice per year)

3. d. Contact Principal Investigators and/or Security if any unfamiliar persons or unusual activities are observed

Requirements

JOB QUALIFICATIONS: High School diploma.

LICENSURE: None required.

SKILLS: Familiarity with animal facilities and techniques desirable.

EXPERIENCE: One Year.

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL EFFORT: Quite a bit of physical effort required. Should be able to lift animal cages in and out of cage washer, and lift and stack 75 lb bags of feed.

Skills/Abilities/Competencies

Successful candidate must possess basic computer skills in order to use a variety of electronic systems to access and/or maintain personal employment-related data, satisfy required annual trainings, and use job-specific applications. All employees of McLean Hospital are assigned an email account for business communication purposes. Candidate must also be able to consistently demonstrate McLean Values of integrity,