Registered Veterinary Technician

Salary : $57,838.26 - $81,384.24 Annually

Location : Sacramento, CA

Job Type : Full-Time Career

Job Number : 003926-25-CDD-2

Department : Community Development

Division : Animal Care / Shelter

Opening Date : 11 / 10 / 2025

Closing Date : Continuous

THE POSITION

THIS POSTING WILL BE OPEN UNTIL FILLED

Application cut-off dates are bi-weekly on the 15th and last day of each month.

Under direct supervision, the Registered Veterinary Technician assists the Veterinarian in the medical care and treatment of impounded animals; provides medical and surgical pre-operative and post-operative procedures for shelter animals; maintains sanitary condition of medical caging equipment and facilities; administers medications, drugs, tests and vaccines to the City's Animal Care Services shelter animals.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

This is an advanced journey-level classification. The Registered Veterinary Technician classification is primarily distinguished from the Animal Care Technician by its responsibility for assisting licensed Veterinarians in providing medical and surgical pre-operative and post-operative procedures to animals. Whereas, the Animal Care Technician is responsible to feed and care for impounded animals, to clean kennels, equipment and other areas at the City Animal Care Services shelter. The Registered Veterinary Technician is distinguished from the Senior Animal Care Technician in that the latter provides direct supervision of Animal Care Technicians.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED

Direct Supervision is received from the Veterinarian. Indirect supervision is received from other management staff. The Registered Veterinary Technician does not supervise.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist the Veterinarian with impounding, quarantining, and restraining animals; emergency treatment and care of injured or diseased animals, including external hemorrhage control; perform CPR, intubation, and first aid on animals as required.
• Examine animals and make referrals to Veterinarian as needed; prepare animals and assist Veterinarian with surgery; apply casts or splints as necessary; staple or suture existing skin incisions.
• Induce and monitor anesthesia using either injectable or inhalant anesthetics; perform euthanasia by injection, as directed; supply post-surgical and treatment information to the public; microchip animals.
• Responsible for the control and use of euthanasia drugs, including Drug Enforcement Administration log maintenance; maintain inventory of medical supplies.
• Perform dental care including prophylactic evaluations, cleanings, and uncomplicated tooth extractions, as directed.
• Autoclaves and maintains all surgical packs; perform routine cleaning and general maintenance of medical equipment, facilities and caging; order medical supplies.
• Communicate with animal owners regarding post-operative care and other medical conditions of their animals; assign and oversee medically related duties to volunteers and Animal Care Technicians; participate in community events involving Animal Care Services.
• Enter data and produce computer generated reports relating to surgeries, treatment of shelter animals, and medical supply inventory; write memos and letters as necessary.
• Assist the Veterinarian with the development of policies and guidelines pertaining to the care, medical treatment and medical screening of animals at the shelter, including euthanasia by injection, handling and restraint, vaccination and microchipping, and medical screening and provide training to Animal Care Staff in these areas as necessary.
• Other related duties may also be performed; not all duties listed are necessarily performed by each individual.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge of :

Skill in :

pathology.

Ability to :

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Any combination of education and experience that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be :

Experience :

One year of experience assisting a licensed veterinarian in providing medical treatment to animals, including surgical procedures and medical examinations, in a clinical environment. One year of experience in an animal shelter assisting a licensed veterinarian in surgical procedures and medical examinations is desirable.

Education :

Thirty semester units from an accredited college or university in veterinary technology, animal science, the biological sciences, chemistry, or a closely related field.

Substitution :

One year of qualifying experience may be substituted for the required education.

PROOF OF EDUCATION

Should education be used to qualify for this position, then proof of education such as, but not limited to, university / college transcripts and degrees should be submitted with your application and will be required at the time of appointment. Unofficial documents and / or copies are acceptable.

An applicant with a college degree obtained outside the United States must have education records evaluated by a credentials evaluation service. Evaluation of education records will be due at time of appointment.

Registration :

Possession of Registration as a Registered Veterinary Technician by the California Board of Examiners in Veterinary Medicine is required at the time of appointment. Failure to maintain the Registered Veterinary License in good standing and completion of any required continuing education units is cause for termination.

PROOF OF REGISTRATION

Proof of the required registration and / or license should be submitted with your application and will be required at the time of appointment. Unofficial documents and / or copies are acceptable.

License :

The Registered Veterinary Technician incumbent is required to obtain Drug Enforcement Administration licensure as part of their function as a Registered Veterinary Technician within six (6) months of employment. Failure to obtain the Drug Enforcement Administration licensure is cause for discipline, up to and including termination.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD :

Employees must complete twelve (12) months of probation at a satisfactory performance level prior to gaining permanent status.

THE SELECTION PROCEDURE

Please note, the City of Sacramento's preferred method of communication with applicants is via e-mail. As such, please ensure you verify the e-mail address on your application, and check your e-mail frequently, including your spam and junk folders. All e-mail notifications can also be accessed through the governmentjobs.com applicant inbox.

If applicants do not list current and / or past job-related experience in the duties area of the "Work Experience" section. Note : Qualifying experience is based on full-time experience (40 hours per week). Qualifying experience is calculated to the full-time equivalent (pro-rated if less than 40 hours / week).

2. Training and Experience Exam : (Weighted 100%) - The questions located at the end of the application are the Training and Experience (T&E) Exam. Responses to the T&E questions will be rated and scored. This exam will evaluate the relevance, level, and progression of a candidate's education, training and experience. The exam score will determine your ranking on the eligible list for this job. When completing the T&E questions, please note :

3. Eligibility : Candidates who pass the Training and Experience Test will be placed on the eligible list. The hiring department may contact candidates for interview at any time during the life of the one-year list. Candidate's eligibility expires one year from the date of notification of a passing score for the Registered Veterinary Technician examination.

4. Screening Committee : (Pass / Fail)- All candidates that pass the examination and are in one of the top three ranks will have their application forwarded to the hiring department for review. The hiring department will select the most competitive applications for further consideration. Human Resources will only evaluate employment applications for the minimum qualifications, as stated on the job announcement, for applications selected by the hiring department.

5. Conditional Hire : Upon receipt of a conditional offer, the selected candidate must complete and pass Live Scan / fingerprinting. If applicable, candidates may also need to pass a pre-employment medical exam, controlled substance and / or alcohol test, and possess any required licensure or certification prior to receiving a start date from the Department. Failure to meet these prerequisites will be grounds for withdrawal of your conditional offer of employment.

QUESTIONS :

For questions concerning this job announcement and the application process :

Bilingual Pay

Did you know that the City offers bilingual pay? That's right, most labor agreements offer the option of providing employees with bilingual pay if the department deems it to be operationally necessary.

Pension Reform Act

The City of Sacramento is covered by the California Public Employees' Retirement System, and as such, must adhere to the California Public Employee's Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) of 2013. Please note that the provisions within this act may affect or impact an applicant's eligibility and / or selection for open vacancies at the City of Sacramento.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The City of Sacramento is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

Additional Information

Civil Service Rules :

Union Contracts :

Salary Schedule :

01

APPLICATION : I understand my application must meet the minimum qualifications for consideration of employment with the City of Sacramento. The experience I list in the duties area of the "Work Experience" section of the employment application will be used to determine if I meet the minimum qualifications as stated on the job announcement. A resume, responses to the supplemental questions requiring a narrative response, employment history listed elsewhere in the application or attachments will not substitute for the information required in the "Work Experience" section of the employment application. Position / job titles will not be considered in determining eligibility for meeting the minimum qualifications for this position. Note : Qualifying experience is based on full-time experience (40 hours per week). Qualifying experience is calculated to the full-time equivalent (pro-rated if less than 40 hours / week).Please refer to the City of Sacramento's Applicant Resources Page for Screening Instructions :

02

PROOF OF EDUCATION : To qualify for this classification you may use any combination of education and / or experience as listed to provide required knowledge, skills, and abilities.I understand proof of education such as, but not limited to, university / college transcripts and degrees should be submitted with my application and will be required at the time of appointment if I am using education to qualify for this position.Please refer to the City of Sacramento's Proof of Education Requirements () for information on accepted documentation.

03

EDUCATION CONFIRMATION : If I am using education to qualify for this position, I attest I possess or will possess the following level of education by time of appointment if I am selected for this position.

04

PROOF OF REGISTRATION : I understand proof of certification, should be submitted with my application and will be required at the time of appointment.

05

REGISTRATION CONFIRMATION : I attest I possess or will possess registration as a Registered Veterinary Technician by the California Board of Examiners in Veterinary Medicine by time of appointment if I am selected for this position.

06

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE EXAMINATION : The following questions are the Training and Experience (T&E) Examination. In addition to the City of Sacramento employment application, applicants must complete and submit online responses to the T&E questions. This exam will evaluate the relevance, level, and progression of a candidate's education, training and experience. Therefore, your responses to the T&E Exam questions should be thorough and complete because the exam score will determine your ranking on the eligible list for this job. In accordance with the City of Sacramento's Racial and Gender Equity Action Plan (RGEAP), this examination contains non-binary names and pronouns. For additional information regarding the City's RGEAP, please copy and paste the following link into a web browser : I understand and agree to the above instructions.

07

Select the one option that best describes your experience preparing animals for surgery in a clinical environment, preparing surgical packs, and / or performing autoclave procedures for medical supplies.

08

Select the one option that best describes your experience restraining fractious animals in a clinical environment.

09

Select all the boxes that best describe the techniques you have used to effectively communicate post-op care to a pet owner.

10

Select all the boxes that best describe the techniques you have you used to maintain controlled substances including ensuring availability, method(s) used for storing, and security measures you have implemented to restrict access to authorized staff only.

Required Question