Location: Bentonville, AR  

Hiring Range: This position’s hiring range is anticipated to be $19.50 per hour to $22 per hour (certified technicians may be eligible for an increased pay range), depending on experience.  

This is a part-time role that does require weekend availability and flexibility. The anticipated hours per week is up to 29 hours.

Be part of something truly transformative! 

Best Friends in Northwest Arkansas is looking for a versatile Veterinary Technician to join our team. Our Pet Resource Center in Bentonville includes a state-of-the-art veterinary clinic that serves shelter and rescue animals along with community animals. This is an opportunity to be part of an amazing team that gets to utilize their skills for an altruistic purpose, serving those who truly need these services the most! 

Our world is unique and changes daily. We partner with shelters across Arkansas and the region to help them maximize their lifesaving and achieve no-kill. We are looking for Veterinary Technicians that will help with our intake from shelters, assist with foster animal appointments, surgery, and provide great care aligned with our mission, all while rocking out in the clinic to the best jams! Is this you? 

Our perfect candidate is caring, motivated, hard-working, a little scrappy, and willing to jump in to help where there’s a need. In addition, they will have surgical experience and ideally experience with high quality, high volume, spay and neuter.  We promise a great group of colleagues and friends ready to team up with you to advance lifesaving across the state.  

Culture Statement and Responsibility: We believe in treating everyone with kindness and compassion, building trust through authenticity and following through on commitments. We prioritize well-being alongside our mission, fostering strong relationships through open communication and transparent feedback. Diversity and inclusion are integral to our culture, enriching team dynamics by valuing diverse perspectives. Each team member is responsible for creating an inclusive environment where all voices are respected and contributing to a workplace that embodies our shared values and commitment to progress. By consistently aligning our actions with our Guiding Principles, we strengthen our culture and ensure that our values are lived every day.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Demonstrate kindness and the Golden Rule in our everyday actions by practicing inclusion and respect for every person for the value they bring to the table. Be a role model for the spirit of authenticity, kindness and positive influence with each other, our visitors, and volunteers as well as to the animals every day. This includes listening, being present, being supportive of others and demonstrating compassion and curiosity in conflict. 

• Perform basic medical care including but not limited to intravenous injections, blood draws, medicating, vaccinating, subcutaneous fluids, catheter placement, and microchipping under the direction of a veterinarian; have a comprehensive knowledge of sterile techniques, basic knowledge of surgical instruments, and general pharmacology, anesthesia monitoring, surgical induction and recovery; skilled understanding of humane restraint for medical procedures and emergency stabilization procedures.  

• Maintain a clean and disinfected working environment, maintain controlled substances logs, accurately enter, and maintain patient and client medical data. 

• Support, empower and enable volunteers and foster parents with the goal of utilizing volunteers to expand Best Friends lifesaving capacity; assist with client communications including aftercare and emergency support. 

• Provide basic care such as feeding, cleaning, walking, and socialization for animals temporarily housed or transported within Lifesaving Center vehicles, buildings, or facilities. 

• Deliver superior customer service; communicate (or develop communications) about and maintain knowledge of Best Friends and community partner programs.   

• Work collaboratively with Best Friends’ team members in all areas of operations to achieve lifesaving goals; follow Best Friends policies, procedures, and task lists for daily lifesaving outcome assignments, including accurate and timely communications, work completion, data entry, and recordkeeping. 

• Maintain a safe workplace, value, and model safe work practices, adhering to organizational safety practices and rules, and communicating to leadership about unsafe practices and conditions. 

Skills and Experience: 

• A minimum of 1-2 years of experience working as a veterinary technician in a clinic, hospital, or animal welfare setting is required. Strong preference for techs with experience working in a fast paced setting such as an urgent care, shelter medicine, or animal hospital. 

• Experience and comfortability with surgery prep, intubation of cats and dogs, and drawing blood is required. 

• Experience assisting in surgery is required, high volume, high quality, high volume spay and neuter surgery experience is a plus.  

• Certification from an AVMA accredited veterinary technician certification program and licensed in good standing by the appropriate state is preferred, but is not required. 

• Certified in Fear Free handling is a plus. 

• Bilingual or multi-lingual skills are preferred but not required.  

• Customer-centric, non-judgmental approach to engaging with adopters, partners, visitors, volunteers, and colleagues; familiarity and comfort with a conversational adoption process.  

• Ability to identify and speak to medical and behavioral characteristics of dogs and cats.  

• Excellent communication skills (verbally and written). The ability to professionally advocate Best Friends' position on issues.

• Strong interpersonal skills, a team player, personable, professional, and able to get along with people from different backgrounds, as well as the ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations.    

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with well-developed organization skills to juggle multiple competing tasks and demands.   

• Resourceful, get-it-done attitude; initiative to assist in any area or process; problem solving, seeking answers independently and enthusiastically; flexibility to persist until goals are achieved.  

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products; familiarity with shelter software/animal management software, or desire to learn.   

Physical Requirements: 

• Routinely lift 40 pounds and perform daily strenuous activity including, but not limited to lifting, carrying, reaching, stooping, squatting, cleaning, and bending.   

• Perform repetitive tasks for extended periods of time including typing, sitting, walking, arm, and hand motion.    

• Work indoors and outdoors in a variety of weather conditions including extreme heat and cold.   

• Exposure to dogs and cats of all sizes, temperaments, and medical status. Ability to work with, leash, kennel, walk, and handle cats and dogs, including those with health and/or behavior conditions/concerns.

• Daily hours and days of the week may vary according to the needs of the department schedule; position includes weekends, nights, and holiday work.