Animal Technician Job Description
Animal Technician Duties & Responsibilities
To write an effective animal technician job description, begin by listing detailed duties, responsibilities and expectations. We have included animal technician job description templates that you can modify and use.
Sample responsibilities for this position include:
Animal Technician Qualifications
Qualifications for a job description may include education, certification, and experience.
Licensing or Certifications for Animal Technician
List any licenses or certifications required by the position: AALAS, LAT, ALAT, ALAAS
Education for Animal Technician
Typically a job would require a certain level of education.
Employers hiring for the animal technician job most commonly would prefer for their future employee to have a relevant degree such as Bachelor's and Associate Degree in Science, Education, Sciences, Biological Sciences, Medical, Faculty, Veterinary Technology, Graduate School, Patient Care, Medicine
Skills for Animal Technician
Desired skills for animal technician include:
Desired experience for animal technician includes:
Animal Technician Examples
Animal Technician Job Description
- Provide food and water to animals following SOPs or approved protocols
- Perform animal husbandry duties as assigned
- Understand and follow SOPs, safety procedures, and quality assurance guidelines for animal care at ABSL2 or less
- Report any abnormal conditions of the animal rooms, animal facility or immediate vicinity to supervisory staff
- Maintain all records to include but not limited to log sheets and room records
- Facilitate customer relations between military, government, and contractor personnel in regards to animal husbandry issues
- Sanitize and decontaminate all areas of the facility
- Dispose of waste from the facility following appropriate SOPs
- Maintain and repair animal caging and support equipment
- Assist with receipt, stocking and maintenance of all supply inventories
- High School diploma and 3-5 years’ paid animal experience
- Maintain clean and organized work and personal areas
- Perform all functions of cage wash and autoclave operations
- Bachelor’s degree in behavioral science, neuroscience, pharmacology, animal science or related discipline
- Paid, hands-on animal experience at a farm, pet store, zoo, animal rehabilitation center, or through animal-related course work
- Perform animal conditioning (vaccinations, deworming)
Animal Technician Job Description
- Monitor compliance with federal, state, local, and institutional policies regulating the humane care and use of research animals
- Operate animal care related equipment, such as change stations, biosafety cabinets, rodent ventilated cage racks, autoclaves, cage washers, water pouch systems
- Carry out routine husbandry and housekeeping Clean the cages, the area and tools thoroughly following strict hygiene procedures
- To undertake reviews of technical processes and procedures and advise on options for improvement within own work area
- Knowledge of good laboratory practice (GLP)
- To take murine biopsies under a Home Office licence
- To record and perform PCR analysis using agarose gel electrophoresis and fluorescence imaging equipment, communicating data accurately and effectively to other team members and participate in data analysis
- To be involved in immunohistochemical analyses
- Assist with restraint, handling and manipulation of various animal species as assigned by the on-site Supervisor
- Receive, identify and house selected animal species
- High school diploma or equivalent and AALAS Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT) certification
- Must be able to follow verbal and written instructions and exhibit interpersonal skills that are conducive to effective communication and that contribute to a congenial teamwork environment
- Ability to use basic logic to identify and solve problems – identifies problems, recognizes symptoms, and potential causes
- Demonstrated ability to set-up and troubleshoot equipment as required
- Provide general animal facility maintenance and cleanliness to animals
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds, with frequent lifting and/or carrying of objects weighing 15 - 30 pounds
Animal Technician Job Description
- Assists in sterilization using the glassware washer, autoclave and depyrogenation oven as appropriate to ensure surgical materials and glassware are sterilized and ready for use when needed
- Cleans caging, equipment, animal holding rooms and other areas of the facility
- Maintains a clean and orderly work environment to meet the standards of the institution
- Performs daily rounds under the direct supervision of the clinical veterinarians or Animal Health Technician, Lead to triage new animal health reports and monitor ongoing clinical cases
- Performs daily rounds under the direct supervision of the clinical veterinarians or Animal Health Techincian, Leads to triage new animal health reports and monitor ongoing clinical cases
- Maintains knowledge of applicable company Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in order to successfully perform job duties
- Cleans and/or completes spray-backs and sanitizing of animal caging and housing areas per SOP
- Administers daily and enrichment feeding according to SOP or protocol prescribed amounts and types of feed
- Performs large and small animal receipt, including preparing housing for arrival, movement of animals to housing, preparing animal charts, and bathing and weighing of animals as required
- Performs daily documentation activities, such as cleaning/sprayback and feeding dates and times, sanitation dates and initials, appetite, feces and vomit observations, room and location transfers, room temperature and humidity data
- Must have own means of transport
- A strong dedication to care for and work with animals
- Good communication skills & a strong willingness to learn
- Ability to maintain accurate & legible laboratory records
- AALAS certification at the Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT) level and 2 years experience working in an accredited animal facility is required
- Certification of American Association for Laboratory Animal Science - Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT) within 6 months of being eligable
Animal Technician Job Description
- Performs preventive health maintenance such as canine and lagomorphs nail trims, ear cleaning, and quarantine and pre-procedure bathing
- Conducts animal movement from room to room as needed for housing requirements, study requirements, Uses transport cart to assist with moving post-operative animals
- Interacts with animals daily and restrains animals as warranted
- Assists with training newer Animal Technicians
- Assists with stocking of supplies
- Hold or have held a Home Office License
- Be passionate about animal welfare and our industry
- Have previous experience in the Research industry
- Like to work in a fast moving professional team environment
- Experience in Reproductive Toxicology Licenced Procedures would be beneficial
- Physical ability to do required work and ability to communicate effectively (speaks, reads and writes in English)
- Must be able to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- The ability to work independently being a good team player
- Ability to communicate animal health information to appropriate personnel, maintain legible records for permanent status
- HSD/AA/AS/BS
- AALAS certification, LAT, LATg (preferred)
Animal Technician Job Description
- Maintain appropriate documentation and records of animal husbandry and care activities
- Coordination of regulatory and compliance activities
- Oversite to facility access, training of facility users
- Creation and maintenance of SOPs, manuals, and novel techniques
- Document and Log new stocks from the nursery
- Direct work of students and temporary staff
- Track and compile nursery viability rates
- Perform routine and non-routine facility maintenance
- Assist Facility users with routine Facility operations and occasional experiments
- Manage and execute animal study protocols with minimal supervision
- Able to keep clear, complete and accurate records of all procedures performed
- Be familiar with mechanical cage washing equipment and autoclaves
- Previous animal handling experience is preferred
- Basic computer skills, Microsoft Outlook experience preferred
- Regularly required to stand, walk, reach with hands and arms, use hands, talk and hear
- Frequently required to grip and squeeze with hands, stoop, kneel or crouch