Career Center

Purpose of Position: The Medical Director of Dumb Friends League Veterinary Hospital at Yuma serves as a clinical veterinarian and provides oversight and direction of the Hospital’s team of veterinarians. The League’s Veterinary Hospital at Yuma provides high quality high volume urgent care services for sick or injured pets within a defined scope of care using an incremental approach and seeks to increase access to care for underserved communities. 

The Medical Director is responsible for working in partnership with the Practice Manager to lead the hospital, providing mentorship to the doctor team, cultivating a culture of learning, and establishing strong external relationships with key partners including community veterinarians.

Responsibilities

Providing Veterinary Services

• Empowers staff veterinarians to provide exceptional and accessible veterinary care through an incremental approach.
• Provides strategic direction that inspires evolution of community veterinary programs.
• Supports ethical decision making and facilitates resolution of ethical conflicts.
• Leads a team of veterinarians to have the greatest impact on underserved families and their pets while supporting the wellbeing of the veterinary team as a whole.

Performs and provides oversight of the duties of staff veterinarians, including but not limited to:

• Conducts physical examinations, diagnostics, and treatments.
• Participates in medical rounds.
• Performs surgical procedures including various soft tissue and orthopedic procedures, and dentistry. 
• Documents, updates, and maintains thorough, accurate, and contemporaneous medical records. Adheres to all regulations regarding veterinary medical recordkeeping. 
• Effectively and compassionately communicates with patrons. 
• Maintains appropriate State and DEA licensing as needed and completes required continuing education courses. Adheres to all applicable regulations, including the State Veterinary Practice Act, and all League policies & protocols. 
• Supports the maintenance of drug and supply inventory while meeting and maintaining DEA requirements. 

Leadership & Management

• Works in close partnership with the Medical Director of the Veterinary Hospital at CSU Spur to set medical protocols and make pharmaceutical inventory decisions for all Community Veterinary Solutions (CVS) services.
• Works in close partnership with the Practice Manager of the hospital to ensure the smooth functioning and provision of services to the community.
• Serves as a member of the Community Veterinary Solutions (CVS) leadership team, working in partnership to formulate department objectives, practices, plans, and decisions to ensure efficient and impactful operations. Assists with the annual budgeting process. 
• Monitors and assesses hospital performance against strategic benchmarks, proactively discussing related opportunities and challenges with Director of CVS.
• Maintains a culture of collaboration and teamwork within CVS and the League broadly. Serves as a role model for the culture. Maintains a positive and professional attitude.
• Assists in developing and implementing League specific training programs regarding veterinary care and the work of CVS.
• Assists in case review for complaints that are medical in nature, and works towards resolution in a timely manner.
•  Assists in the timely response to hospital related questions or concerns, when requested by the Practice Manager. 
• Takes immediate action to address safety concerns or noncompliance of safety rules that could put an employee, volunteer, patron, animal or the organization at risk. 

Mentorship & Supervision

• Coaches and empowers the Hospital’s staff veterinarians on a day-to-day basis, specifically in their provision of veterinary medicine. Leads the ongoing assessment and development of staff veterinarian performance.
• Cultivates a culture of learning for all staff within CVS. 
• Actively supports the orientation and onboarding of veterinarians new to CVS. 
• Partners with Medical Director of the Veterinary Hospital at CSU Spur to plan and lead monthly CVS doctor team meetings. 
• Leads critical incident review and debrief after every critical incident within the Veterinary Hospital at Yuma.
• Partners with shelter operations and shelter veterinary services as needed.
• Manages and develops an effective staff: providing effective communication, leadership, guidance and resources. Determines staff qualifications and competency: recruits, interviews, selects, hires, trains, orients, mentors, evaluates, coaches, counsels, disciplines, and rewards. Establishes and monitors staff safety and regulatory compliance.

Community Engagement

• Builds and maintains a strong and supportive working relationship with referring veterinarians.
• Ensures quality service to both people and their pets is provided by the staff of the Veterinary Hospitals. Promotes good public relations in accordance with League practices.
• Serves as a veterinary ambassador, promoting the League’s mission, goals and strategic initiatives including Socially Conscious Sheltering and Communities to veterinarians, vendors, the public, and other animal welfare related organizations.

People Care

People are the key to fulfilling our mission. Making internal and external patrons and their needs a primary focus is expected in all situations. This position interacts with and collaborates with employees at all levels of the organization. Communication occurs through face to face, telephone, and electronic interactions and may also include contact with the general public and League business partners. Communication and contact must be clear, understandable, cooperative, professional and respectful in all circumstances. Employees are expected to actively support a positive team environment, directly address conflict, and appropriately express concerns.

Competencies

Competencies are work behaviors and expectations necessary for successful job performance. They encompass knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and actions. Additional definitions for competencies may be obtained from Human Resources

Organizational Key Competencies

• Integrity and Ethics
• Adapting to Change and Ambiguity
• Customer and Community Focus
• Emotional Intelligence
• Excellence

Leadership Key Competencies

• Project and Process Management
• Delivering Results
• Developing Direct Reports
• Building and Leading Effective Teams

Position Key Competencies

• Analytical Thinking
• Community Partnerships
• Conflict Management
• Financial Acumen
• Strong Leadership
• Fiscal Responsibility
• Innovation
• Team Building
• People Development
• Project Management
• Strong teaching and mentorship skills
• Strategic Thinking

Supervisory or Managerial Responsibility

• Staff veterinarians

Travel

• This position requires travel to and from various worksites

Work Conditions and Physical Requirements

The League’s Veterinary Hospital at CSU Spur provides an “on-view” experience for visitors to the CSU Spur campus. Staff joining the CVS team should expect that they will occasionally or regularly, depending on their work assignment, be working in an exam room, surgical suite or dentistry suite that is on-view through windows to a public audience.

Handle and restrain animals of various sizes, weights, and temperaments. Subject to animal bites or scratches. Work performed in high noise level areas. Exposure to cleaning chemicals, fumes, dust, animal dander, and feces. Exposure to radiation in association with performing radiology procedures. Physical efforts require constant bending, stooping, standing, climbing stairs, and walking. Repetitive motion associated with medical and surgical care. Frequent lifting of animals and objects with reasonable accommodation.

Full Time Benefits – Please visit our website for a comprehensive list of all offered benefits.

• Benefits (medical, dental, and vision)
• Flexible spending accounts
• League-paid Life and Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Holiday Pay
• 401(k)
• Veterinarians are eligible for student loan reimbursement
• And more!

Compensation: $120,000 - $140,000 annually (starting pay commensurate with market, experience, and equity)

We have compassion and care about our employees, our volunteers, and the community. In a continued effort to ensure the safety of our employees, volunteers, and community members, all Dumb Friends League employees are required to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, or have an approved medical or religious exemption. New employees will be required to provide proof to their status upon hire or have an approved medical or religious exemption. For questions, reach out to a member of the Human Resources team.