Mobile Clinic Veterinarian

Since 1897, the Humane Society for Southwest Washington (HSSW) has been caring for the animals of Southwest Washington and the surrounding area. We are a donor-supported non-profit with public contracts. Our mission is to rescue, return, restore, rehome, and reconnect one animal at a time. We also own and operate ReTails Thrift Store, the premiere Clark County thrifting experience. Proceeds from ReTails support animal care and shelter operations. 

Path Forward 2025 is an exciting and ambitious strategic plan focused on five strategic pillars: lifesaving pathways for animals, keeping people and pets together, thriving workforce, mission expansion, and leveraging technology. Through these efforts, we will build a community low-cost veterinary clinic and behavior and education center and improve animal spaces. We will expand programs and resources for the community, allowing people and pets to stay together. People bring our mission to life each day. We are committed to a diverse, healthy, and engaged team of employees and volunteers who strive for excellence, treat one another with kindness, and provide quality and compassionate care for the pets and people we serve.

Position Overview 

Humane Society for Southwest Washington seeks a skilled and compassionate veterinarian to join our team on our new mobile clinic. In this role, you will be vital in providing high-quality veterinary care to pets in our community, focusing on unhoused and low-income pet owners. Operating from our mobile veterinary unit, you will provide essential veterinary services directly to those with limited access to traditional veterinary care and help us achieve our strategic goals of keeping pets and people together and providing lifesaving pathways for the animals in our community. 

Our shelter is in Vancouver, WA, just across the magnificent Columbia River from Portland, OR. HSSW is part of two greater coalitions, Animal Shelter Alliance of Portland and Humane Southwest Network, and works collaboratively with our surrounding animal shelters. Our shelter treats many local animals, transfers animals from other areas of the country, and has small numbers of pets owned in the community. This position requires strong attention to detail, ambition for team collaboration, strong critical thinking skills, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to balance multiple priorities.

The Ideal Applicant 

• Displays interest, enthusiasm, and an affinity for shelter medicine, community engagement, and working with animals and people.
• Personal values guided by equity and inclusion, especially for marginalized communities, with an understanding of harm-reduction philosophies.
• Demonstrates an attitude of being of service, using good judgment, maintaining a positive outlook, and, ideally, a sense of humor.
• Works well in a team and demonstrates an attitude and commitment to collaboration with a sincere interest in helping others succeed.
• Is committed to achieving excellence individually and as a part of the team.
• Exhibits adaptability, curiosity, flexibility to change, and openness to new ideas. Encourages others to understand changes in work tasks, situations, and environment as opportunities for transformation.
• Is committed to personal and professional development through life-long learning.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Effectively perform HQHVSN through our Spay & Save program and wellness care from HSSW’s mobile surgical suite.
• Conduct comprehensive medical examinations, administer vaccinations, and provided preventive care for dogs and cats in our community.
• Practice incremental medicine within HSSW’s scope of care, utilizing problem-solving and critical thinking skills to provide the best possible care with limited resources.
• Collaborate with the Community Solutions team to address the unique needs of unhoused and low-income pet owners, triage cases outside of HSSW’s scope of care, and refer them as necessary.
• Provide information and counseling to clients and assist them in making informed decisions about their pets’ health and wellbeing.
• Collaborate with the veterinary services team to maintain accurate and up-to-date medical records, following state practice acts and organization standards.
• Assist in covering shelter surgery and medicine shifts.
• Participate in community outreach initiatives to raise awareness about our mobile veterinary services and responsible pet ownership.
• Assist with development, implementation, and adherence to SOPs and protocols.

Qualifications

• Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from an accredited university or equivalent
• License to practice veterinary medicine in Washington State. (Or ability to obtain WA Certification within 90 days, provided a pending credential verifying submission of application for WA Certification)
• Valid DEA license (Or ability to obtain one)
• Exceptional surgery skills with three years of clinical experience

Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Ability to perform spay/neuter surgeries (15-30 per day) using HQHVSN techniques. 
• Ability to independently manage intra-operative complications and lead the team in managing emergencies.
• Experience diagnosing and treating post-operative complications on an outpatient basis.
• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills and a high degree of emotional and social intelligence in challenging situations
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills for effective interactions with clients, team members, community veterinarians, and other partners
• Proficiency with Windows-based software programs, including EzyVet and Shelter Buddy.

General Expectations

• Promote a safe working environment and follow safety protocols. Take immediate action to address any safety concerns or noncompliance with rules that could put an employee, volunteer, client, animal, or the organization at risk. 
• Promote the development of skills related to advancing our goals and mission. 
• Represents HSSW professionally and courteously. 
• Provide high quality service to customers, volunteers, and fellow staff.
• Use good judgment and take the initiative to perform other duties as you see the need. 

Physical Demands and Working Conditions:

The Veterinarian for our mobile clinic must have the physical endurance and capabilities to effectively and safely perform the essential duties and responsibilities required for this position. Primary work is performed in a mobile veterinary clinic (MVC) environment. Mobile clinic staff must be comfortable traveling to various locations in Southwest Washington, including rural areas, urban neighborhoods, encampments, organized events, and/or emergency centers. Space is extremely limited when working with people, equipment, and animals. MVC staff will work in close quarters, where some work will be required outside the mobile unit due to exposure to air quality factors and adverse weather conditions. Additional conditions include working with unhoused or houseless populations and their companion animals, where a high degree of cultural sensitivity, compassion, and empathy are required, as well as a mindfulness of safety and security. 

Additional work may be required on-site at our primary location, an animal shelter/clinical environment, with exposure to environmental conditions, including working with and near radiological equipment and live animals. The primary workplace location is at an animal shelter that operates seven days per week, with potential exposure to fractious animals, high noise levels, zoonotic diseases, animal bites and scratches, cleaning chemicals, and allergens. There is the potential exposure of infectious diseases to owned animals.

The position requires the ability to stand, walk, ascend and descend stairs, sit, talk, and hear, stoop, bend, squat, kneel, stretch, grasp, and grip, put fingers together firmly, reach above and below shoulder level, lift, push, pull, lift and/or carry up to 50 pounds of weight with assistance, repetitively use hands to operate equipment and computers, flex the neck upward and downward, and twist the neck and the waist. 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to satisfactorily perform each essential job duty. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Compensation and Benefits:

The Mobile Clinic Veterinarian is a full-time, 40-hour-per-week, FLSA-exempt position. The salary range is $100,000 - $110,000 per year, depending on experience. Pay increases are obtained depending on experience, attitude, work ethic, commitment to teamwork, learning ability, skill level, core competencies, and organizational budget.

Full-time, licensed veterinarians  receive paid CE days, a CE stipend, DEA, and Washington state license fee reimbursement. 

In addition to serving in an organization with a compassionate and strategic purpose. 

• Full-time employees enjoy health, dental, and vision insurance benefits that become effective the first month after hire. 
• As a 501c3 non-profit organization, full-time employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness with the potential to eliminate student loans within ten years!
• Part-time employees may participate in a shared dental and vision benefits cost premium. 
• Enjoy a matching percentage 401 (k) retirement plan that begins the first month after hire and has a 3-year graded vestment schedule and a ROTH contribution option. 
• An employee assistance program for all household member access. 
• A Section 125 FSA Cafeteria Plan for out-of-pocket health and/or dependent daycare expenses.
• Employee discounts that include partner organizations.
• Access to affordable life, disability, and accidental supplemental insurance. 

With paid Time Off (PTO) benefits at Level PTO6, this position accrues PTO at a rate of 0.057 hours for every hour worked. HSSW’s Paid time off benefits include Floating Holidays and the ability to build a long-term sick leave bank for full-time employees and bereavement and pet bereavement leave for all staff.

How to Apply

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees must follow any other job-related duties or special projects their supervisor requires. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at-will” relationship. This position requires a Driving Record Release for a Motor Vehicle Records Search. HSSW participates in E-Verify.

 If you feel a dedication to HSSW’s mission, vision, and values, and you meet the qualifications for this position, and HSSW sounds like a great place for you, click apply and begin your journey today. HSSW participates in E-Verify. 

HSSW complies with federal and state disability laws and reasonably accommodates applicants and candidates with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please e-mail us at Jobs@southwesthumane.org.

Application Deadline: Open until filled.