Lab Animal Care Technician

About the Job

Laboratory Animal Care Technician

Department : Research Animal Resources Mpls

Job Family : LR-Technical

Full / Part Time : Full-Time, Regular

Job Code : 4921

Employee Class : AFSCME Unit 7 - Technical

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Position Overview :

The LACT position is responsible for providing daily animal husbandry services, including feeding, caring for, and observing the physical condition of mice, rats, and other lab animals for signs of disease or illness.

The employee will operate equipment for washing cages and bottles, autoclaves, and dispensing and disposing of bedding. In this position the employee will move / lift heavy equipment and animals.

Employee will participate and perform euthanasia of small animals. They will also maintain animal rooms by maintaining records, cleaning, sterilizing, and reporting any malfunctions.

Personnel in this position will also maintain adequate supply levels by ordering and properly stocking feed and supplies.

Position Responsibilities :

Animal Husbandry (65%) :

• Provide daily husbandry including feeding, caring for, and observing the physical condition of mice, rats, and other lab animals for signs of disease or illness
• House incoming animals
• Perform humane euthanasia of small animals
• Operate cage and bottle washers, autoclaves, and bedding dispensing and disposal equipment

Medical Treatment (10%) :

• May identify an illness or injury of animals and make preliminary diagnosis of condition
• Use established Standards of Care to perform minor treatment and administer proper medications to the animals

Maintain Animal Rooms and Cage Wash Areas (10%) :

• Clean and sterilize rooms
• Complete daily, weekly, and month tasks
• Maintain environment data log

Inventory Control (5%) :

Maintain equipment and supplies for animal rooms and cage wash areas

Professional Development (5%) :

Participate in department, college, and University events, meetings, projects, and initiatives

Additional Duties (5%) :

RAR management may change or assign other duties to this position

Physical and Environmental Requirements :

• There will be exposure to animal allergens
• Proof of current Tetanus vaccine must be provided before start of employment
• An annual test for Tuberculosis will be completed for working with certain species
• Due to the high level of noise, a hearing test is performed annually when assigned in a hearing conservation area
• Rabies vaccines or titer will be completed when working with certain species, or the employee may complete a declination form
• An annual Flu vaccine is a requirement to work with some animal species
• Measles titer may be drawn
• The employee may work in wet rooms or around large industrial cage washers
• Employees may work in outside environments in all weather conditions
• Employee may be required to wear a powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) or N95 mask

The normal work schedule for this position is weekdays, Monday through Friday, 6 : 00 am 2 : 30 pm. Occasional weekend work and work on holidays will be required when scheduled, and is eligible for overtime and holiday pay.

RAR recognizes the importance of providing staff career advancement opportunities when they are available. Promotion is a formal process that takes into account an employee’s experience, attendance, passion to learn and grow, and their performance.

An example of a promotional track within RAR includes the following advancement opportunities :

1. Laboratory Attendant (LA) - primarily focuses on cage washing and cage building

2. Laboratory Animal Attendance (LAA) - primarily focuses on cage changeouts and animal health checks

3. Laboratory Animal Care Technician (LACT) - primarily focuses on animal welfare duties and requests

• If an applicant does not meet the minimum qualifications of the position for which they've applied, the hiring committee may recommend them for a position that better aligns with their experience.
• Advancement opportunities may vary based on business need and candidate performance.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications :

• High School Diploma or GED
• One (1) year experience with laboratory animals, or one (1) year experience caring for, cleaning, feeding, monitoring, and medicating animals.

A combination of related education and experience with laboratory animals to equal one (1) year may be substituted.

• Must be able to lift / push 50 pounds
• Must be able to understand and follow written and oral instruction in English
• Must be able to accommodate an early work schedule. Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 6 : 00 am 2 : 30 pm. Weekend work and work on holidays will be required occasionally

Preferred Qualifications :

Experience with rodents

About the Department

Research Animal Resources (RAR) provides the University of Minnesota research community with animal care, procurement services, veterinary knowledge, and maintenance of housing facilities for animal-related research activities.

The position of Laboratory Animal Care Technician is union represented, and is part of a staff of over 100 employees including Professional and Administrative staff, Civil Service staff, Union Represented members, and student employees, all working in support of this mission.

RAR has a daily census of 24,000 rodent cages in 20 buildings split into 7 geographic teams around the Minneapolis and St. Paul campus.

Benefits

Working at the University

At the University of Minnesota, you’ll find a flexible work environment and supportive colleagues who are interested in lifelong learning.

We prioritize work-life balance, allowing you to invest in the future of your career and in your life outside of work.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes :

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training and degree-seeking programs supported by the
• Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and employer-paid life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Excellent retirement plans with employer contribution
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost
30+ days ago