Description:
Lead an amazing team of veterinarians dedicated to providing underserved communities access to high quality veterinary care!

The Dumb Friends League Veterinary Hospital at Colorado State University Spur (CSU Spur) is hiring a Medical Director to lead our doctor team at the League’s state-of the-art donor-subsidized urgent care facility and teaching hospital. We provide accessible and high-quality veterinary care to under-served communities in Denver using an incremental care approach to medicine. Our veterinarians never have to turn a client away due to an inability to pay and the families we serve are genuinely grateful for our help.  Many of our patients are diverted to our hospital avoiding a need to relinquish their pet or consider euthanasia for economic reasons. Our next Medical Director will be passionate about caring for pets from underserved communities, experienced leading talented doctor teams, and excited nurturing current and future veterinary professionals through teaching and mentorship.

Interested?  Please reach out to learn more about our one-of-a-kind in the world community practice.

Purpose of Position: 

The Medical Director of the Dumb Friends League Veterinary Hospital at Colorado State University Spur campus serves as a clinical veterinarian and leader of our community medicine programs. The League’s Veterinary Hospital at CSU Spur is both a teaching hospital and donor subsidized urgent care facility, seeking to increase access to high quality veterinary care for underserved communities through incremental medicine. Services include urgent care services for pets who are sick or injured, high-quality high-volume spay/neuter services, and community vaccine clinics.

The Medical Director is responsible for working in partnership with the Director of Community Veterinary Services (CVS) to lead the hospital, providing mentorship to the doctor team, cultivating a culture of learning and teaching, and promote positive change and development.

Responsibilities:

• Empowers staff veterinarians to provide exceptional and accessible veterinary care through an incremental approach and spectrum of care in an urgent care setting. Coaches veterinarians on a day-to-day basis, specifically in their provision of veterinary medicine.
• 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.
• Performs and provides oversight of the duties of staff veterinarians, including but not limited to:Performs comprehensive patient examinations and develops diagnostic and/or treatment plan options using an incremental care approach for patients with urgent/sick care needs.
• Conducts brief wellness examinations and provides vaccinations at high-quality high-volume vaccine clinics located within the League’s priority neighborhoods.
• Performs non-elective surgical procedures such as abdominal exploratory surgeries, cystotomies, mass removals, and surgical dentistry. Opportunity to practice HQHV spay/neuter surgeries.
• 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 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.
• Works in close partnership with the Practice Manager of the hospital to ensure the smooth functioning and delivery of veterinary services to the community.
• Serves as a member of the 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.
• Collaborates with the Medical Director of Shelter Veterinary Services (SVS) to support the League’s internship program, including the VIRMP process and the overall intern experience.
• 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 case review for complaints that are medical in nature and works towards resolution in a timely manner.
• Directly supervises, teaches, and mentors veterinary interns and externs, particularly in their provision of veterinary medicine.
• Collaborates with the Clinical & Surgical Instructor Veterinarian (CSIV) for effective implementation of extern experiences across the League.
• Cultivates a culture of learning for all staff within CVS.
• 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. Partners with Director of CVS to recruit veterinarians and actively supports the orientation and onboarding of veterinarians new to the department.
• Leads critical incident review and debrief after every critical incident within the Veterinary Hospital at CSU Spur.
• 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
• Presentation skills

Supervisory or Managerial Responsibility

• Clinical instructor veterinarian
• Staff veterinarians
• Veterinary interns
• Veterinary externs as needed

Travel

This position requires travel to and from various worksites

Work Conditions and Physical Requirements

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.

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.

Full Time Benefits* – Please visit our website for a comprehensive list of all offered benefits. *Benefits and compensation range listed below apply to full time employees working 40 hours a week.*

• Benefits (medical, dental, and vision)
• Flexible spending accounts
• League-paid Life and Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Sabbatical Program
• Holiday Pay
• 401(k)
• Veterinarians are eligible for student loan reimbursement
• Up to $2,000 Relocation Assistance
• And more!

Compensation: Starting at $150,000 – $170,000 annually (starting pay commensurate with market, experience, and equity)

Requirements
Position Qualifications

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Skilled and proficient diagnostician
• Skilled in both soft tissue and dental surgery
• Passionate about teaching and mentoring other veterinarians
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• High emotional intelligence and humility
• Ability to effectively communicate both in writing and verbally
• Proficient in the use of practice software in the provision of veterinary medicine
• Effective time management skills with the ability to triage cases and workload
• Ability to work well within a fast-paced environment
• High attention to detail
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs

Required

• Education: Doctoral degree in veterinary medicine
• Experience:  At least 5 years of clinical experience post-graduation which includes practicing veterinary medicine, teaching veterinary medicine and providing
• Licensure:
• Current or eligible to obtain a Colorado Veterinary License
• Current or ability to obtain DEA license

Desired

• Experience practicing incremental veterinary medicine within a community model providing increased access to veterinary care for underserved communities
• Experience as a teacher or mentor of veterinary professionals or students
• HQHVSN surgical skills