Description

Orchestrating expertise & compassionate care!  

 Great team, great benefits (5+ weeks of PTO!), great work-life balance (Monday-Friday daytime) and options for 4 or 5-day work weeks!  

 Do you have a passion for anesthesia, pain management, and a desire to make a real impact on the lives of animals?  As an Anesthesia Registered Veterinary Technician, you’re not just administering anesthesia – you’re orchestrating the key moments of care that ensure our patients’ safety and comfort during and after surgery. You’ll work alongside our 7 board-certified veterinary anesthesiology specialists, and 3 residents.  We are fortunate to have 25 dedicated and talented anesthesia veterinary technicians (2 RVTs who also have their VTS in anesthesia!)  that support a wide variety of patients – small, large, and exotic animals.  

 Questions:  If you have any questions about opportunities with our team, please email Amy Rodriguez, RVT, Anesthesia Manager at [email protected].    Amy would love the opportunity to connect!  

Position Details:         

•  Check us out!  Short Video About Our Anesthesia Team:  Anesthesia Team Video
•  As an integral member of our anesthesia team, you provide exceptional care in administering anesthesia during a wide range of surgical and diagnostic procedures. We are looking for someone who is not only technically proficient but also has a caring and communicative approach, creating a calm and reassuring environment for patients undergoing surgery.  In addition, many of our technicians are trained to do arterial lines, central IV lines, mechanical ventilation, ultrasound guided techniques, and pain management in small animals, equine, livestock and exotics. 
• Teaching:  You would also participate in the instruction/teaching of veterinary students and veterinary technicians on the principles and practice of veterinary anesthesia by allowing students to anesthetize clinical animals, and guiding the students through preanesthetic patient evaluation, the choice of anesthetic agents, and the process of monitoring the anesthetized patient.
• Cross-training:  Many of our anesthesia technicians are cross-trained in all areas of the Anesthesia service (i.e. large and small animal, research and Continuing Education).
•  Schedule:  Flexible schedule options!  Monday-Friday daytime shifts and can do 4 (10) hour shifts or 5 (8) shifts.  
• RVT Perks:  

  • Coverage of CACVT and DORA licensing/credentialing dues

  • Support opportunities for pursuing a VTS 

  • Continuing Education:

    • Approximately 10 live/in-person CE opportunities offered annually at no cost

    • Annual CSU CE conference

    • After one year of employment eligibility for up to $2,000 for advanced CE

    • Up to $2,500 for RVTs holding a VTS

• Salary:  $43,788 - $52,548  ($21.05-25.06/hour) with benefits (salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications)
  • A signing bonus and/or moving expenses may be considered for eligible and successful candidates. 
  • Total Compensation & Benefits:   Compensation is just one part of the overall value of employment at CSU. We encourage you to explore the CSU Total Compensation & Benefits Calculator, which provides and estimate of total compensation including paid time off, retirement, and health benefits. 

Total Compensation Calculator:  Click Here for the Total Compensation Calculator  

• • •  Select “full-time”, choose “Administrative Professional”, and enter (hours) as applicable

Requirements

Cover Letter, Resume/CV 

Full Consideration Date:
Friday, July 10th, 2026, 11:59pm (MT). This position will remain open until filled.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Associate or bachelor’s degree in veterinary technology
• 2 years of experience in a primary anesthesia role (academia or specialty practice)
• Registered as a Veterinary Technician (VT) or Provisional Veterinary Technician (PVT) through the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) or eligibility to obtain a state of Colorado DORA license by start date.
• Credentialed in the State of Colorado or other eligible state determined by CACVT.
• Graduate of accredited veterinary technician program with greater than two (2) years’ experience in veterinary medicine. *Please note, a transcript or diploma must be attached to this application to demonstrate graduation from the vet tech program. SUBSTITUTIONS: Candidates can qualify without graduation from a veterinary technician program if they demonstrate 3+ years of veterinary medicine experience.

NOTE: VETERINARY PRACTICE ACT – Effective January 1, 2024, anyone wanting to use the titles Registered Veterinary Technician, Veterinary Technician, RVT, or VT will have to be certified through the Colorado Association of Certified Veterinary Technicians (CACVT) AND registered through the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA). Please visit the CACVT website for more information: https://www.cacvt.org/registration-faqs

The successful candidate must be legally authorized to work in the United States by the date of hire; the department will not be offering visa sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Excellent Technical Skills
• Proficient in IV catheter placement
• Proficient in Endotracheal intubation
• Knowledge of proper anesthetic monitoring
• Knowledge of anesthetic drugs
• Knowledge of proper animal restraint including fear-free technique
• Ability to work well within a team environment.
• Ability to maintain a positive attitude and foster a healthy working environment.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment that is always changing.
• Ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• Strong attention to detail

Essential Job Duties:

• Instruct veterinary students and technician interns in safe, effective anesthetic planning and delivery. Guides DVM students and FRCC veterinary technician interns through the process of evaluating patient status, interpreting lab work and diagnostics, and selecting appropriate anesthetic agents for clinical patients. This task ensures students develop competency while maintaining patient safety and removing it would eliminate essential hands-on learning central to the hospital’s teaching mission.
• Coach students through anesthesia procedures and technical skills. Teaches and supervises the steps of IV catheterization, induction, intubation, monitoring setup, and maintenance of anesthesia, adjusting the level of assistance based on each student’s performance. This ensures students develop essential clinical skills while protecting patient welfare—work that cannot be delegated and is unique to the educational environment.
• Provide real-time clinical guidance during complex or high-risk anesthetic scenarios. Supports students who are anxious or uncertain when assigned patients with multiple comorbidities. Reviews the patient’s conditions, explains how anesthesia may impact each issue, and guides the student through appropriate drug and protocol selection. This occurs frequently throughout each shift and is critical to both patient safety and student development.
  Evaluate and modify student anesthetic plans to prevent unsafe practices. Reviews student-created anesthetic plans and independently determines when changes are necessary due to medication contraindications, dosing concerns, or procedure complexity. This task protects patient safety and ensures that educational experiences meet hospital and accreditation standards.
• Develop and implement individualized anesthetic plans for small, large, and exotic species. Evaluates patient history, diagnostics, comorbidities, and procedural needs to select appropriate premedication, induction, and maintenance protocols. This task ensures safe anesthetic delivery and is central to the purpose of the position; removing it would eliminate the hospital’s ability to provide anesthesia-supported procedures.
• Administer and monitor general anesthesia for routine, complex, and emergency procedures. Predicates, induces, intubates, and maintains anesthesia while continuously interpreting physiologic parameters and adjusting depth, ventilation, fluids, and analgesia to maintain patient stability. This highly specialized work is foundational to all surgical and diagnostic operations.
• Recognize and manage anesthetic complications in real time. Responds immediately to issues such as hypotension, blood loss, arrhythmias, and respiratory compromise by determining whether to administer fluids, blood products, ventilation changes, or emergency drugs. These situations occur frequently and require expert judgment; failure to perform this task would jeopardize patient safety.
• Lead initial resuscitative efforts during anesthetic emergencies. Initiates CPR, administers emergency drugs, and coordinates team response when patients arrest under anesthesia, such as during thoracotomies or other high-risk surgeries. This rapid, specialized intervention is critical to patient survival and requires advanced skills not shared by general staff.

 
Conditions of Employment:
Pre-employment Criminal Background Check (required for new hires)
Essential Services Designation: Required to report without delay or interruption to provide essential or emergency services to ensure health, safety and welfare.

Our Investment in You - Benefits
CSU is committed to providing employees with a strong and competitive benefits and well-being package that supports you, your health, and your family.

These CSU resources help with many aspects of your life – financial, physical, emotional, family, workplace wellness. These resources are part of our investment in you.

Employees are benefits eligible when working a minimum of 20 hours per week; benefits outlined below reflect full-time status of 40 hours per week; some benefits would be prorated for part-time status.

• Paid time off at 192 hours/year (accrued at 16 hours per month), 120 hours sick leave/year (accrued 10 hours per month), and 11 paid holidays annually pro-rated by full-time equivalent (FTE)
• Comprehensive benefits programs and services including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Disability, Parental Leave, work/life resources, and more
• 20% Employee Pet VTH Discount!
• Robust Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for your overall well-being
• FREE college credit courses (up to 9-semester credits per year) through the Employee Study Privilege program
• Tuition Scholarships up to 50% for eligible family members
• FREE employee growth opportunity through CSU training and development opportunities. After-school programs and summer camps for kids
  Community Discounts
• FREE MAX transit use with CSU identification
   

For more detail about these and other Health and Welfare benefits and Commitment to Campus programs, visit our CSU Well-Being Hub at https://hr.colostate.edu/well-being-hub/ and our Benefits programs for Administrative Professional employees: Benefits Link.

Retirement Programs
While employees of CSU do not contribute to Social Security, the University and the state of Colorado offer competitive retirement plans. As a condition of employment and required by Colorado law, employees are required to participate in either the University’s Defined Contribution Plan (DCP) or the Public Employee’s Retirement Plan (PERA) of Colorado. Each plan offers a generous employer match. For more information, visit: Retirement Benefits .