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Duke University Job Description: |
Job Title: COMPARATIVE MEDICINE SPECIALIST |
Job Code: 3503 |
FLSA: N |
Job Level: 64 |
Revised Date: 03/26/2024 |
Job Family: JF 05 |
Provides husbandry to laboratory animals, maintains animal inventory records and animal husbandry and room maintenance records, and performs facility sanitation in animal facilities.
The following duties are performed daily under management supervision:
1. Performs general husbandry daily involving the handling of conventional and genetically engineered animal models with varying health status.
2. Performs duties within various animal biosafety levels and strictly follows biocontainment procedures.
3. Changes cages following barrier technique and assures animals are not contaminated when outside of their primary enclosure. Maintains animal rooms (secondary enclosures) and facility hallways to prevent cross- contamination.
4. Performs microbiological monitoring following approved procedures.
5. Operates tunnel washers, rack washers, autoclaves and other animal facility equipment used to sanitize and sterilize husbandry equipment.
6. Evaluates animal health each day and reports abnormal clinical signs to the veterinary staff. Performs treatments as prescribed by the veterinary staff and reports progress of therapies.
7. Documents critical facility data on a daily basis as required by regulatory agencies with oversight of animals used in research, teaching, and education.
8. Monitors and documents cages that are overcrowded. Performs weanings when needed, ensuring that each animal's sex is accurately determined and that females and males are properly separated, and notifies laboratory staff as needed.
9. Receives and processes incoming animals and supplies as assigned by management.
10. Participates in animal quarantine and health surveillance programs for the facility. Adheres to containment practices in the event of an infectious pathogen outbreak.
11. Uses current technology to perform laboratory animal husbandry duties, including but not limited to recording daily cage census, animal health observations, and weaned cages.
12. Communicates professionally and respectfully, both verbally and in writing. Reads emails at least daily and composes emails in a professional manner.
13. Reports facility and environmental issues that fall outside animal welfare regulatory requirements (as defined in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals) to Operations Manager or his/her designee.
14. Implements environmental enrichment program intended to minimize animal stress in the research setting.
15. Performs routine euthanasia of laboratory animals according to the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) Panel on Euthanasia.
16. Assists with guidance and training of new animal technicians.
17. Attends technician meetings and training sessions on all aspects of laboratory animal care and uses of animals in biomedical research as scheduled by the supervisory staff.
18. Complies with DLAR and Duke Policies and standard operating procedures.
19. Performs other related duties incidental to the work described herein.
| Education/Training: | High school diploma or equivalent. ALAT certification must be obtained within 18 months of employment. |
| Experience: | Some experience in the care and handling of animals is preferred. OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE |
| Skills: | Demonstrated proficiency (didactic and practical) for core DLAR SOPs. Ability to lift and move 50lbs. regularly and stand for long periods. Customer-focused attitude and enjoys working with similarly dedicated persons in a team fashion within a high-energy research environment. |
The intent of this job description is to provide a representative and level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.
Duke University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation, or military status.
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Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.