Animal Care Attendant (ACA)

Glenridge Animal Hospital – St. Catharines, Ontario

Glenridge Animal Hospital is looking for a reliable, compassionate and hardworking Animal Care Attendant (ACA) to join our team.

We are a busy veterinary hospital in St. Catharines providing general practice, surgical, diagnostic and referral services. Our hospital is built around teamwork, excellent patient care and creating an environment where clients, pets and staff are part of the family.

About the Role

As an Animal Care Attendant, you will play an important role in supporting our veterinarians, RVTs and broader hospital team while helping ensure our patients and clients receive excellent care.

We are looking for someone who is versatile and comfortable helping in different areas of the hospital. While animal care and hospital support will be a significant part of this position, the successful candidate will also be cross-trained in Client Service Representative (CSR) and front-desk responsibilities.

This means we're looking for someone who enjoys working with animals but is equally comfortable working with people. You may spend part of your day assisting with patients and the veterinary team and another part helping at reception, answering phones, scheduling appointments or assisting clients.

A successful ACA understands that veterinary care also involves the less glamorous but extremely significant parts of hospital care, including cleaning, laundry, feeding, walking patients, stocking and keeping the hospital organized and ready for patients.

You'll work alongside our veterinary team and have opportunities to learn and develop additional skills as your experience and competency grow.

Animal Care & Hospital Responsibilities

Responsibilities may include

- Providing compassionate care and attention to hospitalized and recovering patients
- Feeding, watering, walking and monitoring patients according to established care instructions
- Observing patients and promptly communicating concerns or changes to the veterinary team
- Safely handling and restraining dogs and cats when appropriately trained and directed by the medical team
- Assisting veterinarians and RVTs with basic patient care and hospital duties within your training and competency
- Preparing exam rooms, treatment areas and procedure areas for patients
- Cleaning and disinfecting kennels, cages, exam rooms, treatment areas, surgical areas, equipment and common hospital spaces
- Assisting with patient and procedure room turnover
- Performing laundry, waste management and general hospital cleaning
- Restocking exam rooms, treatment areas and hospital supplies
- Receiving, unpacking and putting away hospital orders
- Helping maintain equipment and supplies
- Supporting patient flow throughout the hospital
- Maintaining a safe, calm, clean and organized environment for patients, clients and staff
- Following hospital health and safety, infection-control and patient-care protocols




- Supporting the veterinary team wherever assistance is needed

Client Service & Administrative Responsibilities The successful candidate will also be cross-trained at our front desk and in CSR responsibilities so they can provide administrative and client-service support when required.

Responsibilities may include

- Answering incoming telephone calls in a professional, friendly and compassionate manner
- Making outgoing calls to clients as required
- Greeting clients and patients when they arrive at the hospital
- Providing professional and compassionate client service both in person and over the telephone
- Learning and becoming comfortable using our Practice Management Software (PMS) and appointment scheduler
- Scheduling, confirming and modifying appointments
- Accurately entering and updating client and patient information
- Taking clear and accurate telephone messages and directing questions to the appropriate team member
- Communicating information between clients and the veterinary team
- Assisting with general administrative and reception duties
- Helping maintain an organized and efficient front desk
- Providing reception coverage when needed
- Maintaining client confidentiality and professional standards

Training will be provided on our hospital systems, procedures and scheduling software.

Who We're Looking For

Because this is a cross-trained position, we're looking for someone who is comfortable working with both animals and people.

The ideal candidate

- Genuinely enjoys working with animals and is interested in veterinary medicine
- Has excellent interpersonal and customer-service skills
- Is comfortable speaking with clients both in person and over the telephone
- Is confident answering and making telephone calls
- Communicates clearly, professionally and compassionately
- Is comfortable working with computers and learning new software
- Can remain professional and compassionate when dealing with clients who may be worried, frustrated or emotional
- Is dependable, punctual and takes pride in their work
- Has a strong work ethic and is willing to help wherever needed
- Understands that maintaining a clean and organized hospital is an important part of excellent patient care
- Is comfortable handling dogs and cats of varying sizes and temperaments
- Takes direction well and is eager to learn
- Is comfortable asking questions when unsure
- Can remain calm and focused in a busy environment where priorities may change quickly
- Is organized and able to manage multiple responsibilities
- Works well as part of a veterinary team




- Is versatile and comfortable moving between animal-care, hospital-support and front-desk responsibilities as needed

Previous veterinary hospital, animal shelter, kennel, boarding, reception, customer-service or other animal-care experience is an asset, but we are willing to train the right candidate who demonstrates a strong work ethic, reliability, excellent people skills and a genuine desire to learn. Experience with veterinary practice-management software or scheduling systems is an asset but is not required.

This position may also be a great opportunity for someone considering a future career in veterinary medicine, veterinary technology, animal care or veterinary administration.

Physical Requirements

This is an active, hands-on position. Candidates must be comfortable:

- Standing and walking for extended periods
- Bending, kneeling and performing repetitive tasks
- Assisting with animals of various sizes
- Performing regular cleaning and laundry duties
- Working around animal waste, bodily fluids, cleaning products, noise and occasional unpleasant odours
- Working safely around animals that may be frightened, stressed, painful or reactive
- Transitioning between physical animal-care duties and administrative/front-desk responsibilities throughout the day

Appropriate training and assistance will be provided for patient handling and other hospital duties. Why Join Glenridge?

At Glenridge Animal Hospital, we want our team members to have opportunities to learn, contribute and grow.

Our hospital provides exposure to a wide range of veterinary medicine, including general practice, surgery, diagnostic imaging and referral services. An ACA at Glenridge has the opportunity to work closely with our veterinary team while also developing valuable experience in client service and veterinary administration.

Our goal is to develop a well-rounded team member who understands multiple areas of the hospital and can step in where support is needed.

For someone interested in building a career in veterinary medicine, this position can provide an excellent foundation for developing animal-care, client-service, administrative and hospital-operation skills.

Location: St. Catharines, ON

Position: Animal Care Attendant (ACA)

Job Type: Full-Time

Hours: 32 - 44 Hrs per week

Compensation: $20 - $22 per hour

Schedule: Weekdays / Evenings / Saturdays as required

If you are dependable, hardworking, compassionate, comfortable working with both animals and people, and interested in becoming a versatile member of our veterinary team, we'd love to hear from you.

Please apply through Indeed with your résumé and a brief introduction telling us why you're interested in joining Glenridge Animal Hospital.

Pay: $20.00-$22.00 per hour

Expected hours: 32.0 – 44.0 per week

Benefits

- Company events
- Dental care
- Extended health care
- On-site parking
- Store discount
- Vision care

Work Location: In person

📌 Animal Care Attendant (ACA) (St. Catharines)
🏢 Glenridge Animal Hospital and Referral Centre
📍 St. Catharines