ResearchAnimal Specialists at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for ComparativeMedicine (CCM) provide basic husbandry, health surveillance, and compliancemonitoring to laboratory animals. Responsibilities also include performingequipment sanitation, maintaining husbandry records, and supporting thefacility teams in daily work as needed. For this role candidates interested in working with Non-Human Primates,Swine, and other USDA covered species are preferred.

AllResearch Animal Specialists are required to work in a team environmentfollowing Lean Management principles and participate in continuous improvementprojects. This position involves daily exposure to laboratory animals, theirwaste products, and possibly chemical agents, radioactive isotopes and ABSL2hazards. Rotating weekend and holiday work hours are required. CCM offers a wide variety of career and skillbuilding opportunities, as well as an extensive benefits package offered to MGHemployees.

PRINCIPALDUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Following Duties are performed daily withminimal supervision:

• Provides Animal Husbandry Tasks.
• Serve as a member of a researchanimal care team, which is responsible for daily animal husbandry and welfarechecks in the facility.
• Perform daily work involvingthe handling of genetically engineered animal models, animals withimmuno-compromised health status, and animals recovering from surgery or otherinvasive procedures, etc.
• Assemble caging supplieswith proper handling to ensure sterility level of equipment, feed and water.
• Perform daily animalpen/caging sanitization or changing. Followingaseptic technique, ensuring animals are not contaminated when outside primaryenclosure.
• Provide compliancemonitoring of cage conditions. (Overcrowded cage management, spot changing of dirtycages, etc.).
• Track progress of neonates,notification of team members & PI staff, and weaning of cages per SOPs.
• Ensure animals are providedwith food and water daily.
• Record criticalfacility data/documentation on a daily basis required by local, state andfederal regulatory agencies.
• Perform routineeuthanasia on laboratory animals according to the American Veterinary MedicalAssociation's (AVMA) Panel on Euthanasia

• Provides Animal Health Monitoring
• Evaluate animal's healtheach day and report abnormal clinical signs to the team lead and veterinarystaff per SOP.
• Provide follow-upnotification and treatment of common health concerns prescribed by theveterinary staff per SOP.
• Reports progress oftherapies to the team, veterinary staff, and PI staff via health cardnotifications and email.

• Performs Facility Cage Wash Operations.
• Operateand maintain automated cage wash equipment and sterilizers in order to sanitizeprimary animal holding cages, support equipment, and general access areas.
• Assemblecaging.
• Prepareacidified water bottles using an automated bottle filler.
• Receive,transport, process, store facility supplies, animal feed, bedding, andenrichment

• Provides Facility Maintenance and Sanitization.
• Maintain animal rooms sothat secondary enclosure is free of infectious agents and other contaminates byfollowing the sanitation monitoring program standard operating procedures(SOPs).
• Report facility andenvironmental issues that fall outside animal welfare regulatory requirements(as defined in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals).

• Performs FacilitySupport Functions.
• Use current technologyincluding PDAs and bar code application to record daily cage census.
• Comply with CCM andMGH policies and SOPs.
• Providefacility support functions as assigned. (bioware trouble shooter, van driver,etc.)

• Works within a Team Environment following Lean ManagementPrincipals.
• Utilize lean managementtools in conjunction with the Team Lead and other teammates, such as valuestream mapping and 5S, in order to problem solve and continuously improveoperations.
• Attend team meetings andtraining sessions on all aspects of laboratory animal care and uses of animalsin biomedical research as scheduled.

The Following Duties may be performed daily undersupervision from the Team Lead or Manager:

• Perform husbandry and health monitoring of animals in ABSL2 areas.
• Assist the Team Lead or designee with housing incominganimals.
• Provide research support services.
• Collect sentinel samples processing and evaluation.
• Perform husbandry and health monitoring of USDA covered species,updating Individual Animal Records when required.
• Ordering and receiving facility supplies, monitoringmaterial replenishment systems.
• Assist in the creation, validation and maintenance ofvisual controls within the facility.
• Comply with CCM and MGH policies and standard operatingprocedures.
• Provide treatment and follow-up of non-standard health concerns asprescribed by the veterinary staff.
• Works holiday and weekends as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications
QUALIFICATIONS

• High school diploma or equivalency degree required
• Experience in care of animals preferred

SKILLS /ABILITIES / COMPETENCIES REQUIRED

• Proficient in verbal and written English and Mathematicspertinent to the duties of this position and situations encountered in theanimal facility.
• Ability to lift and move 50 lbs on a regular basis
• Long periods of standing
• Has a customer-focused attitude and enjoys working withsimilarly dedicated persons in a team fashion within a high-energy researchenvironment.
• Ability to learn and use bar code/PDA technology and basiccomputer skills including email and Microsoft Outlook.
• Valid drivers license (for specified facilities).

WORKINGCONDITIONS

• The animal facility has a variety of environmentalconditions. Specifically, employees maybe exposed to noise, dust, chemicals, extreme heat, and animal waste products.The duration of exposure to any of the above is dependent on the assignedduties. Someaspects of this position may expose the incumbent to potentially fatal zoonoticdiseases. Appropriate protectiveclothing and equipment may be required and will be provided, accompanied byappropriate training.
• Travel between facilities may be required. Driving MGH vansto transport animals and equipment may be required.
• This position may also expose the employee to animals treated withchemical hazards, radioactive dyes andother induced conditions as part of approved protocols.
• Employees areexpected to conduct all work in a safe manner that includes maintainingknowledge of animal handling techniques consistent with the condition of the animal,protocol, regulations and department policy, including radioactive treatmentsand bodily fluids.

EEO Statement
Massachusetts General Hospital is an Equal Opportunity Employer. By embracing diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, we choose to lead. Applications from protected veterans and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged.Partner's Healthcare is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.

Return to Search Results