Arizona Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Center (AVECCC) is looking to add three additional board-certified or board-eligible ECC specialists to join our team of five DACVECCs over the coming year.

AVECCC has three locations: Gilbert, Peoria, and Queen Creek (under construction). AVECCC Gilbert is a VECCS Level I facility and is the leading multidisciplinary referral center in the Phoenix metro area with specialists in emergency and critical care, surgery, internal medicine, radiology, cardiology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, dermatology, ophthalmology, and dentistry, including six residency programs and two internship programs. AVECCC Peoria is a segment of Grand Canyon Veterinary Specialists with specialists in ECC, surgery, internal medicine, radiology, cardiology, dentistry, and rotating interns. AVECCC Queen Creek will be a brand new 33,000 sq ft specialty hospital with future representation by all major specialties—slated to open 9/2022.

DACVECCs oversee closed Intensive Care Units, managing the most intricate critical cases, teaching interns and residents on the clinic floor, and providing didactic lectures to interns, residents, and our referral community. DACVECCs are heavily involved in mentoring and providing support to a well-established intern program (10 annual rotating interns) and actively growing residency program (4 residents projected for 2022). DACVECCs enjoy a three-day per week clinical appointment with administration time reserved for rounds/lecture prep, mentoring, research support etc.

AVECCC boasts a talented emergency doctor team, comfortable managing ventilator cases and gaining increasing comfort with RRT/TPE. In addition, AVECCC has a strong team of support staff who work together to provide outstanding patient care. Our talented technician team includes 20 certified veterinary technicians, four of whom are working toward VTS in ECC.

The surgical specialists team provides all routine and most of the emergency surgery services however, DACVECCs have the opportunity to perform emergency surgeries if desired (tracheostomy, GDV, splenectomy, gastrotomy, enterotomy, C-section, laceration repair, etc.) and provide supervision of interns and residents performing these procedures. Interested criticalists share responsibility with the surgical team for placement and troubleshooting of SUBs on an emergency basis.

AVECCC is equipped with the standard accouterments of a large referral facility including CBC, biochemistry, blood gases (NOVA/EPOC), coagulation analyzer, DBP/IDBP, ETCO2, CVP, ECG, pulse oximetry, digital radiography with remote viewing access, and defibrillators with external pacing. In addition, AVECCC has other advanced diagnostic & treatment modalities such as a new state of the art Maquet Servo-U, Servo-I and Newport 360 ventilator, 2 Vapotherm Precision Flow Plus HFNO units, 3 point-of-care ultrasound units with cardiac, linear, and microconvex probes, fluoroscopy, endoscopy/bronchoscopy, echocardiography, stereotactic radiation, 64 slice CT, 2 Prismaflex for CRRT/TPE with CritLine IV and Prismaflo blood warmer, and an onsite blood bank. Importantly, this equipment is in use frequently providing patients mechanical ventilation weekly and CRRT/TPE cases approximately every other week.

Our critical care team is committed to strong evidence-based medicine and training, dedicated comprehensive daily patient rounds, weekly didactic rounds consisting of journal club, topic seminars, morbidity & mortality rounds, board review, and/or house officer presentations. Our hospital values collegiality, work-life balance, and mental well-being, with the recent addition of an on-site human resources director and a social worker. As a hospital, we work together to provide opportunities for social gatherings and events to instill an environment of continued growth, teamwork, and a shared vision of providing exceptional patient care.

Specialists with a keen interest in teaching (residents, rotating interns, staff ER doctors, veterinary student externs, and technicians), practicing complex case management, prioritizing collaboration, collegiality, and fostering an environment conducive to learning are most likely to flourish in our hospitals. Specialists who may not be comfortable with all aspects of ventilator or HD/TPE case management, but would like to learn, should be assured they will receive ample opportunities to develop those skills among supportive colleagues.

The Phoenix metro area is a rapidly growing, multicultural, diverse region with numerous activities to enjoy year-round. The warm climate allows for outdoor hiking, camping, trail running, and mountain biking set in a scenic backdrop famous for its deep canyons, natural rock formations, and volcanic mountain ranges. Drive 3 hours north, and cooler snowy landscapes of Flagstaff can be reached, 5 hours west brings you to the Pacific West Coast in California, 4 hours south to Mexico, and 4 hours northwest to Las Vegas.

In addition to a competitive salary, Arizona Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Center offers a comprehensive benefits package, 401k match, yearly CE stipend, and relocation bonus to eligible candidates. We also encourage personal growth and development.

Interested in learning more? Reach out to Kristin McClure at Kristin.McClure@nvacompassionfirst.com