Full‑time or Part‑time | Senior Clinical & Leadership Opportunity

Lead, teach, and practice at the highest level of veterinary critical care

VRH Dandenong is seeking a Veterinary Criticalist to join its established Emergency & Critical Care service within one of Australia’s leading animal referral hospitals. This role is ideal for a specialist who is motivated by complex medicine, multidisciplinary collaboration, and the opportunity to shape the future of a high‑functioning ECC team.

With a flexible roster, strong clinical support, and leadership pathways available, this position offers both professional depth and sustainability.

Why VRH Dandenong?

Located in Melbourne’s southeast, VRH Dandenong offers access to world‑class food, culture, and education, while still being within reach of beaches, wine regions, and outdoor lifestyle destinations. Melbourne consistently ranks among the world’s most liveable cities and is a popular destination for international specialists.

This role offers the opportunity to practice advanced critical care medicine at scale, within a hospital that values clinical autonomy, collaboration, and long‑term sustainability.

VRH Dandenong is a true tertiary referral centre with a large, engaged referring network and a reputation for managing the most complex and intellectually challenging cases. The hospital culture is built on mutual respect, clinical excellence, and collaboration across specialties.

ECC is a central, well‑resourced service within the hospital. Criticalists are supported to practice at the top of their scope, contribute to decision‑making, and influence service direction rather than simply “covering the floor”.

The Role

A predominantly clinical Veterinary Criticalist position within a true tertiary referral ECC service, with flexibility to tailor the role to your experience and interests.

Roster & Structure

• 6 shifts per fortnight
• 12:40 shifts (with shorter shifts negotiable)

There is scope for experienced candidates to progress into a Head of Department / Clinical Leadership role, with involvement in team development, clinical governance, and service direction.

Caseload: You will manage a high‑acuity, high‑complexity caseload, including critical emergencies, complex medical and post‑operative ICU cases, and a high volume of tertiary referrals. Expect rare, unusual, and intellectually challenging cases driven by a large referring network.

Facilities & Resources: The ECC service is fully equipped with advanced ICU and diagnostic capability, including Draeger ventilator, Mindray Anaesthetic machine + anaesthetic monitoring units, ABL90 Radiometer, ultrasound, in house IDEXX lab equipment (Lasercyte, Catalyst, Coag machines, Sedivue), radiology, CT, MRI with dedicated ECC spaces include separate dog and cat ICUs, an ECC‑specific theatre, and fully stocked triage and procedural areas.

Team & Support You will join a specialist‑led ECC team comprising 2 Criticalists, 9 permanent ECC vets, regular casual clinicians, interns, and an experienced ECC nursing team, with close collaboration across Anaesthesia, Surgery, Diagnostic Imaging, Neurology, Internal Medicine and Oncology.

What We’re Looking For

• ACVECC, ECVECC or FANZCVS (ECC) board‑certified or eligible to sit qualifying examinations
• Available to join VRH in 2026
• Collaborative by nature and interested in contributing to team growth and education
• Leadership interest welcomed, but not essential