01. Integrate the science, specialized knowledge and practical skills to undertake a range of veterinary nursing roles

Activities:

Prior to attending workshops, students undertake readings and watch a range of veterinary nursing skill videos. In their workshops they then have the opportunity to practice these skills. Students are encouraged to discuss with their peers and tutors how underpinning knowledge helps to explain why the skills are undertaken in a given sequence.

02. Create and implement, under veterinary team supervision, animal nursing care plans to maximise potential animal welfare outcomes

Activities:

Students identify a patient case of interest, and create and implement a nursing care plan for that patient. Veterinary team staff members supervise the student, to ensure that the plan is sound, and that the implementation is appropriate.

03. Evaluate the nutritional requirements of a range of animals with a variety of clinical conditions

Activities:

Students work in teams in a workshop, to evaluate the nutritional needs of a range of patient case studies. They need to consider both the nutritional content requirements, as well as how they will ensure that the patient physically obtains these nutrients (e.g. will they be willing and able to eat it or will it need to be administered via another means?).

04. Manage surgical cases in the hospital from admission to discharge

Activities:

Student teams consider the journey of a surgical patient from admission to discharge, and list all the steps that need to occur along that journey. They then consider what steps are needed to manage overall the effective flow of surgical patients each day (e.g., theatre and equipment management, staff management).

05. Train a fellow team member in appropriate veterinary hospital protocol.

Activities:

Student teams imagine that they have been employed as a surgical veterinary nurse, and consider what type of information they would need in a set of guidelines, to help them to quickly and efficiently learn the surgical area related protocols for the hospital they have been employed at. They then go on to discuss how these guidelines could be developed to ensure that they are clear, concise and user friendly.

06. Critically self-evaluate and reflect upon both challenging incidents and current knowledge gaps.

Activities:

During their weekly clinical placement at Lort Smith, students have a tutorial session, where they share with their peers any challenging incidents they have encountered that day, or any things that they have observed that they didn't understand or would like to learn more about.