Description

This qualification is the industry standard for veterinary nurses who provide support for an extensive range of emergency and critical care procedures within a veterinary hospital or emergency/specialist veterinary clinic.

Candidates undertaking study for this qualification should expect that access through paid employment to a veterinary hospital or emergency/specialist veterinary clinic where emergency and critical care procedures are performed will be essential for meeting assessment requirements of some units.

The Diploma of Veterinary Nursing (Emergency and Critical Care) is extremely complex and requires access and exposure to an extensive range of specialised emergency and critical care procedures, including medical emergencies; trauma, including road traffic accident, chest, abdominal, head and respiratory; surgical (thoracic and abdominal); haematological (disseminated intravascular coagulopathy), resulting in blood transfusions; septic (systemic inflammatory response syndrome), relating to organ dysfunction; toxin recognition and management of topical and ingested toxins; and advanced critical care and intensive care monitoring (post-surgical). It also requires access to a veterinary hospital or emergency/specialist veterinary clinic where emergency and specialised critical care procedures are performed; veterinarians who perform emergency and specialised critical care procedures; patients and clients requiring emergency and specialised critical care surgery, nursing and discharge; and the equipment, instruments and resources required to perform emergency and specialised critical care procedures.

Job role
The job role that this qualification describes includes:
Veterinary emergency and critical care nurse.