Module One

Practical emergency skills for the small animal nurse – preparation, triage & patient evaluation

At the end of the module delegates should be able to:

• Understand the need for effective preparation for emergency patients
• Assemble & prepare equipment & materials necessary for emergencies
• Understand the concept of triage and perform triage in single patients and groups of patients
• Perform a primary survey, major body system assessment and record the findings
• Recognise immediately life-threatening syndromes and institute emergency therapy
• Understand and perform basic life support

Module Two

Practical emergency skills for the small animal nurse –  Monitoring, therapy and specific procedures

At the end of the module delegates should be able to:

• Understand the need for re-assessment and monitoring
• Perform monitoring of respiratory, cardiovascular and central nervous systems
• Perform peripheral and central vascular access
• Understand concepts relating to circulatory shock, dehydration & fluid therapy
• Administer oxygen and perform endotracheal intubation
• Assist in a variety of emergency procedures (thoracocentesis, abdominocentesis, chest tube placement, tracheotomy, emergency thoracotomy)

Module Three

Wounds and wound healing

Wound physiology and wound healing

At the end of the module delegates should be able to:

• Understand the historical development and scientific direction of wound management today
• Describe the physiology of wound healing and how we can influence it positively
• Be able to recognise different wound aetiologies
• Understand the principle of advanced wound care and how the nurse fits into this role
• Recognise the key factors that contribute to healing delay

Module Four

Wounds and wound healing 

Practical wound management

Benefiting from the knowledge gained on day one, the delegates will gain wound assessment and management skills, with particular focus on how to influence a positive outcome within the nursing role.

At the end of the module delegates should be able to:

• Assess wounds of varied aetiology while recognising positive signs of wound progression 
• Be able to plan a progressive management strategy for wound care
• Recognise the importance of wound preparation including methods of lavage and debridement
• Understand wound closure methods and be able to perform basic suture techniques and appropriate bandaging
• Be able to describe individual reasons for delayed primary intention, reconstruction, grafting or second intention healing.
• Understand reasons for the use of drains and their function
• Have confidence about the roles and ranges of dressings available and able to decide what to use and when dependent on the status of the wound.

Module Five

Laboratory Techniques 

The practice laboratory, biochemistry and haematology

At the end of the module delegates should be able to:

• Understand how the animal, the sampling method and the machines can affect your results
• Have an overview of biochemistry results and how the different analytes need to be handled in the laboratory
• Understand how red cells and leucocytes are used and distributed, making sense of abnormalities on the haematology panel
• Put the theory into practice by examining blood smears and recognising normal red and white cells, platelets, and examples of pathological change.

Module Six

Laboratory Techniques

Urine analysis, sampling for virology and interpreting in - house virology tests, cytology

At the end of the module delegates should be able to:

• Understand how the sampling and handling can alter urine results
• Appreciate the limitations and information to be gained from dipsticks, specific gravity and sediment examination
• Sample cats for 'cat flu' viruses
• Appreciate the advantages and disadvantages of in- house and referral laboratory tests for FeLV and FIV
• Understand the best way to collect and prepare samples for cytology
• Practice screening cytology using case based materials in microscopy practical work

Module Seven

Canine physiotherapy

Manual techniques

At the end of the module delegates should be able to:

• Explain the purpose of physiotherapy
• Understand the legalities of performing physiotherapy on animals
• Explain the role of the nurse, vet and physiotherapist in veterinary physiotherapy
• Identify the major anatomical structures of the dog
• Explain the indications, contraindications and safe application of massage, passive movements and stretches
• Perform a variety of massage techniques, passive movements and stretches on dogs, and introduce them into daily practice

Module Eight

Canine physiotherapy

Postoperative rehabilitation

At the end of the module delegates should be able to:

• Explain the indications, contraindications and safe application of hot / cold therapy and therapeutic exercise
• Describe the benefits and principles of hydrotherapy
• Perform hot / cold therapy and simple exercises on dogs, and introduce them into daily practice
• Explain the benefits of muscle stimulation and TENS
• Understand the principles of postop rehabilitation
• Plan and execute simple postop rehab programmes.