At Rouse Hill Family Vets we invest in our nurses so they can be the best version of themselves in order to provide the best care for you and your pets. So, what can a vet nurse do?
To become a qualified Veterinary Nurse you must study at TAFE or a private colleague for approximately 2 years full time. This is made up of on site classes, weekly work experience, practical training and homework. From there with ongoing training they can assist with a range of treatments that your pet will need throughout their lives.
Nurses can do the following:
- Carry out reception duties such as phone calls, payments, insurance processing, appointment making etc
- Triaging and collecting a history from you about your pet when they come in for a consult. You will often see a nurse at the beginning of your consultation that will ask you a range of questions about how your pet is doing and what has brought you in for this visit. The nurses have done extensive training on making sure they ask questions that might help the vet with a better diagnosis.
- Nurses monitor anaesthetic. When your pet comes in for a procedure the nurses are often the ones monitoring them throughout the sedation, procedure and recovery stages. They also retrieve blood and place IV catheters. They will prepare your pet for surgery by surgical clipping and prepping the surgery site. Vet Nurses will also anaesthetise your pet for the procedure under the guidance of the Vet.
- Our nurses are pathologists, when your pet requires blood, urine or faecal testing all of our nurses know exactly what machines to use and how to perform the test accurately.
- They are radiology technicians. Our nurses have been well trained in taking radiography of patients, this includes all areas such as chest, abdomen, spine and limbs.
- Dental technicians – our nurses can perform scale and polishes and can also take full mouth dental radiographs (If you ask the vets they will tell you the nurses are better at taking them then they are)
- We are consulting nurses – we provide a range of different complementary services for your pets such as weight clinics, adolescent health checks, dental checks, post operative checks and many more
- We are hospital nurses, if your pet has been admitted into hospital, our nurses are right there next to them giving them not only medical support but emotional support.
- We also provide maintenance and cleaning, we are ensuring the hospital is a clean environment for your pets.
Being a veterinary nurse involves so many different job roles all in a day’s work. We are very grateful to our amazing dedicated nurses for all they do.