Veterinary nurses play a critical role in animal care, supporting vets on the frontline and often working in a very hands-on role. As a vet nurse, your practical skillset is important and therefore undertaking continuing education to broaden those skills – and expand your veterinary knowledge – is vital to career progression.
In most of Australia, registration for vet nurses is not compulsory – and therefore, neither is continuing professional development (CPD). That being said, it’s highly recommended that nurses do register with the Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia’s (VNCA) Australian Veterinary Nurses and Technicians (AVNAT) Registration Scheme – and many do, as this helps to establish an industry standard and verifies your credentials. As part of the AVNAT Registration Scheme, you are required to accumulate 20 CPD points each year.
What sort of continuing education counts as CPD?
The good news is, there are lots of different ways to acquire CPD points throughout the year. Undertaking formal learning is a popular way to tick off CPD points and expand your repertoire of skills. CPD points can be acquired for many types of formal learning, such as completing approved courses and workshops or undertaking compliance training, such as a first-aid course.
VetPrac offers a range of courses and workshops for vet nurses which contribute towards the accumulation of CPD points. In fact, one course or workshop can yield around half a vet nurse’s annual CPD. VetPrac’s educational offerings include online courses such as Surgical Nursing Foundations which covers instrument handling and care, and the popular Principles & Practice of Anaesthesia & Pain Management, hosted by VetPrac’s very own board-certified anaesthesiologist Dr Margie McEwen. Our next project is to include AVNAT points for nurses in our hands-on dual-stream workshops like TPLO Surgery and Fix the Face, where vets and nurses attend together.
While active online learning and face to face courses are extremely valuable (and fun!), there are other ways to earn CPD points. These include informal learning such as attending seminars, watching webinars and reading academic literature. It’s worth noting, however, that informal learning is not assessed and as such, it contributes fewer CPD points compared with formal learning activities. Peer learning and scholarship are other ways for an academically-inclined vet nurse to acquire CPD, where projects such as self-directed research, delivering presentations, preparing case reports, having a paper or book chapter published, or writing an article can all be relevant. Leadership and service tasks are often part of vet nursing, so it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with which of these may be counted as part of your CPD. If you contribute to industry-relevant representative committees or boards, if you mentor or supervise other staff or organise conferences or seminars, these activities may also yield CPD points for you.
Expand your horizons
The veterinary world is forever evolving, as new research continues to shape best practice in veterinary medicine and surgery. New technology and equipment can be used to improve diagnostic accuracy, and it allows us to undertake increasingly complex medical and surgical interventions. Another exciting area of veterinary nursing in Australia is canine rehabilitation, where you can have a direct and measurable impact on patient outcomes.
VetPrac’s range of courses feature high quality tuition with instruction from industry experts coupled with small classes sizes – ensuring you get the most out of your time in the classroom. Keep abreast of the latest advancements in veterinary medicine and meet your CPD requirements… VetPrac’s courses and workshops tick all the boxes!
To view VetPrac’s current courses and workshops for vet nurses and vet techs, please click here.