Hospital Patient Care for Nurses & Techs
Created 2026
Are you fully prepared for the next crash?
We welcome veterinary nurses and technicians walking all paths of small animal practice where patients may be hospitalised. Every experience level is appropriate, from grassroots up. We all know, this is a profession where development never grinds to a halt.
We’ll cover the fundamentals of hospital patient care (including recumbent patients) and evidence based interventions for effective and timely pain management. Weekly modules will cover nutrition, feeding tubes and urinary catheter management as well as isolation and infection control. And importantly, how to work as part of a cohesive, cooperative and efficient veterinary team.
What to Expect
Exceptional inpatient care goes far beyond monitoring vital signs. It’s about recognising each patient’s individual needs, making informed clinical decisions, and working confidently alongside your veterinary team to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Throughout this course, you’ll explore the practical nursing skills that make the biggest difference to hospitalised patients, from patient care planning and pain assessment to nutritional support, infection control, catheter management, and handling recumbent patients. Every topic is designed to be immediately applicable in practice.
What You Will Gain
You’ll develop a structured approach to inpatient nursing, giving you greater confidence with the clinical challenges that can sometimes feel intimidating. Whether it’s calculating resting energy requirements (RER), using pain scoring systems consistently, safely managing an isolation unit, or applying evidence-based nursing strategies, you’ll gain practical skills you can use every day.
You’ll also strengthen your communication with clients, better understand how to identify changing patient needs, and become an even more valuable member of the clinical care team.
Improved Patient Wellbeing
As veterinary nurses and technicians, patient comfort is at the heart of everything you do. This course will help you make confident clinical decisions, advocate for appropriate interventions such as adjustments to analgesia plans, and provide exceptional care for patients requiring nutritional support, catheter management, or specialised nursing due to recumbency.
You’ll leave feeling more confident delivering the high standard of inpatient care every patient deserves.
Learn On Your Time
With On Demand access, you can complete the course whenever it suits you, revisit lessons whenever you need a refresher, and continue building your confidence long after you’ve finished. Learn at your own pace and return to the content whenever you’re ready to strengthen your inpatient nursing skills.
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24/7 ACCESS FOR THE LIFETIME OF THIS COURSE
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FLEXIBLE CPD WHEN YOU WANT
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DOWNLOADABLE NOTES
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CERFITICATE UPON COMPLETION
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MOBILE FRIENDLY INTERFACE
COURSE FEATURES
You’ll be guided through:
- Apply a structured approach to patient care planning and know when to adapt your nursing strategy
- Safely handle and reposition recumbent patients to improve comfort and recovery
- Calculate resting energy requirements (RER) and confidently assess nutritional needs
- Master the management of feeding tubes and urinary catheters with confidence
- Implement effective infection control protocols and run a safe isolation unit
- Assess pain accurately and provide nursing care that maximises patient comfort
- Develop practical inpatient nursing skills you can apply immediately in practice
- Gain real-world knowledge through practical, clinically relevant learning
Course Modules
Module 1: Hospitalised patients & your team
In this module, you’ll recognise the fundamental needs of hospitalised patients, understand how effective communication and teamwork improve outcomes, and apply structured approaches to patient monitoring and care planning.
Module 2: Nursing recumbent patients
This module focuses on evidence-based nursing interventions for recumbent patients. You’ll identify early complications, implement preventive strategies, and discuss appropriate handling and repositioning techniques.
Module 3: Hospital nutrition, feeding tubes & elimination (urinary catheters)
Here, you’ll learn to perform nutritional assessments for hospitalised patients, including calculating resting energy requirements (RER). You’ll confidently manage and maintain feeding tubes and urinary catheters, develop feeding strategies for cats and dogs, and clinical situations, and recognise and manage common complications associated with tubes.
Module 4: Isolation & infection control
This module covers infection control in hospital settings. You’ll implement effective procedures, practise safe handling and hygiene, and understand the nursing role in maintaining patient and team safety within isolation areas.
Module 5: Pain management & comfort care
In the final module, you’ll learn to identify pain behaviours and assess pain accurately using tools like the Feline Grimace and Glasgow Pain scales. You’ll explore the principles and timing of multimodal analgesia and provide optimal nursing support to maximise patient comfort and recovery.
A VETPRAC COURSE YIELDS TANGIBLE BENEFITS
INVEST
From patient care planning to pain management and nutritional support, build the confidence to deliver exceptional inpatient care. Access the complete course for $297.
LEARN
Build practical inpatient nursing skills across patient care planning, pain management, nutrition, infection control, and supportive hospital care.
RETURN
Return to your clinic with greater confidence, practical nursing skills, and the ability to deliver outstanding care to every hospitalised patient.
Your Educator
CHOOSE YOUR PAYMENT OPTION
ONE-TIME INVESTMENT
$297 AUD
PAYMENT PLAN
x 4 monthly instalments of $86
Your Questions Answered
What is “On Demand”?
How and when do I access learning materials?
How long is course access open?
You’ll have 24/7 access for the full lifespan of the course on the On-Demand platform, starting from the date of your purchase. Your access begins immediately and remains available for as long as that course stays active on the platform.
We’ve structured access this way because veterinary medicine moves fast, and our goal is to provide up-to-date learning materials to the VetPrac community. Our education team regularly assesses, reviews, and updates each course to ensure we’re offering only current and relevant information.
If a course is scheduled to be removed from the platform, you’ll receive six months notice.