Small Animal Veterinary Nursing
Our new Nursing Online CPD mini-modules have been developed for and aimed towards veterinary nurses. These 100% online modules run over three weeks, with a different topic being covered each week, and provide you with 15 hours of CPD
The course is taught by experienced Small Animal Veterinary Nurses from the University of Liverpool referral hospital and first opinion teams, and other veterinary contributors.
Teaching materials are in the form of online lectures, readings, interactive discussion boards, live Zoom sessions with course tutors and speakers and weekly MCQ tests designed to help support your learning. You also have access to the University of Liverpool online library and to discussions with tutors and peers, making learning fun and interactive.
Dates available: 24th February 2025 & November 2025 (date TBC)
Cost £250 - BOOK HERE
Course content:
Week 1: Advancing your approach to anaesthesia. Louise Dale RVN VTS analgesia and anaesthesia, Liza Ebeck RVN NCert Anaesth AVLM, and Laura Ayton RVN VNMA (ECC&A)
- When anaesthesia causes your heart to race, parts 1 and 2.
- Sympathetic anaesthesia - key features of sedative drugs, and the effect of drugs on your anaesthetic
- Capnography and pulse oximetry - what to do when things go wrong
Week 2: Patient analgesia – building on what you already do for improved patient comfort. Ashleigh Thurston BSc(Hons) VN RVN, and Jenny Bowen-Smith BSc (hons) BVetMed (hons) BSAVA PGCertSAECC FHEA MRCV.
- Pain pathophysiology and the pain pathway.
- Pain scoring cats and dogs in the hospital environment
- NO PLAN - Multimodal Analgesia in Acute Pain
- Chronic pain patients – assessment and management
Week 3: Emergencies and critical care patients – optimising your approach and improving outcomes. Katie Cannon RVN CertVNECC.
- Nursing the BOAS patient
- Nursing the dyspnoeic cat
- Nursing the transfusion patient
- Nursing the patient with septic abdomen
Speaker Biographies
Louise Dale RVN VTS analgesia and anaesthesia
Louise Qualified as a VN in 2002 with the PDSA in Batley, Leeds. She then worked in mixed practice before returning to small animals at Oakbeck veterinary Hospital in Harrogate.
Louise then accepted a Head Nurse position at Ashland’s veterinary Centre in Ilkley where she stayed for 4 years and became an A1 Assessor, completed a supervisory certificate and gained a certificate in animal behaviour. In 2007 Louise started teaching at Rotherham College as a lecturer in animal care where she completed a level 4 qualification in PTTLS.
In 2009 Louise accepted the full-time post of senior surgical nurse at Liverpool University, managing a team of eight theatre staff and the day-to-day running of the theatre whilst at the same time completing an NVQ level 3 in Leadership and management, plus her VTS qualification in Anaesthesia and Analgesia. Louise has a keen interest in surgical and anaesthesia nursing.
In 2022 Louise moved over to the Equine hospital and now manages the operational aspects of the hospital as the Equine Clinical Department Manager.
Laura Ayton RVN VNMA (ECC&A)
Laura qualified in 1999 from a mixed practice and moved to a Surgical Nursing position in University Referral Hospital shortly after qualifying. She worked as a locum nurse gaining experience across first opinion and referral practice, small animal and mixed practice. In 2017, her love of Anaesthesia and Surgical Nursing led her back to referral nursing in the theatre at the Small Animal Teaching Hospital, University of Liverpool, where she is one of the Surgical Nurses, specialising in her favourite disciplines.
Liza Ebeck RVN NCert Anaesth. AVLM
Liza qualified in practice in 2001 and has spent most of her career in University Referral Hospitals specialising in Cardiology, Surgical Nursing and Anaesthesia. In 2022 she moved to first opinion practice as Head Nurse and gained valuable experience of first opinion life. Liza made a move back to one of her passions in 2023 and is currently Senior RVN at James Specialist Veterinary Cardiology.
Ashleigh Thurston
Ashleigh has worked as a RVN at the University of Liverpool’s Primary Care Practice since 2017. She achieved her FdSc in Veterinary Nursing with Distinction in 2016 and went on to complete her BSc Top-up in Veterinary Nursing, graduating again with First Class Honours in 2019. She has a wealth of experience working in a university referral hospital, general practice and clinical pathology laboratory environments. Ashleigh is passionate about educating the next generation of veterinary surgeons and empowering RVNs, and has subsequently presented her own research at BVNA Congress and has published many articles in international peer-reviewed journals. Ashleigh's main areas of interest are anaesthesia, acute and chronic pain management, evidence-based veterinary medicine and theatre nursing. She is currently working towards completing a Nursing Certificate in Anaesthesia.