Veterinary Nurse Career Description
Veterinary nurses work under the supervision of the veterinarian in private practice, animal hospitals or at any institution where research on animals is conducted.
Veterinary nurses attend to animals, give them medicine according to prescription, assist with operations and take
laboratory samples.
What am I going to do in this occupation?
Veterinary nurses must be able to take care of and handle animals. At reception veterinary nurses obtain information regarding the animal patients and their state of disease and keep precise record of it. This information enables the veterinary surgeon to prescribe the right medicine for every animal. Veterinary nurses may be asked, for example, to do blood transfusions or to put bandages on, to administer medicine or do physiotherapy. People in this occupation care for all animals, including new-born and old animals and must know which diet every animal needs.
Veterinary nurses must nurse and treat animals with contagious diseases and take precaution that such diseases are not transmitted to other animals. Veterinary nurses play an important role in the nursing of patients in the intensive care unit.
Veterinary nurses assist the veterinary surgeon with a variety of gynaecological examinations and procedures, for example artificial insemination and pregnancy examinations.
Radiography forms a large part of the activities and veterinary nurses take radiographs of injured or affected parts.
Veterinary nurses prepare the animal patient for anaesthesia, administer the necessary medication and monitor the patient while it is anaesthetised.
Veterinary nurses assist the veterinary surgeons when they operate. Firstly the instruments, operation theatre and the animal patient are prepared. Veterinary nurses then hand instruments to the veterinary surgeon during the operation. After completion veterinary nurses see to it that the theatre is neat and the instruments are packed away, clean and sterile. Veterinary nurses care for the patient after anaesthesia.
Veterinary nurses accompany the veterinary surgeon on ward duties in the hospital, during which the progress of the patients are discussed.
Veterinary nurses collect skin scrapings, dung samples, urine samples and bloodsmears for examinations in the laboratory. The samples are prepared by veterinary nurses who also examine them.
On request of the veterinary surgeon advice is given to clients on the deworming or inoculation of animal patients, as well as after-care that the clients must administer at home.
Requirements
What kind of personality do I need? Prospective veterinary nurses must be able to work sympathetically and patiently with animals and must be observant. Veterinary nurses must be practical, accurate and neat. They should also be good organizers and be able to work long and irregular hours.
In emergencies veterinary nurses must stay cool and calm and reveal initiative. The ability
to communicate with people is of utmost importance.
Where can I work?
Employment opportunities, as for veterinary surgeons at present, are limited. Veterinarians are requiring nurses to have reception and computer skills in addition to their diploma.
Veterinary nurses are employed by the following institutions: private practitioners; animal hospitals and clinics; societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals; institutions where research on animals is conducted; pharmaceutical firms; zoological gardens; dairies; firms marketing surgical instruments; kennels; as well as Veterinary Science faculties at universities.
Can I work for myself in this occupation?
Veterinary nurses may only work in the employment of a person registered to practice a veterinary profession or of a person employing a veterinary nurse in accordance with the Veterinary and Para-veterinary Professions Act. Opportunities for self-employment are therefore not possible.
|
