VNUR20360

Learning Outcomes:

1. Identify and distinguish normal and abnormal clinical parameters in dogs, cats, horses, and exotic pets.
2. Identify and distinguish the mechanisms of disease.
3. Identify/recommend appropriate infectious disease prevention and control protocols (including vaccination, the pet travel scheme/passport regulations, and isolation/barrier nursing) and any associated risks or limitations.
4. Identify/describe the causes (when appropriate) and clinical signs of common medical diseases and identify/explain their significance.
5. Identify the diagnostic tests required by medical patients and the sample types, equipment, and/or testing protocols required.
6. Identify the prescribed treatments and nursing care required by medical inpatients and why they are needed.
7. Identify the prescribed treatments and home care required by medical outpatients (e.g. dietary changes, medication considerations, environmental/lifestyle modifications, monitoring) and why they are needed.
8. Accurately calculate fluid requirements and infusion rates.
9. Develop your procedural knowledge and competency in veterinary medical nursing practical/clinical skills. Including physical examination, injections & blood sampling (horses and exotics), IV cannula placement (small animals & horses), fluids set up/administration (small animals), gavage tube placement (exotics), ECG and Doppler set up & Glucometer use (small animals) and dermatology sampling (small animals).

Indicative Module Content:

Veterinary medical nursing of dogs, cats, horses, and exotic species.
Causes/clinical signs of medical diseases of different body systems.
Diagnostics tests for medical diseases.
Fluid therapy.
Dietary management.
Inpatient veterinary medical nursing care.
Home care advice for clients.

Student Effort Hours:

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:

Lectures
Active/task based learning
Tutorials
Practical classes
Peer learning
Independent study

Please note that students (except those with specific accommodations) are not permitted to use artificial intelligence (AI) for assessments.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Learning Requirements:

Prior learning requirements include general veterinary nursing principles, domestic animal husbandry and nutrition, and animal anatomy and physiology.

Module Requisites and Incompatibles

Equivalents:
Small Animal Nursing (VNUR20310)


 

Assessment Strategy

 

Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Informal self and peer assessment will be encouraged during practical classes, supported by the resources supplied on Brightspace. Verbal feedback on practical skills will be provided following completion of each task in the practical exam. Group/class general (written) feedback will be provided on the multiple choice question exams and the fluid calculations exam with individual feedback provided to those with lower grades (or upon request).

1. Aspinall, V. (2019) Clinical Procedures in Veterinary Nursing. 4th Ed. Butterworth- Heinemann: Edinburgh
2. Ballard, B.M. & Cheek, R. (2024) Exotic animal medicine for the veterinary technician, 4th edn, Wiley-Blackwell, Hoboken, New Jersey.
3. Coumbe, K. & British Equine Veterinary Association (2001) The equine veterinary nursing manual. Blackwell Science: Oxford.
4. Girling, S. (2013) Veterinary nursing of exotic pets, 2 (&3rd) edn., Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester.
5. Holtgrew-Bohling, K. (2020) Large animal clinical procedures for veterinary technicians, Fourth edn, Elsevier, St. Louis, Missouri.
6. Merrill, L. (ed.) (2012) Small Animal Internal Medicine for Veterinary Technicians and Nurses. John Wiley and Sons, Inc.: Iowa
7. Turner, L., Cooper, B., Mullineaux, E. & British Small Animal Veterinary Association (2020) BSAVA textbook of veterinary nursing, 6th edn, British Small Animal Veterinary Association, Quedgeley.
8. Varga, M., Lumbis, R. & Gott, L. (2012) BSAVA manual of exotic pet and wildlife nursing, 1st edn, British Small Animal Veterinary Association, Quedgeley.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.