Otago Polytechnic / School of Vet Nursing / 2017 Wow, can’t believe Christmas is upon us already! What an amazing year it has been in the School of Veterinary Nursing. We delivered the new New Zealand Diploma in Veterinary Nursing (year 2 of training to be a veterinary nurse) for the first time, following from the successful development of the pre-requisite, NZ Certificate in Animal Technology Veterinary Nursing assistant (year 1 of training to be a Veterinary Nurse). This is a big change from its predecessor and we felt it went well, though as always we are planning tweaks and changes on a journey of continual improvement. We highly value your feedback, so don’t forget to tell us what you think, provide suggestions regardless of whether you are a student, a qualified veterinary nurse or vet, an employer or anything else related to the industry. 2018 promises to be another busy year, as we complete development of the NZ Certificate in Animal Technology Rural Animal Technician, welcome the Wildlife Hospital, Dunedin to our premises and also start looking at some new programme opportunities, while still continually working on our existing programmes to ensure that they are the best they can be, and continuing to offer exceptional student support. With the Christmas season comes this message to buy, buy and buy some more. Often is complete rubbish that we really don’t want or need and it ends up in landfill after little or no use. There is even the pressure to buy the same cheap unwanted, short life or nonfunctional stuff for our pets too. What about making a commitment this year to buy some gifts that really matter and really make a difference. Is there a charity you could support, a food bank you could top up, pet food to the SPCA from your pets, or perhaps you might like to donate to the charitable trust which is running the Wildlife Hospital Dunedin, which Otago Polytechnic and the School of Veterinary Nursing are supporting by providing the facilities for them. Every little bit makes a huge difference, not only to those charities. Many thanks for your support this year of the Otago Polytechnic School of Veterinary Nursing, either as a student, past student, work placement supervisor, staff member or even just as an interested person subscribing to our newsletter, we appreciate you all. Remember if you even have ideas or feedback for us, we really value it and will act on it. Wishing you all a safe and happy Christmas! We’ll be back next year with a newsletter installment in term 1. Francesca Brown
The Evidence BaseWSAVA GLOBAL VETERINARY DENTISTRY GUIDELINES Image CCbyND US Air Force - Airman 1st Class Andrew MouaGetting international consensus for veterinary care is important to ensure consistency and reflect the best that global veterinary experts have to offer. For the first time, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) have released a set of global guidelines for veterinary dentistry. These guidelines will guide veterinary professionals around the world, helping them to improve veterinary care. It is hoped that better recognition of detail disease and improved treatment protocols will enhance outcomes for the health and wellbeing of animals worldwide. Thanks Jennifer Hamlin ASc(hon), RVN, GCTLT, Cert. Mata a Ao Maori, for summarising this. ARE RUBBER VIALS VILE? The exterior surfaces of injection vials are not intended to be sterile. Most protective lids do not guarantee sterility of the outer surface of a vial rubber stopper/aluminium crimp seal. This lid is intended to act as a shield for the rubber stopper and to keep dust and other physical contaminants away from it. Noting this, health professionals are reminded that proper aseptic technique must be strictly followed when administering intravenous injections to a patient. This includes wiping the outer surface of the rubber stopper and its injection site with a suitable disinfectant wipe/swab and allowing it to dry before inserting any device into the vial. Guidelines can be found here, and you can click the button below to read the study that was conducted Thanks Jane Craker RVN (UK/NZ) GCTLT for sharing this tip. Image CC0 Pixabay UPDATE Otago Polytechnic and The Wildlife Hospital Trust are delighted to announce the opening date! |