25 Jan 2022
Training was developed by RVNs Claire Roberts and Vicky Ford-Fennah of the group’s central support veterinary nursing team, and combines virtual and on-site applied learning.
Rachael Buzzel
Job Title
Andrea Jeffery.
More than 450 RVNs at Linnaeus attended its in-house anaesthesia training in 2021, with the courses set to continue.
The training is accredited by the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and is free to RVNs.
The primary care nursing anaesthesia course was introduced in January 2021, with 360 nurses taking part.
A further 107 nurses joined the Referral Nurse Professional Development Programme (RNPD) in Anaesthesia and Analgesia, which has welcomed several cohorts since its launch in October 2020.
Both courses cover areas including auditing, patient care, anaesthetic monitoring and analgesia.
The training was developed by Claire Roberts and Vicky Ford-Fennah, both RVNs within the Linnaeus central support veterinary nursing team (CSVNT), following the launch of the group’s nursing strategy in 2020. The strategy includes a framework for advancement and skills development.
After surveying RVNs about their ambitions for progression, anaesthesia was identified as an area for development. To make the training fully accessible, it combines virtual sessions with on-site applied learning where required.
Andrea Jeffery, chief nursing officer at Linnaeus, said: “Having spoken to our RVNs, the feedback was clear – they wanted to learn more about anaesthesia.
“Because we have a team dedicated to professional development for nurses, with the support of our clinical teams we could develop and deliver training on the topic, supporting more than 450 colleagues last year alone.
“The courses will continue into 2022, helping even more RVNs to develop their skills and confidence in anaesthesia.”
The three-month primary care anaesthesia course comprises nine modules, covering 25 hours of CPD, while the RNPD in Anaesthesia and Analgesia is a four-month course equating to 40 hours of CPD.
Meanwhile, due to the roll-out of targeted clinical training programmes offered by Linnaeus, its CSVNT team has expanded with the appointment of two further nursing professional development managers, RVNs Alison Mann and Helen Farrant.
More information about the professional opportunities for veterinary nurses and patient care assistants at Linnaeus is available on its website.
