Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Patient and client histories may include:
patient details:
species, colour, breed, sex and markings
brands, tattoos and/or microchip
age, height and weight
past or current treatment (e.g. vaccination status)
animals' belongings
client details:
owner's name, address and contact details
preferred payment method and details
payment history.
Range of animal species may include:
birds
dogs, cats and horses
small animals (e.g. rabbits, rodents, ferrets and guinea pigs)
food-producing animals (e.g. cattle, pigs and sheep)
wildlife or exotic animals (e.g. amphibians, reptiles and fish).
Documentation may include:
admission form
anaesthetic forms
discharge instructions
after care sheets.
Emergency situations may include:
birthing problems
car accident
collapse
haemorrhage
poisoning
respiratory distress.
Clinic policies may include:
guidelines for the sale of medicines and animal treatments prescribed by the veterinary surgeon, differentiating between:
over-the-counter sales permitted or prohibited
responsible use of prescribed medications
compliance with relevant legislative requirements.
Animal restraints that may be used include:
collars and muzzles
rearing bits, twitch or hobbles (used on horses)
holding leads
holding cages.

Note: Chemical restraints are excluded.
OHS and legislative requirements may include:
OHS legislation and regulations:
chemical handling
hygiene control
manual handling
responsibilities of employers, employees, visitors and contractors
working with animals
federal, state or territory legislation related to:
animal welfare considerations
client privacy
companion animal legislation
environmental management
handling and dispensing of medications
local council animal and business regulations
notification of animal diseases and biohazards
owner or breeder licence regulations
Veterinary Surgeons Act and regulations
wildlife regulations.
OHS risks when working with animals may include:
animal bites, kicks, scratches and crush injuries
biological hazardous waste and sharps disposal
handling of chemicals and medicines
gas leakage
inhalation of aerosol particles
intraocular contamination
manual handling, including carrying, lifting and shifting
needle pricks and cuts from other sharps
release of infective agents (animal and human)
slippery or uneven work surfaces
zoonoses.
Interpersonal skills may require:
having regard for personal space considerations
listening and responding appropriately to what customers are communicating
providing an opportunity for customers to confirm their requests
questioning and seeking feedback from customers to confirm understanding of needs
summarising and paraphrasing to check understanding of customers' messages
using appropriate vocal tone and body language.
Customer information needs may include:
range of products and services available
specific needs of customers
specialised or technical assistance needs.
Personal and professional limitations may include:
clinic policies and procedures relating to the type of information and advice that can be provided by staff
lack of knowledge in regard to:
clinic policies and procedures
OHS and other legal considerations
specific products and product applications
lack of skills in:
handling difficult customers
accessing and providing information.
Clinic records may include:
electronic or manual systems:
patient histories
anaesthetic consent forms and treatment records
clinic activities and individual animal care
accounts
invoice, statement and payment records
restricted medication stocktake and use records
other product stocktake records
environmental control practices
material safety data sheets (MSDS)
safe work method statements (SWMS).
Office routines may include:
balancing cash register and credit card transactions
communication by telephone and email
completing animal discharge documents
dispatching pre-packed specimens
making appointments
photocopying
processing credit cards and conducting electronic banking
sending and receiving faxes
unpacking orders
word processing.

EVIDENCE GUIDE
The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
The evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy all of the requirements of the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge and the range statement of this unit. Assessors should ensure that candidates can:
identify patients and compile accurate patient and client histories
recognise emergency situations and report these immediately to the duty veterinarian or clinic nurse as applicable
communicate effectively with the veterinarian and clinic clientele and follow instructions
comply strictly with clinic policies, OHS and other relevant legislative requirements
handle and restrain animals in a safe and humane manner
maintain clinic records and follow basic office routines.

The skills and knowledge required to carry out veterinary nursing reception duties must be transferable to a range of work environments and contexts and include the ability to deal with unplanned events.

Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment of this unit is to be practical in nature and will be most appropriately assessed in a veterinary practice or in a situation that reproduces normal work conditions.

There must be access to the relevant information, equipment and/or resources to enable one to demonstrate competence.Assessment must cover a minimum of one species from at least two of the six major animal groups (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates).

Method of assessment
To ensure consistency in one's performance, competency should be demonstrated, to industry defined standards, on more than one occasion over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances and cases and where possible, over a number of assessment activities.

The assessment strategy must include practical skills assessment. Suggested strategies for this unit are:
written and/or oral assessment of candidate's required knowledge
observed, documented and first-hand testimonial evidence of candidate's application of practical tasks
simulation exercises that reproduce normal work conditions
third-party evidence
workplace documentation
portfolio.

This unit may be assessed in a holistic way with other units of competency relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role.

Guidance information for assessment
Assessment methods should reflect workplace demands (e.g. literacy and numeracy demands) and the needs of particular target groups (e.g. people with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, people with a language background other than English, youth and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds).