Elements and Performance Criteria

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.
Medical procedures may include:
small animal procedures:
cleaning ear pinna and ear canals
enemas
nail, beak or feather trimming
setting up, regulating and maintaining an intravenous drip for fluid therapy or blood transfusions
setting up and maintaining oxygen therapy
urinary catheterisation
large animal procedures:
administering general anaesthesia to horses
oral administration of electrolytes, pastes and drenches
providing hoof and leg care to horses
subcutaneous, intravenous or intramuscular injection
setting up, regulating and maintaining an intravenous drip for fluid therapy.
Patient preparation may include:
restraint
shaving and cleaning of target areas
application of an electro-conductive medium.
Workplace health and safety 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.
Specific clinic routines may include:
aural lavage
catheterisation
ECG trace procedures
endoscopic and laparoscopic procedures
ultrasound and other common procedures.
Types of equipment requiring preparation may include:
ECG
endoscope
laparoscope
ultrasound
videoscope.
Medical procedure outcomes may include:
biopsies may be collected and labelled
details from endoscopic and laparoscopic procedures may be recorded
images may be reproduced in:
ECG trace
photographic form
printed paper format
video or digital format.
Outcomes of medical procedures may be recorded and stored:
electronically or as hard copy.

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 competency 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:
prepare equipment, instruments and materials and assist with medical procedures
prepare and restrain patients for procedures
prepare and calibrate equipment for specific clinic routines
assist veterinarian with procedure outcomes, including fluid therapy and catheterisation
care for patients during special procedures
communicate effectively with the veterinarian and clients
clean and store equipment and maintain accurate records.
The skills and knowledge required to carry out medical nursing routines 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 for this Unit is to be practical in nature and will be most appropriately assessed in a veterinary nursing workplace with access to the appropriate equipment and/or resources to enable one to demonstrate competence.
Method of assessment
To ensure consistency of performance, competency should be demonstrated, to industry defined standards, on more than two occasions over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances, patients, cases and responsibilities and 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).