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.
Admission and discharge procedures
Admission and discharge procedures may include:
case history and contact information
identifying stakeholders
information regarding billing procedures for referral consultation
reporting case outcomes to the referring veterinarian, as per referral veterinarian directions
information on post treatment management by owner.
Relevant parties
Relevant parties may include:
animal owner
animal trainer or carer
veterinary nursing staff with responsibilities to care for patient and manage clinic billing procedures.
Stakeholders
Stakeholders may include:
in-house veterinarian and other staff
referring veterinarian
consulting health care professionals
animal insurance company representative
medication or specialist surgical or equipment industry representatives.
Clinic policies
Clinic policies may cover:
accessing and updating files
admission and discharge of patients
admittance of visitors
client privacy
compliance with relevant legislative requirements
guidelines for the sale of medicines and animal treatments (prescription and non-prescription)
information specific to the practice
recording information
security, confidentiality and privacy
type of information and advice that can be provided by staff.
Health care professionals and services
Health care professionals and services may include:
behavioural specialist
chemo and radiation specialists
complementary therapy practitioners
acupuncturist
chiropractor
massage therapist
naturopath
physiotherapist
veterinary dentist
farrier
medication manufacturer consultant
nutritionist
ophthalmologist
orthopaedic surgeon
plastic surgeon
trauma specialist.
Veterinary terminology
Veterinary terminology understanding is required for but not limited to:
case taking and case notes
describing health conditions and disease processes
describing surgical procedures, equipment and instruments
labelling specimens
reading and interpreting labels
interpreting prescriptions.
Oral and written communications
Oral and written communications may include:
appointments
case reports
client history questionnaires
client notes and records
correspondence to a range of health care professionals
diary entries
emails
forms
instructions for:
post-treatment care
post-surgical care
home care
operating theatre procedures
labels, symbols, signs and tables
memoranda\letters
minutes
notices
oral instructions
prescriptions
referrals
telephone calls/messages
test results
two-way radios and intercoms.
Data
Data may include:
Australian Veterinary Association guidelines
clinic specific texts
clinic guidelines
dictionary of medical and/or other health care terminology
drug and prescription information
industry networks and journals
manufacturers' specifications, material safety data sheets (MSDS)
organisational policies and procedures
patient vital signs and other information collected from a specific patient
profiles of patients (including sex, age, breed)
safe operating procedures
statistics from research papers
trends in patient statistics
veterinary staff using clinic protocols.
Professional development opportunities
Professional development opportunities may include:
attending conferences and seminars
completing additional relevant training
conducting research and presenting results
participating in forums
presenting information to staff and or others
reading research papers
visiting other practices.

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:
comply with relevant veterinary clinic guidelines, policies and procedures including hierarchy and regime protocols
organise, monitor and document referral requests, procedures and follow-up processes
use appropriate veterinary terminology, aligned to specific veterinary case needs, when relaying oral and written communications to a range of stakeholders
communicate effectively with in-house vets, consulting health care professionals, other service providers, clients and staff to manage the treatment and care of animals.
gather and critically evaluate information related to relevant clinical settings
apply research skills to increase own knowledge of practice relevant terminology, procedures and new developments related to workplace responsibilities
identify opportunities to contribute to the veterinary practice knowledge base and improve existing practices and procedures within scope of job responsibilities
prepare and present case studies and/or literature reviews to others.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment of this Unit is to be practical in nature and must be assessed in an appropriate specialist veterinary clinical setting.
There must be access to a range of appropriate documentation, resources and specific veterinary case loads 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
case study analysis
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).