september, 2025

29sepAll Day07novNeurology in PracticeOnlineCPD Type:Tutored CPDSubject:MedicineCPD Hours:15 hoursCost:£255Length:6 weeksAVNAT points:15

Course Details

Veterinary nurses will likely have to nurse patients with varying degrees of neurological disease throughout their career. Understanding how a patient is affected neurologically, and knowing their basic care needs, will allow for successful nursing of these patients in practice.

Although neurological patients may seem daunting initially, by going through these patients step-by-step from history, through diagnosis, treatment and nursing care, we can make these cases less daunting and more rewarding.

Each week we will look at a different aspect of veterinary neurology so that you gain a full picture of how and why certain treatment options are preformed/required. Following the course, you can apply the knowledge of various conditions and how these will affect the nursing care requirements of the patient, to produce successful nursing care plans, as well as fully support your clients that have pets with on-going neurological needs at home.

 

Week 1

Patient History and Assessment
Taking a thorough history
Initial patient assessment
Anatomy
Neurological examination
Localisation

 

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Successfully take a detailed history from owners and distinguish if the problem is neurological or not
Assess / triage the patient’s overall condition
Understand the neurological examination and describe what the findings may suggest
Discuss neurological lesion localisation and appreciate how this will allow planning of diagnostics tests

Week 2

Diagnostics
What do we need to know and when?
Blood tests
Urine
Imaging
MRI
CT
Radiography
Myelography
Ultrasound
Electrodiagnostics
Muscle and nerve biopsies

 

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Understand if diagnostic tests are required
Know what tests should be prioritised – especially in emergency / critical cases or money sensitive situations
Understand what genetic tests are routinely carried out in neurology
Have a basic understanding of advanced imaging protocols and which ones should be used
Understand why and when electrodiagnostics are used in practice
Discuss why muscle and nerve biopsies may be taken

Week 3

Spinal Conditions
Intervertebral disc disease and other common spinal conditions
Medical versus surgical treatment
Hemilaminectomy surgery, ventral slot surgery and other surgical approaches
Fenestration and durotomy – what does it mean and why?
Atlanto-axial instability, fractures and other vertebral malformations

 

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Display knowledge about common spinal conditions seen in practice and understands why surgery is or isn’t performed
Describe how surgery affects the patient’s anatomy. Understanding surgery allows for a more considerate approach to nursing these patients
Show an awareness of any likelihood of recurrence

Week 4

Brain Disease
Seizures
Meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO)
Vestibular disease
Head trauma
Neoplasia
Toxins
Otitis media / interna

 

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Explain primary and secondary seizures and potential causes, and understand when to start anti-epileptic treatment
Discuss the clinical signs of MUO, how it is diagnosed in practice, along with the treatment options available
Know how to triage the emergency head trauma patient and use the Glasgow Coma Scale
List other causes of disease that may cause patients to present similarly to brain disease patients

Week 5

Neuromuscular Disease
Common neuromuscular diseases seen in the UK
Myasthenia Gravis
Polyradiculoneuritis
Tetanus
Toxoplasmosis

 

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Show an understanding as to how different neuromuscular diseases affect our patients
Discuss treatment options available to patients for these conditions and know the nursing care required to support them during their recovery

Week 6

Nursing the Neurological Patient
Nursing care required to successfully nurse patients in hospital
Bladder dysfunction and care
Nutritional / hydration needs
Handling techniques
Exercise
Complications
Complementary treatment options
Promoting good overall patient care in practice

 

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Consolidate knowledge from the whole course to successfully produce nursing care plans for a variety of neurological conditions
Identify which bladder management technique is required for various patients
Understand appropriate handling techniques and when one should be used over another
Help support clients that have pets with ongoing neurological care needs at home
Discuss the long-term care and monitoring these patients may require

 

This course will be fully tutored by Zoe Hatfield and will consist of 15 hours of CPD given in various formats, including tutorials, tasks, case studies, forum discussions and quizzes.  This course is tutored for 6 weeks, followed by a two week extension of untutored ‘catch up’ time, before the course officially ends.

 

All delegates will then have unlimited lifetime access to the learning material for future reference

Time

September 29 (Monday) - November 7 (Friday)

Location

Online

Speaker

Zoe HatfieldVTS (IM-Neurology), RVN Neurology Nurse, Glasgow Vet School

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