Description
This CPD course is aimed at veterinary nurses working in general practice
As RVNs we can be involved with assisting the surgery for dental treatments, but more often our role within the dentistry suite falls into the role of monitoring and assisting with the anaesthesia plan for our dentistry procedures. This can be a daunting prospect with many factors to consider. This course will help reduce stress and increase confidence and positivity within the dental suite.
As RVNs we are also in the perfect position to ensure a high standard of post operative care is provided to our patients, both within the hospital and when they are discharged into the care of their owners.
Week 1
Dentistry Analgesia
- Different analgesia drugs available
- Dose selection
- Routes of administration
- Drug combinations
- Local nerve blocks
- Sides effects of drugs
Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:
- Assist the veterinary surgeon in selecting appropriate analgesic drugs for different oral surgeries
- Be aware of potential side effects of these drugs
- Alongside the veterinary surgeon, create a tailored drug protocol for each patient to go home with
- Comfortably calculate analgesic drugs at low doses
- Be aware of what drugs are suitable as a combination
- Understand the exclusion or reduced dose of some drugs, regarding co-morbidities
- Use pain scoring methods and understand what analgesia the patient may need
Learning materials this week:
(released on Monday morning for on demand learning until the course ends – approximate timings)
- Pre-recorded tutorial with Stacey = 45 minutes
- Further reading = 60 minutes
- Forum discussion topic = 10 minutes
- Multiple choice questions quiz = 10 minutes
Week 2
Anaesthesia – Airway Security and Hypothermia
- How to maintain a patent airway
- Patient positioning
- To cuff or not to cuff?
- Causes of hypothermia
- Negative effects of hypothermia
- Preventing and treating hypothermia
Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:
- Understand different styles of ET tubes and their benefits and potential negatives
- Understand appropriate ET tube cuff pressures and why this is so integral to protecting the airway
- Appreciate techniques to protect the airway
- Know the gold standard method to move patients under anaesthesia, whilst protecting their airway
- List the common causes of hypothermia
- Understand the negative effects of hypothermia
- Have practical knowledge on how to prevent and treat hypothermia
- Understand the risk of using some heating devices
Learning materials this week:
(released on Monday morning for on demand learning until the course ends – approximate timings)
- Pre-recorded tutorial with Stacey = 45 minutes
- Further reading = 60 minutes
- Forum discussion topic = 10 minutes
- Multiple choice questions quiz = 10 minutes
Week 3
Anaesthesia – Managing Hypotension
- Causes of hypotension
- Negative side effects of hypotension
- How to obtain accurate blood pressure reading
- How to prevent hypotension
- Fluid therapy
- Anaesthesia drug choices
- The use of vasopressors and anticholinergics
Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:
- Obtain accurate blood pressure readings for cats and dogs under general anaesthesia for dentistry
- Understand the limitations of blood pressure measurements and trouble shoot potential problems
- Know what is deemed as an appropriate blood pressure reading under general anaesthetic
- Know which drugs may interfere with maintaining blood pressure
- Understand what could happen to our patients if left hypotensive
- Feel more confident, alongside the veterinary surgeon, in making a treatment plan tailored to each individual patient, to treat any hypotensive episodes
Learning materials this week:
(released on Monday morning for on demand learning until the course ends – approximate timings)
- Pre-recorded tutorial with Stacey = 55 minutes
- Further reading = 60 minutes
- Multiple choice questions quiz = 10 minutes
- Written task – clinical case scenario = 60 minutes (to be submitted before 5pm Friday of week 4)
Week 4
Post-operative Care
- Immediate post op care once extubated
- Care for patients in the recovery ward
- Discharge instructions
- Post op care at home
- Post op checks
Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:
- Maintain and monitor a patent airway in the immediate post-operative period
- Understand the importance of close monitoring in recovery
- Create a post-operative plan tailored to each individual patient
- Feel confident to create discharge instructions for your patient
- Confidently communicate with the owner about the anaesthesia and surgery the patient has received
- Perform a thorough physical post-operative check, including the whole patient
- Understand the best dental care an owner can provide at home, along with alternative options if these goals cannot be met
Learning materials this week:
(released on Monday morning for on demand learning until the course ends – approximate timings)
- Pre-recorded tutorial with Stacey = 30 minutes
- Further reading = 60 minutes
- Forum discussion topic = 10 minutes
- Multiple choice questions quiz = 10 minutes
- Written task – postoperative recovery questions = 30 minutes (to be submitted before 5pm Friday of week 4)
The course will be fully tutored by Stacey Parker and will consist of 10 hours of CPD given in various formats, including tutorials, tasks, case studies, forum discussions and quizzes. This course is tutored for 4 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
Louise H –
Brilliant explanations of all aspects of anaesthesia in the dental patient. Very usable knowledge.
Rated: Introduction / Intermediate level
Emmy C –
Loved it. Very good information
Rated: Intermediate level
Georgia R –
I found the course very informative, i learnt a lot and have ideas on how i can incorporate this information into my day to day life in practice + teach it to other members of the team.
Rated: Intermediate level
Kimberley D –
Very informative
Rated: Intermediate level
Elaine B –
An excellent course, Stacey’s tutorial and PowerPoint slides were very informative. Easy to navigate, interesting and fun
Rated: Intermediate level
Ellie M –
Very good – engaging and informative
Rated: Intermediate level
Ruth B –
I found this course really useful and feel like there are a lot of practical changes I can introduce in my first opinion practice. Although this is dental anaesthesia focused, there is a lot of information that can be transferred to all patients undergoing a general anaesthetic.
Rated: Introduction / Intermediate level
Naomi D –
A good re-cap of some information, and lots of considerations to take away and apply to my practice – hypotension week the most useful
Rated: Intermediate level
Kimberley D –
Excellent and very informative
Rated: Intermediate level
Anwen E –
Really enjoyed this course. Very informative and Stacey is a brilliant speaker.
Rated: Introduction / Intermediate level