Course

Veterinary Nursing 3

Faculty
Science & Technology
Department
Veterinary Technology
Course code
VTEC 2313
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 Weeks
Max class size
30
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Lab
Practicum
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
In this course, students will learn and practice advanced veterinary nursing skills. Skills acquired in Veterinary Nursing 1 (VTEC 1103) and 2 (VTEC 1203) will be reviewed and further developed. Advanced drug dosing, fluid administration, constant rate infusion (CRI) and transfusion calculations will be practiced. Students will gain experience in client and workplace communication. Emergency and critical care nursing will be emphasized, along with the medical record keeping needed for these disciplines. Ward and hospital management will be discussed from a veterinary technologist's perspective.
Course content

Diagnostic techniques:

  • blood glucose curves and monitoring

Advanced nursing care:

  • advanced monitoring and procedures such as bandaging, ECG, blood transfusion medicine, constant rate infusions and fluid therapies
  • medical record keeping in all aspects of practice
  • regional anesthesia and tracheostomy care procedures

Emergency Medicine:

  • management of veterinary emergencies
  • CPCR and other emergency techniques

Critical Care:

  • transition of a patient from emergency care to critical care
  • role of the veterinary technologist in the care of the critical patient

Workplace communications:

  • client communication, problem solving, conflict resolution and interpersonal skills

Career opportunities for the veterinary technician.

Learning activities

Lectures will include online quizzes and video lectures, case studies and interactive group work. Labs and workshops may include live animal labs, CPR simulations, client communication simulations (which may include actors), as well as tours of off-site facilities and external speaker events. A variety of practicum placement types will be offered including 24 hour emergency and specialty hospital care.

Means of assessment

Assessment will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. The instructor will present a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester. A final minimum cumulative grade of C, or 60%, is required in order to pass this course. Evaluation will be based on the following:

Assignments, quizzes, projects 40-60% (No single evaluation worth more than 25%)

Midterm exam 10-20%

Final exam 20-40%

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of this course, successful students will be able to:

  • Perform emergency and critical care nursing techniques for small animals;
  • Discuss hospital design, work flow and principles affecting ward hygiene and infection control;
  • Practice effective workplace and client communication;
  • Complete and maintain veterinary nursing records for small animal general nursing, emergency and critical care;
  • Discuss the variety of potential career opportunities available to veterinary technicians.
Textbook materials

Consult the Douglas College Bookstore for the latest required textbooks and materials.

Requisites

Prerequisites

VTEC 1203 and VTEC 2108 and VTEC 2109 and VTEC 2112

Students in the Veterinary Technology program are required to maintain a minimum grade of (C) in all courses in order to progress in the program.

Corequisites

No corequisite courses.

Equivalencies

No equivalent courses.

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer details for VTEC 2313
There are no applicable transfer credits for this course.

Course Offerings

Winter 2025

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
30
Currently enrolled
30
Remaining seats:
0
On waitlist
0
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. A
Room
A2143
Times:
Start Time
9:30
-
End Time
12:20
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. A
Room
A2145
Times:
Start Time
9:30
-
End Time
12:20
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. A
Room
A2143
Times:
Start Time
11:30
-
End Time
13:20
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. A
Room
A2145
Times:
Start Time
11:30
-
End Time
13:20
Section notes

VTEC 2313 001 is restricted to FT Veterinary Technology students.