Survey on veterinary nurse training

Aust Vet J Vol 81, No 9, September 2003 527

News

by Jane Bindloss, Chairperson, NIAG

Results from new research on the training of veterinary nurseshave come in. The research was initiated by the NationalIndustry Advisory Group for Veterinary Nursing (NIAG)

and conducted by Rural Skills Australia with the support of fundingfrom the Federal Department of Employment, Science andTraining.Strategic Economic Solutions did the research and analysed theresults. The research profiled practising veterinary nurses, othersupport staff and their employers with the aim of:• Mapping the roles of veterinary nurses in contemporary

veterinary practice • Obtaining feedback from employers and staff on training matters • Identifying further skills development needsTwo survey forms were developed, one for veterinary nurses/supportstaff and one for employers/practice managers. Some 1,980practices across Australia were sent copies of each and a total of1,164 responses were received.

Key findings of the research were:1. The mix of tasks performed by qualified and non-qualified

support staff is similar, although qualified nurses have moreopportunity to work on complex procedures and train otherstaff

2. Many support staff (47 per cent) have worked in the industryfor five or more years, although only 27 per cent have been withthe same employer for five or more years

3. There is dissatisfaction with perceptions of the status ofveterinary nurses: nurses’ emerging sense of professionalism onthe one hand and modest rates of pay on the other

4. There is a divergence of views on the role of nurses. Employersare looking for stronger reception, customer service andadministration skills whilst nurses are looking more atdeveloping their personal professional competencies in moreadvanced elements of nursing practice

5. Responses suggest that veterinary nursing is coming of age as adiscipline in its own right, with career paths developing andambitions for continuing professional development

6. Both employers and employees expressed great variations intheir experiences with training and levels of satisfaction oncetraining has been undertaken

7. Both employers and employees place high value on workplaceassessment of skills and on-the-job experience

8. Considerably more Certificate IV qualified veterinary nursesperform complex tasks (such as dental work, pathology andcatheter placement) than do those with a Certificate I to III

9. More comments on training were positive rather than negative(the ratio was about 3:2)

10. Of vet nurses in training, 77 per cent were with TAFE and 23per cent were with other training providers

11. Employers were most dissatisfied with the competency levels ofrecently trained staff in relation to the following tasks: toothextraction, i/v catheter placement and sales

CommentNIAG has the following comments on the research findings:(1) An issue of concern raised by the survey is the apparent

divergence between how employers and employees see thedirection of the veterinary nurse’s role in practice. The fact thatemployers would like to see the range of current skills expandedto include more sales and administration conflicts with the

desire of nurses to become more competent in clinical skills.In the US and England there are strong indications thateconomic reality is causing practices to use veterinary nurses tothe full extent of their trained capability, whilst reservingveterinarians to do what only they can do. It is reasonable toexpect a similar trend to occur in Australia. Already team andnurse advice sessions are being introduced by a number ofpractices, resulting in veterinary nurses making a greatercontribution to income generation.Vocational education training now offers an extensive range ofqualifications and training packages covering numerousworkplace roles and tasks. Training for frontline management,reception/customer service, training of others, bookkeeping,office management and payroll can all be easily accessedthrough any number of registered training organisations (TAFEand private providers) nationwide. Taking these matters and others into consideration, it is therecommendation of NIAG that the training package forveterinary nursing retains its current ratio of clinical andadministrative content.

(2) The survey shows that employers and employees are verysatisfied with the concept of workplace assessment. This is afundamental component of the competency-based training andassessment model of which the Veterinary Nursing TrainingPackage (VNTP) is an example. Comments on training generally were encouraging, consideringthis is only the third year that the package has been deliverednationwide. However, the survey reflects a huge variation inrespondents’ experiences with methods of delivery and thesubsequent competence of qualifying nurses at all certificatelevels. It is the recommendation of NIAG that the survey beforwarded to the Australian National Training Authority andState Training Authorities to ascertain if this variation can beminimised.

(3) Qualified nurses at all levels perform more complex tasks thannon-qualified colleagues. Further, considerably moreCertificate IV qualified nurses (considered to be the benchmarkfor competent support in a veterinary practice) performcomplex tasks (such as dental work, pathology, training othersand catheter placement) than those with a Certificate II to III.This appears to be a reflection of the trust and confidenceemployers place in trained staff compared to untrained staff andin Certificate IV veterinary nurses compared to the earlierCertificates II and III in Animal Studies. NIAG recommends that the Certificate IV in VeterinaryNursing remains the basic qualification required for a personto provide competent support to a veterinary practice.

(4) The perceived status of veterinary nurses remains a concern.The value of Certificate IV nurses to veterinary businesses isbecoming more frequently and widely acknowledged and it isto be hoped that fair financial remuneration will follow. At every opportunity NIAG will continue to promote the valueof qualified veterinary nurses, especially through itsrepresentative association with the Veterinary Nurses Councilof Australia, Australian Veterinary Association, Australian SmallAnimal Veterinary Association and other affiliated groups.

Copies of the full survey are available by writing to:The National Industry Advisory Group for Veterinary Nursing,PO Box 2233, North Ringwood, Vic 3134or by emailing vnca@vnca.asn.au.

REPORT: Survey on veterinary nurse training