ADN109 – Advance15 – Surgical Skills for Nurses

Advance15^TM Courses help you to develop your knowledge and clinical skills in a defined area of small animal practice. These fully flexible online courses include tutor support and interaction via an interactive discussion forum you can ask questions and join the discussion at any time, wherever you are in the world. There are no ‘real time’ sessions that you need to be available for, so this course is suitable for you whatever your time zone. All of your course materials are all recorded, and you have full access for a 12 month period. The course runs for a four week period, and you’ll get tutor support for a further 2 weeks in case you need to catch up. After that, you’ll still have full access although the tutor support will end. Complete your learning and get your CPD Certificate for 15 Hours of CPD.

This online course in Surgical Skills For Veterinary Nurses is designed to provide attending nurses with basic surgical skills that can be integrated into their everyday practice, whether they work in general practice or in the referral setting.

This is a general level course suitable for veterinary nurses with all levels of experience.

In this interactive course, we will discuss how to efficiently and appropriately manage open wounds, how to manage drains and feeding tubes in the postoperative period, and how to diagnose and remove small skin masses. The lectures and forum will include a combination of theoretical knowledge and discussion around cases and real-life scenarios, with tools and tips that you can start using immediately.

Session 1: Instrument handling and suturing

1. Use of surgical instruments, skin staples and tissue adhesives
2. Suture materials and suture patterns

In this session we will look at the most common surgical instruments and how they should be used. We will also discuss appropriate use of skin staples and tissue adhesives, and look at the different available suture materials. We will then cover basic suture patterns for skin and subcutaneous tissues, which will be put to use in session 4.

Session 2: Open wound management

1. Basics of wound healing, dressing types, composition and indications
2. Step by step management of traumatic open wounds

In this session you will learn about the most common types of dressings used for open wounds, when to use them and how to secure them. The second hour will outline a practical guide to the management of open wounds.

Session 3: Drains and feeding tubes

1. Drains: passive drains, active suction drains and wound soaker catheters – how are they placed and how should they be used?
2. Feeding tubes: oesophagostomy and gastrostomy feeding tubes

In this session we will first look at the different types of drains and their practical use. The second hour will be dedicated to the two most common types of feeding tubes and how to manage them postoperatively. Both webinars will include some troubleshooting tips for drains and feeding tubes.

Session 4: Management of benign skin masses

1. Fine needle aspiration and biopsy techniques for skin masses

2. Resection of simple skin masses

In this final session you will learn how to efficiently sample skin masses, both using needle aspiration and biopsy (including incisional, punch and Trucut biopsies). In the last hour we will go step-by-step through how to remove small, benign skin masses.

Click here to view the full dates for this course

Tutor :-

Erika Villedieu DVM DipECVS MRCVS

EBVS European Specialist in Small Animal Surgery