There are some medical nurse clinics that do lend themselves to a more formulaic setting; diabetic clinics being one of these. A set protocol of what needs to be included in these clinics can easily be achieved. Whereas a medical clinic for a cat diagnosed with urinary tract issues can be more problematic, due to the wide nature of environmental aspects that influence the cat, behavioural aspects, alongside medications, diet and water intake. The content of the medical clinics will very much depend on your practice’s protocol for the treatment and management of certain diseases/disorders. Discussion with the veterinary team is required to develop a protocol, so that everyone; the veterinary surgeon, veterinary nurse and client can see what is expected. A protocol will also help the receptionists know who to book in appointments with.

Medical clinics can be run for every medical condition.  As soon as any patient is diagnosed, it should be referred to a nurse clinic. RVNs need to have a good underpinning knowledge of the condition and have good up-to-date knowledge on new treatments and management regimes. All personnel need to ensure that all advice given is the constant, hence the importance of protocols.

The base cause of obesity is expending fewer calories than are consumed, though there are many factors that can contribute towards obesity. Any changes in metabolism will alter the number of calories utilised for daily requirements. Neutering is the main cause of metabolic changes in young healthy animals, and care needs to be taken around this period that energy requirements for a neutered, yet still potentially growing animal, are taken into consideration. This highlights the importance of regular weight checks with a veterinary nurse who can offer guidance at this time. Therefore, when tackling difficult obesity cases all of these aspects need to be considered.

Obesity is a complex chronic medical disease in all species, understanding the complex relationships between diet, exercise and social aspects is important in order to help devise weight loss programmes for dogs and cats.

Neurological patients can be difficult to manage, and good nursing care reduces the many complications that can occur with prolonged hospitalisation and overall improve the quality of life of the patient. Acute spinal cord diseases are commonly encountered in clinical practice. This lecture will mainly focus on the clinical and diagnostic approach to acute spinal cord diseases in dogs and cats and describes pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, outcome and prognosis of specific disorders and the fundamental role of nurses in their treatment.

The microscope is one of the most useful pieces of equipment in the practice for investigating skin cases. Many of the investigations can be carried out by nurses to aid both the vet and the patient.

Often, vets are pushed for time and are unable to perform in house investigations there and then. Many of these investigations can be easily passed onto the nurse to perform the tests. The time needed to providing better targeted treatment is thus shortened, which is in the best interest of both the patient and the vet. 

The lecture will show you the sampling techniques for trichography, skin scrapings and skin cytology; and what you might find under the microscope lens to help the vet make a diagnosis.