veterinary nursing - companion animal programme
| 6.45am | Hill's Pet Nutrition Breakfast: The microbiome - puppeteers or puppets of human biology? Please note: You must register for this breakfast to attend | Room 516 Level 5 |
| 7am | Registration opens | Level 3 |
| 8am | Plenary: Thriving and striving at work - the ultimate win win |
Charlotte Cantley | Theatre A Level 5 |
| 8.45am | NZVNA AGM | Theatre A Level 5 |
| 9.10am | Veterinary nurse registration: RCPD and APCs in New Zealand | Clare Morton This presentation provides an overview of veterinary nurse registration in New Zealand, including its purpose and growing importance within the profession. It looks at the role of the Annual Practicing Certificates (APCs) in maintaining active registration and outlines the requirements for renewal. A key focus is the role of Reflective Continuing Professional Development (RCPD) in supporting ongoing competence and professional growth. The interconnected relationship between CPD, APCs, and registration is discussed in the context of strengthening professional standards and improving patient care outcomes. | Room 515 Level 5 |
| 9.30am | Morning tea | Exhibition Hall Level 3 |
| 10am | Artificial intelligence - how to embrace it | Brendan Hickman, Ryan Cattin and Seton Butler Shared talk with Veterinary Business and Companion Animal streams | Theatre A Level 5 |
| 12.30pm | Lunch | Exhibition Hall Level 3 |
| 1.30pm | Panel: Help – I'm new to leadership and I don’t know what I don’t know | Laura Harvey, Courtney Scales, Angela Chapman and Natalie Nicholson Stepping into leadership can be exciting but it can also be lonely, daunting, and full of unknowns. This panel brings together experienced leaders to unpack the realities of the transition from team member to leader. We’ll explore the challenges of “not knowing what you don’t know,” building confidence, finding support, and developing the skills that matter most in the first months of leadership. Through real stories, practical advice, and honest reflection, this session will help emerging leaders feel less alone, better prepared, and empowered to grow into leadership with clarity and courage. | Room 515 Level 5 |
| 2.30pm | Fluid therapy: the who, what, when, why and how | Courtney Scales Fluid therapy may be the most commonly prescribed therapy in veterinary medicine, but it is rarely thought of as a drug. Different fluids are chosen for various reasons, and their use can have unintended consequences. Knowing what, why, and how to administer fluids is an essential skill for all veterinary professionals. This lecture will discuss why fluid therapy may be prescribed for a patient and why certain types are preferable to others. It will also review the body's fluid compartments, specific disease processes, and how to monitor a patient undergoing fluid therapy. | Room 515 Level 5 |
| 3.30pm | Afternoon tea | Exhibition Hall Level 3 |
| 4pm | Trouble shooting the highs and lows of anaesthesia monitoring | Courtney Scales Many diseases, anaesthetic drugs, and surgical procedures can affect our patients' cardiovascular and respiratory systems while they are under general anaesthesia.Monitoring their physiological parameters is similar to putting puzzle pieces together, and it is critical to understand how they all fit together to form a larger picture so that if any are abnormal, they can be identified and managed efficiently to ensure your patient has a safe anaesthetic experience. This lecture will cover how to effectively use monitoring equipment on your patient, as well as how to troubleshoot bradycardia and tachycardia, hypotension and hypertension, and hypocapnia and hypercapnia. | Room 515 Level 5 |
| 5pm | We are more qualified than ever - so why doesn't it feel like it? | Jennifer Hamlin Veterinary nurses are more educated, more capable, and more regulated than ever - so why does the profession still feel like it's fighting for recognition? This talk argues the answer isn't what most people think, and it isn't about what someone else is doing to us. Drawing on doctoral research and comparisons with nursing and midwifery, Jennifer Hamlin examines how the profession has built its identity almost entirely around technical skill - while quietly sidelining the scholarship that advances a profession's standing. What if we've been building one half of a profession and calling it the whole thing? | Room 515 Level 5 |
| 5.45pm | NZVA Awards | Theatre A Level 5 |
| 6.30pm | Networking dinner | Exhibition Hall Level 3 |
| 7am | Registration opens | Level 3 |
| 8am | Anaesthesia in the head trauma patient | Courtney Scales Patients with head trauma, whether from RTAs, falls, or penetrating injuries, often require anaesthesia for diagnostics or surgical intervention. Effective care relies on the veterinary nurse’s understanding of neurophysiology and the factors influencing intracranial pressure, perfusion, and anaesthetic choice.This session reviews key considerations in stabilising and anaesthetising patients with suspected raised ICP, along with essential postoperative monitoring and nursing care to optimise outcomes in traumatic brain injury cases. | Room 515 Level 5 |
| 9am | Know your worth | Sue Crampton | Room 515 Level 5 |
| 10am | Morning tea | Exhibition Hall Level 3 |
| 10.30am | Exotic
reptile and amphibian husbandry - an introduction | Ben Goodwin The keeping of exotic reptiles and amphibians has become an increasingly popular hobby in New Zealand over the past two decades. However, the husbandry and welfare of many of these animals remains suboptimal. New Zealand has been relatively slow to adopt science-driven approaches to the care of reptiles and amphibians, with misinformation naively shared amongst keepers. Further challenges arise from limited access and high cost of specialised equipment. This talk will introduce the fundamental principles of exotic reptile and amphibian husbandry within a New Zealand context. It will also examine how the care requirements of these ectothermic animals differs from those of more traditional pets, emphasising the importance of understanding their distinct physiological and environmental needs. | Room 515 Level 5 |
| 11.30am | Physiotherapy management of the post-operative patient | Ashley Young Physiotherapy is a profession that has long focused on improving function in humans after injury, while maximising the recovery of full movement. Techniques and rehabilitation protocols proven effective in humans have been successfully adapted for veterinary use, with promising outcomes. These techniques have been adapted and successfully implemented following surgery for animals. This presentation will explore the physiotherapy management of canine and feline patients, including exercises and owner education prescribed following orthopedic surgery. | Room 515 Level 5 |
| 12.30pm | Lunch | Exhibition Hall Level 3 |
| 1.30pm | Bite sized blood gases | Courtney Scales Blood gases can seem complex, but they offer essential information about a patient’s acid–base balance, ventilation, and oxygenation during anaesthesia. This fast‑paced 25‑minute session breaks the topic into simple, practical steps to help veterinary nurses understand what blood gases measure, why they matter, and how to interpret them with confidence.We’ll cover the basics of pH, CO₂, HCO₃⁻ and oxygenation, explore common metabolic and respiratory disturbances, and outline how the body compensates. | Room 515 Level 5 |
| 2pm | Oops… now what? Turning mistakes into smarter practice | Leanne Norman and Tanya Page No one comes to work planning to make a mistake - yet dispensing errors, thermal burns in anaesthetised patients, and other preventable incidents still happen in even the best teams. In a busy clinical environment, competing priorities and time pressure can turn minor oversights into significant consequences. This session takes a look at why things go wrong and what we can realistically do to stop them. Through real case studies and practical tips, we'll explore how simple systems, clearer communication, and stronger teamwork can reduce risk. No blame, no shame - just practical strategies to make everyday practice safer and less stressful for everyone. | Room 515 Level 5 |
| 2.30pm | The top avoidable anaesthetic accidents | Marcia Fletcher Human error can lead to anaesthetic events that may result in patient morbidity or worse, patient mortality. We must constantly work to reduce the chance of an anaesthetic “mishap” in every patient we anaesthetise. Counting down to number one, This fast paced lecture will uncover the most common and completely avoidable anaesthetic accidents and incidents occurring in veterinary patients, and deep dive into why these accidents are happening and most importantly the best ways to prevent them from ever occurring. | Room 515 Level 5 |
| 3.30pm | Afternoon tea | Exhibition Hall Level 3 |
| 4pm | Holding on: the critical hours after ROSC | Marcia Fletcher You identified a cardiopulmonary arrest, performed effective CPR and you have achieved ROSC…so now what?!? The post cardiac arrest care we provide our patients can significantly impact the chances of surviving to discharge. A sound knowledge of the most appropriate forms of care for our post arrest patient is required. This lecture will dive deep into the post cardiac arrest algorithm, highlighting the immediate interventions we must instigate to give our ROSC patient the best chance of surviving to hospital discharge. Respiratory and haemodynamic optimisation, along with neuroprotection strategies are all discussed in detail. | Room 515 Level 5 |
| 4.50pm | Mastering Veterinary Nursing consults: a 20-minute crash course | Wendy Jarnet In this quick-and-dirty consult skills session, we’ll break down the essential elements of outstanding veterinary nursing consults — communication, structure, and clinical excellence. Walk away with immediately usable tools to boost confidence, improve client engagement, and elevate the standard of care in your consults. | Room 515 Level 5 |
| Combined session with another stream. |
This programme was correct at the time of publication. Speakers and titles are subject to change. |