Safety in the workplace is a shared responsibility in all animal care settings. This section introduces the core knowledge and practical skills needed to work safely, prevent injury, and protect animal welfare. Across six lessons, you will learn how workplace safety roles operate, how to recognise and manage hazards, how to understand safety signs, how to select and use personal protective equipment, how to respond to incidents and emergencies, and how to recognise your own limits and report safety concerns. Together, these lessons build a clear, practical foundation for safe, confident, and professional practice in animal care environments.

Key Learning Outcomes

• Understand workplace health and safety roles and shared responsibilities
• Recognise common hazards in animal care workplaces and assess risk using a simple risk matrix
• Interpret safety signs, symbols, and labels and respond correctly
• Select, use, remove, and maintain personal protective equipment appropriately
• Respond calmly and safely to incidents and emergencies, including spills and evacuations
• Recognise personal limitations, ask for help when needed, and report hazards or safety concerns promptly

Course Content:

• 6 x interactive modules with quiz questions
• Certificate of Completion

CPD Points:

• 3 AVNAT CPD point
  

Learning Outcomes

• Understand why pain recognition is essential in veterinary patients
• Identify common behavioural and physical signs of pain
• Recognise factors that can influence pain assessment
• Understand the principles of pain management in veterinary practice
• Recognise the importance of ongoing pain monitoring and reassessment

CPD Points:

• 1 AVNAT CPD point

Accurate pathology results start with the quality of the sample—and as a veterinary nurse, your role in sample collection, handling and preparation is critical.

In this course, you’ll build confidence in collecting and preparing high-quality samples across blood, urine, faeces and skin diagnostics. You’ll learn how to minimise common errors, select appropriate equipment, and make informed decisions that support accurate diagnosis and patient care.

Whether you’re developing your foundational skills or refining your technique, this course will help you take a more structured, confident approach to pathology preparation in everyday practice.

Key Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

•  Identify the key factors that affect sample quality and diagnostic accuracy
• Select appropriate collection techniques, equipment and tube types for different tests
• Perform blood, urine, faecal and skin sample collection using best practice methods
• Recognise and prevent common sample collection errors, including haemolysis and clotting
• Apply correct handling, storage and dispatch procedures to maintain sample integrity

Course Type:

• Interactive video lessons that should take up to 60 min to complete

Features:

• You have access to the course for 365 days
• Complete quiz activities to attain your certificate of achievement

CPD Points:

• 1 AVNAT CPD point

This online short course is designed for veterinary nurses seeking to enhance their knowledge and skills in managing diabetic patients. Diabetes mellitus is a common condition in companion animals, and the role of the veterinary nurse is crucial in providing effective care and support. This course will cover essential topics related to the pathophysiology, clinical signs, diagnostics, treatment, nursing care, and nursing consultations for diabetic patients.

Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus in animals.
• Recognize the clinical signs and risk factors associated with diabetic patients.
• Learn the essential diagnostic tools and techniques for accurate diabetes diagnosis.
• Gain knowledge of the various treatment options available and their administration.
• Develop practical nursing care skills specific to diabetic patients.
• Improve their communication skills to provide effective nursing consultations to pet owners of diabetic patients.

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to capnography, detailing its role in monitoring carbon dioxide levels. The course delves into the intricacies of the respiratory system, the importance of capnography, especially during anaesthesia, and the interpretation of capnograms.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the fundamentals of ventilation and the respiratory system.
• Grasp how the respiratory system removes carbon dioxide from the body.
• Recognise the significance of capnography in monitoring patients, particularly under anaesthesia.
• Identify and differentiate the types of graphs used in capnography.
• Interpret the phases and distinct parts of the capnogram waveform.

Course Type:

• Interactive video lessons that should take up to 60 min to complete

Features:

• You have access to the course for 365 days
• Complete quiz activities to attain your certificate of achievement

CPD Points:

• 1 AVNAT CPD point

You will learn about a variety of canine body languages and behaviours exhibited by them, how to nurse the nervous and anxious canine, and how to carefully and correctly nurse an aggressive canine patient.

Learning Outcomes

• Body language and Behaviours
• Nervous/Anxious Canine Patients
• Aggressive Canine Patients

Course Content: 1 x video and course quiz. Certificate of Completion.

• Videocast lessons that should take up to 1 hour to complete 
• Access:
• You have access to the course for 365 days with individual purchase of course
• If you have a subscription, you have access to the course for the life of your subscription
• Includes downloadable resources 
• Complete a quiz to attain your certificate of achievement 

1 AVNAT | 1 AVA VetEd

Fluid therapy is one of the most frequently used treatments in veterinary care. Understand the basics of fluid therapy, and learn about the types of fluids used in patient care, goals of fluid therapy and how to accurately calculate fluid therapy rates.

Course Type:
Videocast lessons that should take up to 1 hour to complete

Features:
You have access to the course for 365 days
Includes downloadable resources
Complete a quiz to attain your certificate of achievement

CPD Points:
1 AVNAT

The “Cat Friendly Hospitalisation” course is a beginner's introduction on how to implement cat friendly practices, in relation to the hospitalisation of patients. The course particularly focusses on the set up of the hospital ward and enclosure.

In this course you will learn:

• The meaning of “Cat Friendly”
• Understanding basic feline behaviour and instincts
• Tips for hospital admission and transfer to the cat ward
• Cat ward design and considerations
• Enclosure design and considerations
• How to furnish the hospital cage to cater to feline needs

Course Type:

• Interactive video lessons that should take up to 1 hour to complete

Features:

• Complete quiz activities to attain your certificate of achievement
  

CPD Points:

• 1 AVNAT CPD point

This course is available as part of a ProSkills Short Course Month-to-month Subscription or can be purchased individually from the ProSkills shop.