As veterinary nurses or assistants, we usually find ourselves at the front-end of client care. We also need to be fully abreast of clinical techniques, and now with professional status for registered veterinary nurses (RVNs), we are responsible for patient care in our own right. This is a big responsibility, but one which veterinary nurses have been trained for. However, as with vets, the training on end-of-life care for patients isn't comprehensive, and in the same way that vets have had to train 'on the job', so too have we nurses. This can lead to uncertainty about best practice in end-of-life care for patients.
End-of-Life Care & Euthanasia
End-of-life care and euthanasia is one of the most commonly performed procedures in veterinary practice. The veterinary nurse is expected to assist the veterinarian throughout this process, but is expected to perform additional roles of the comforter, or taking care of the client needs. Often this comes more naturally for veterinary nurses than vets, but we sometimes can be lost for words, particularly at this life-stage. In our research with many veterinary professionals, both vets and nurses, there was a reluctance to fully engage with pet loss, for fear of saying the wrong thing, or making matters worse for the client. So we tend to say nothing, and can in fact make the experience for the owner worse.
Exceptional Client & Patient Care
Compassion Understood pet bereavement training will help you learn about the whole journey of pet loss, and support you in delivering exceptional client and patient care. From insights about the pet-animal bond, to understanding grief reactions and dilemmas of owners in making decisions about their pet, we will give you information to equip you to feel confident in your end-of-life interactions. The veterinary journey is covered in the first two components of the course, from pre-euthanasia through to aftercare. The third component focuses primarily on the client journey.
Look After Your Own Emotional Needs
Not least, self-care is addressed. At the frontline of those emotional interactions with owners, veterinary nurses can feel particularly vulnerable. We'll give you information and skills on how to take care of your own emotional needs, and encourage team support to share the load.
The course is designed so that the entire team will be confident in working together to deliver an exceptional client experience, and best-practice patient care.
Compassionate Accreditation
Everyone who completes and passes the course or components will be awarded with a Downloadable Compassion Understood certificate, and earn accreditation points which stay with you, even if you change practice.
You can read more about the content, course structure and number of CPD hours earned in our Courses pages.