Veterinary Nursing: Small Animal Anesthesia Patient Prep and Pharmacology provides an overview of anesthesia concepts, initial patient preparation considerations, and the pharmacology of anesthesia and analgesia. This course is designed as an initial starting point for practice team members who wish to strengthen their anesthesia and analgesia knowledge and skills. Although this course carries RACE credits for technicians only, it is beneficial for veterinarians who wish to re-familiarize themselves with these core concepts.
Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- define anesthesia and differentiate topical, local, regional, general and surgical anesthesia
- explain the concept of balanced anesthesia and the advantages of this approach
- describe fundamental challenges and risks associated with anesthesia
- list the reasons for preoperative patient evaluation and outline the components of a minimum patient database
- analyze patient signalment, body weight, and patient condition and apply to the selection and use of anesthetic agents and adjuncts
- assign a patient to one of the five physical status classifications as specified by the American Society of Anesthesiologists
- explain why intravenous (IV) catheterization is advisable for anesthetized patients and describe the types and purposes of IV fluids
- differentiate agonists, partial agonists, agonist-antagonists, and antagonists based on their action and effect and list anesthetics and adjuncts that can be reversed
- list anesthetic agents and adjuncts commonly used as preanesthetic medications, and describe their indications, mode of action, effects, adverse effects, and use
- list injectable anesthetic drugs in common use and describe their indications, mode of action, effects, adverse effects, and use
- define dissociative anesthesia, describe the actions and effects of dissociative anesthetics, and explain ways in which these drugs differ from other injectable anesthetics
- list the inhalation anesthetic agents in common use, and describe their indications, mode of action, effects, adverse effects, and use
- explain the pain pathway and the consequences of untreated pain
- describe how to recognize, and assess, pain-associated behaviors in animals
- compare and contrast major types of pain assessment tools
- list the adverse effects of opioid drugs
- list the uses for, and explain the adverse effects of, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- outline the benefits of multimodal analgesia
- list the advantages and disadvantages, along with the risks and adverse effects, associated with the use of local anesthetic agents and explain the ways in which local anesthetic agents may be used
- discuss nursing care that relieves discomfort in hospitalized patients and explain the need for home care analgesia
Completion requirements:
Instructor Graded Interactive Critical Thinking and Case Study Assignments: Designed to help the participant apply the newly learned skills and knowledge via implementation focused and patient based scenarios
Course Examination: Must be submitted with a score of 80% or better, multiple attempts
Course Survey
A certificate of completion is provided.
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