VTNE topics

Animal Care and Nursing is the largest VTNE domain at 30 of the 150 scored items. It covers patient assessment and monitoring of hospitalised animals, restraint and handling across species, nutrition and assisted feeding, wound management and bandaging, catheter and tube care, recognising deterioration, zoonoses and biosecurity, husbandry, and supporting end-of-life care and client grief.

Pharmacy and Pharmacology is 20 of the 150 scored VTNE items. It covers preparing and dispensing medications in compliance with veterinary orders, calculating doses, fluid rates and continuous rate infusions, recognising drug classifications and mechanisms with their clinically relevant side effects, maintaining controlled-drug inventory and logbooks, and storing, handling and disposing of pharmacological, chemical and biological agents safely.

Surgical Nursing is 20 of the 150 scored VTNE items. It covers preparing the surgical environment, equipment, instruments and supplies; preparing the patient for the procedure; functioning as both sterile surgical technician and circulating technician; cleaning instruments by manual, soak or ultrasonic methods; sterilising by steam or gas; and maintaining aseptic conditions in the suite and throughout the procedure.

Anesthesia is 20 of the 150 scored VTNE items. It covers pre-anaesthetic patient evaluation and stabilisation, anaesthetic machine and breathing-circuit checks, induction and maintenance agents, monitoring depth and physiological parameters, recognising and responding to complications such as hypotension, hypoventilation, hypothermia and arrhythmias, and managing recovery.

Laboratory Procedures is 14 of the 150 scored VTNE items. It covers sample collection, handling and preparation including tube selection and order of draw; haematology, clinical chemistry, urinalysis, cytology and parasitology; quality control and instrument maintenance; and recognising results that require the veterinarian's immediate attention.

Dentistry is 10 of the 150 scored VTNE items. It covers oral examination and dental charting, prophylaxis including supragingival and subgingival scaling and polishing, dental radiography and positioning, recognising common oral pathology such as periodontal disease stages and tooth resorption, instrument selection and sharpening, and educating clients on home dental care.

Emergency Medicine and Critical Care is 10 of the 150 scored VTNE items. It covers triage and initial assessment, CPR including compressions, ventilation and emergency drug preparation, recognising and supporting shock with fluid resuscitation, trauma stabilisation, common toxicoses and their management, and monitoring the critically ill patient.

Pain Management and Analgesia is 10 of the 150 scored VTNE items. It covers recognising and scoring pain across species using validated scales, multimodal analgesia, the analgesic drug classes and their effects and contraindications, local and regional techniques, pre-emptive analgesia, and non-pharmacological comfort measures for hospitalised patients.

Diagnostic Imaging is 9 of the 150 scored VTNE items. It covers radiographic positioning and the use of technique charts, exposure factors and their effect on the image, identifying artefacts and their causes, radiation safety including ALARA and dosimetry, film and digital processing, and preparing patients for ultrasound and other imaging modalities.

Communication and Veterinary Professional Support Services is 7 of the 150 scored VTNE items. It covers client communication and education, medical records and documentation, the technician's scope of practice under veterinary supervision, ethics and jurisprudence, workplace safety including hazard communication, and the practice-support functions that keep a clinic running.