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Nursing consult presentation
The document outlines a plan to establish and expand nursing consult services at a veterinary clinic. It proposes that veterinary nurses lead classes and consultations on topics like puppy training, nutrition, preventative care, nail trims, and first aid. This is intended to benefit clients through increased support and education, benefit patients through improved care, and benefit the clinic and staff by reducing vet workload and strengthening client relationships. The plan details how nursing consultations and classes for issues like puppy training and first aid would be introduced, marketed, priced, and expanded over time, with feedback used to improve services. Regular evaluation is emphasized to ensure quality as nursing services become core to the clinic's operations.
Nursing consult presentation
- 1. The best thingfor our clinic since nurses.
- 2. Classes andconsults planned and led by a qualified veterinary nurse. Examples: puppy pre-schools, nutritional consults, preventative health care, nail trims, repeat injections, suture removals, first aid classes. They will benefit clients, vets, nurses and the clinic as a whole. Aim: to provide the best care for our clients and their pets in good health as well as those in poor.
- 3. Client Benefits Someonethey can talk to Source of information Clinic more supportive Greater availability to meet needs Better relationship with pet Patient Benefits Deal with nutrition related problems Better preventative health care more accessible Behaviour issues addressed Better relationship with owner
- 4. Employee Benefits Utilisingnurse training more effectively Take pressure off vets Encourage communication and teamwork Clinic Benefits Deepens client loyalty Offers new sources of income Happier and more useful vet nurses Happier and less stressed vets (and therefore vet nurses).
- 5. When: Duringnormal clinic opening hours for 15 and 20minutes depending on requirements Where: Here at our clinic using a consult room Who: A qualified veterinary nurse from this clinic. What: Nail trims, suture removal, anal glands, quick grooming, nutrition, preventative health, repeat injections Why: to free vets from doing basic routine consults that nurses have the training and the time to accomplish.
- 6. When: 12pmon Saturdays outside of opening hours over four consecutive weeks Where: Here at our clinic using the large empty warehouse in the back. Who: a Qualified veterinary nurse from out clinic What: Puppy pre-school, kitten kindy, First Aid courses Why: To help clients with basic care and training of their pets to help avoid preventable mistakes in raising and helping them.
- 7. Nursing consultscould cost $32 excluding any extra products or services client may require Extended consults such as nutrition, grooming, and preventative health could cost $40 excluding any extra services or products the client may require. Nursing clinics could cost $85 and include a related gift pack such as a welcome pack for puppies.
- 8. Posters aroundclinic Support from client services staff and vets in conversation with clients Flier drop to clients Fliers available in clinic Using online networking sites Special prices for consults in first month A monthly clinic focus e.g. obesity, dental care, parasite prevention and treatment.
- 9. With inclinic nursing consults. First 6 months dedicated to getting these running. Book routine suture removals and nail trims with nurses. Vets to explain to clients and hand over routine repeat injections to nurses Advertise for nutrition and health consults around clinics Have vets recommend consults to clients. Have a themed special to attract clients
- 10. Data gatheringand client feed back on consults important for improvement. Train nurses for clinic classes focus on puppy pre-school to begin. Advertising through posters in clinic, closer to start up have vets discuss with clients and reception direct clients to nurses to explain. Start first class in 6mths time once consults are running.
- 11. Introduce kittenkindy to run concurrently with puppy pre-school depending on client feedback after 3 months (3 puppy pre-school courses). Use feedback to improve classes and make future ones easy to start Advertising for kitten classes should follow much the same format as puppy pre-schools did During kitten and puppy classes nurse should be discussing first aid basics and introduce the idea of a more comprehensive course.
- 12. First aidcourses should be run twice yearly starting a year from the time the first puppy pre-school class begins as a nurse clinic. Advertisement could be through newspaper, online networking sites, vets, nurses and client services promoting the course, in clinic posters and hand-outs. Critiquing, client evaluation and feedback as well as surveys on client attendance and interest are key for future efforts and the continuation of these courses and consults.
- 13. 1st month Beginadvertising nurse consults Vets start to hand over suture removals, nail trims, anal glands, repeat injections and minor grooms to nurses Reception staff book above consults for the nurses. At end of first month routine procedure consults should be up and running. Continue to advertise preventative health and advisory consults through various media
- 14. 2nd month Beginpreventative health consults for oral care, nutrition, flea and worm treatments, obesity, minor behavioural issues. Referral by vets Monthly themed specials e.g. dental care month specials on food and oral care products 3rd month Review and adjustment of nurse consults, application of necessary changes based on feedback. Training of nurses to run a nurse clinic specifically puppy pre-school
- 15. 5th month Advertisingin clinic and through newspapers and vet nurse referral for puppy pre-school Reception to sign up interested clients 6th month First puppy pre-school course starts and ends. 7th month Review of course and start second course. 8th month Third puppy pre-school course starts Advertisement for kitten kindy begins. Vet, reception and nurse referral and using different media. Reception to sign up interested clients.
- 16. 1 year landmark! Review past year. Implement changes to improve clinics and consults Begin advertising for first aid clinics. This will involve varying media and nurse, vet and reception support in engaging clients. Nurse to discuss in clinics with puppies and kittens. Reception to sign up interested parties. Number of classes may need to be adjusted depending on interest. 1 year 6 months Start first aid course. Client feedback and evaluation used to improve for the next course
- 17. Operational nursing clinicsand consults. They will however require on going improvements to stay up to date and relevant to the client. The work never ends!
- 18. What will thislook like for the clinic?
- 19. Client speaks tonurse at discharge Post op call made by nurse Suture removal by nurse at 10-14 days. Nurse discusses lifestyle changes and on-going care. Offers a nurse consult in future. Client attends nurse consult, requires behavioural advice. Nurse advises client as behaviour is easily fixable with current training. Nurse refers to vet as problem likely medical Nurse refers to behaviourist as problem is complex. Nurse follows up with client in order to see if goals have been achieved. May require future consults
- 20. Vet suggests post dentaldiet, nurse advises client Nurse consult to discuss dental care and demonstrate brushing teeth Client brushes pets teeth in addition to diet Client uses diet only for preventative care Nurse follows up with phone call. Arranges dental check consult Gingivitis and tartar build up noticed, vet referral Teeth appear in good health, nurse makes reminder for regular checks.
Editor's Notes
- #3 > Nursing consults are classes and consults planned and run by the nurses at the clinic that will involve utilising the training and knowledge of nurses to benefit clients with normal everyday issues such as training their new puppies, informing them about diets for weight loss, dental care and on-going maintenance as well as performing minor consults involving suture removals and nail trims which are easily handled by the nurses and would normally take the vets time away from more urgent and serious cases. They will open up a niche for clients who have a problem with their pets but do not feel it to be serious enough to take their animal to the vet. The aim of theses consults is to provide clients and their pets with advice and help for their healthy pets as well as their sick ones in order to make a more rounded clinic and create greater customer satisfaction.
- #4 The client and the patient will receive multiple benefits from having a nurse available for them to consult with. The nurse will have the time to speak with the client about what may seem like relatively minor problems for a client to see a vet but which may have a noticeable impact on their lives. Having someone to talk to about this will make them feel better able to deal with the problem and to make informed decisions that benefit both client and patient. This will create a better relationship with their pet. The patient will benefit by having a nurse offer advise on their care which will help the client avoid mistakes such as over feeding, lack of exercise, bad diet, poor grooming etc. these things will improve the overall health of the patient, making both it and the client happier.
- #5 We have many nurses at this clinic who have years of learning and experience but often their main roles are feeding, toileting and cleaning the patients. This is valuable but does not give the nurses a chance to utilise all their training and learning especially those of us who have a real passion for certain subjects that they would love to share with someone. Nursing clinics will give them that opportunity making nurses feel more important to the clinic and increasing their self-esteem. It would also take the pressure off vets to be everywhere all at once which would make them friendlier and easier to be around. It would also encourage teamwork if the vets and nurses worked together with a patient and client to provide long term care. This sort of treatment would create greater loyalty among the clinics client base leading them to come back more often and buy things. As well a nursing clinic can offer the clinic new sources of income and the employees will feel more va;ued and hence happier in their work and happy employees are more productive.
- #6 I would like to divide these nursing clinics into two categories. Consults and clinics. A nursing consult can happen in clinic during normal opening hours so long as a room is available to use. This would utilise the room more effectively as in quiet parts of the day the rooms often stand empty. Each consult can be taken by a qualified veterinary nurse who has the knowledge and passion for the subject as those qualities are more likely to make the client feel valued. I would like these consults to take over the nail trims, suture removals, anal gland expression, grooming and repeat injections that the vets currently do as they are minor procedures that nurses are completely capable of doing. I would also like to introduce preventative health consults. These would help clients make the right decisions in regards to caring for their pets and keep them happier and healthier.
- #7 The nursing clinics are longer more in depth courses usually run as a group and would need time and space dedicated to them. I would like these to occur in our spare room at the clinic on saturdays afterhours. This would allow more clients to attend as week days are often busy and many clients have work and children to worry about. They should be carried out over four weeks in order to give clients as much information as possible with time in between to digest the information given. Each class should only run for an hour including breaks in order to avoid overloading clients with information. Again they should be run by a knowledgeable qualified nurse and I would like the courses to include puppy and kitten classes in order to give new clients a good start with their new pets and allow these babies to get the most out of their socialisation period.
- #8 A nurse is not a vet. This benefits the client by making the cost of advice easier to afford. The costs of extended consults are to reflect the amount of time a nurse’s time is engaged. The cost of Nursing clinics needs to reflect how much running them is going to cost the clinic including welcome packages, use of venue and staff wages. Part of this cost could be recouped if we could have a company endorse us and support some of our running costs
- #9 Clients services members and the vets are important in the advertising of these services because they can often have first contact with the client. They can then refer the case to a nurse in order to get them more involved. Once clients know a nurse can help them they will often tell other people of the service they received at the clinic. Facebook can be really important in advertising as it can reach many people, a post online can often reach more people than a newspaper ad and is more enjoyable than junk mail in the letter box.
- #10 Client services can start booking all new nail trims, suture removals, grooms and anal gland expression with the nurses rather than the vet. Vets who are passing over regular repeat injections and other similar services to the nurse can explain to the client about these new services and even personally introduce the client to the nurse to make the next time less intimidating for both. Once the small regular procedures are being done by the nurses they can start talking to clients about health care during these consults and encourage them to come back for a more indepth consult. Vets can recommend clients have one of these consults and posters and fliers in the waiting room will help encourage clients to think about the possible need their pets might have for one of these consults.
- #11 It is important that every interaction with a client and their pet is recorded and evaluated so on-going improvements can occur in order to make the clinic nursing consults as excellent as they can be. Nurses should be trained in how to run a puppy school so they are prepared when classes start in order to present a professional and well informed impression for the clients
- #12 Once puppy pre-school has had a few classes and is well on its way to being a successful addition to our clinic we can look at introducing other classes for clients to attend.
- #13 I would like to try running first aid classes in the future as well. I feel it is important that our clients know how to care for their pets in a situation where the vet is not nearby in order to prevent them panicking and give their pets a good chance at making it as well. Once the other classes are up and running we should advertise through these classes, in clinc posters and word of mouth in order to attract clients to these classes.
- #14 The following time line is fairly self explanatory but I can walk you through. Starting with routine grooming and other daily care consults as well as suture removals we can slowly build up a client base for nurses. During this time we should advertise the preventative health consults and offer specials to clients who sign up in order to garner interest.
- #15 Have themes months. E.g. the first month can be about nutrition. Have a special on certain maintenance diets to encourage clients to come along and discuss them. Training of nurses for puppy pre-school should begin at least 3 months before the classes begin.
- #16 For the next few months the aim should be to have successfully function nursing consults and attracting client interest to our puppy pre-school. Once the classes have started we should review each class and the entire course in order to make improvements and better the experience for the clients.
- #17 At the end of a year I would like our core consults and clinics to be running. They will still need continual reviews and always will in order to always make our classes and consults relevant to our clients. At this point I would like to consider the addition of first aid consults. This would involve training our staff to make them qualified and knowledgeable instructors. In 1 year and 6 months time from the start of nursing consults I would like to introduce a first aid class. It would run twice yearly with four 1 hour classes in the same format as kitten kindy and puppy pre-school.
- #18 WOOOO! GOAL! This is where I would love to be in 2 years time.
- #20 The client is discharged by the nurse and then called to follow up and see how things are going after the surgery. This is where the nurse first makes contact. At suture removal the nurse can offer some lifestyle advise to the client and follow this up with a quick consult possibly free to see how the patient is. This makes sure the client is supported and shows that as a clinic we care about the development of their pet and any problems he may have. At consult a problem is noticed. At this point it may need referral to someone more skilled and a nurse needs to recognise when a problem is beyond their skill level. During the course of time when the problem is being dealt to the nurse is following up with the client making sure they stay in the loopand have someone to contact when they feel they need help. This gives the clinic a face for this client and makes asking for help less scary
- #21 Another example is a post dental patient. Again the nurse is a point of contact for the client that they know and can get in touch with if they have any concerns. The nurse is able to share her experience with the client in order to help the patients recovery and prevent the same situation reoccuring