One of the many roles of the veterinary nurse is the consulting nurse. This is an important role as the nurse is talking face to face with the owner, giving advice and making their own judgement on the patient. There are a lot of different clinics a consulting nurse can do, the most common being post operative checks, nails clips etc but they can do more, but this may depend on experience and time as to if a practice offers certain clinics. The role of the consulting nurse is to provide information, guidance and care for patients, along with supporting clients and promoting the business. As there are so many clinics the consulting nurse can do let’s have a look through some of them and what they involve.  

The weight watcher 

A popular clinic that veterinary nurses run is a weight clinic – this might be due to roughly 1 in 2 pets being overweight. During this time the animal will be checked over and the patient will be given a body condition score, this is so we can determine if the patient is over or under weight. Another good way of monitoring weight is to use a tape measure to measure waist and neck, any of these measurements will be recorded then at the next weight check they can be compared.  

Now we have done measurements we can now discuss diet.   

Questions that would be asked might include what diet is the animal on? Do they always seem hungry after eating? Do you measure the food out? What brand of food are you giving? What treats does your pet have? What is the exercise regime? Once the nurse and owner have gone through these questions they can together plan of action to improve the patient’s body condition score. To get an idea of what goes into creating a weight clinic follow the Royal Canin guide to a weight management clinic. 

Post surgery clinic 

Post surgery clinics are normally run by a nurse. These are also known as post operative clinics, post-op checks, or just POCs. These clinics are typically booked around 3 and 10 days after the patient has had a procedure done, although it does depend on the patient, surgery and the type of stitches used – some practices may book at different days. The aim of them is the check the patient over, see if the owner has any concerns and to check the patients wound/change dressings. Any routine procedures will be booked in with the consulting nurse, any complex procedures are likely to be booked in with the veterinary surgeon.  

The senior clinic 

Some practices have veterinary nurses run senior pet clinics. Senior pet clinics are for patients 8 years plus as dogs and cats are usually classed at geriatrics at this point of life. The aim of the senior clinic is for the early detection of age-related disease. During these clinics the veterinary nurse will discuss age related illnesses, diet, mobility care and general wellbeing of your pet. Most practices include a blood test in the package of the senior clinic, these blood tests are part of the early detection of age-related disease, some may also take your pets blood pressure to check for invisible hypertension. These clinics are great for building a bond with clients and their elderly pets, this is the time you can discuss any concerns and if you have any questions this is the time to ask.  

Flea and worm clinics 

With so many different flea and worm products out there, flea and worm treatment can get very confusing. Which product is best to use? Do you want a pipette or a tablet? How often do you have to treat? What products do what? These are all the questions a veterinary nurse can answer during a flea and worm consult. This is a very popular consultation in practice. While the veterinary surgeon must prescribe the products, the veterinary nurse can help work out what the most appropriate treatment is. 

Puppy/adult socialisation 

It is important to try and make our pets happy and settled when coming into the practice. We will always get the occasional nervous pet, but we don’t want every animal to feel like this. It is quite rewarding when you see a patient excited to come into the practice to see you. Some practices will have puppy/ adult dog socialisation consults.  

A great way for puppy socialisation is to take them into the practice monthly in their first 12 months to keep weighing them, especially for flea and worm treatment. It gets them socialised and used to going into the building. If you have an adult dog that is nervous, see if your practice will have a socialisation clinic. During this a veterinary nurse will assess how nervous they are and take steps to try and improve their confidence. This could be from walking round the practice, sitting in a consult and giving treats or just trying to give them a fuss.  

Administering medication 

Often owners struggle to give medication at home. A nurse consult is there to help with the administration of prescribed medication; this could be by giving the medication or demonstrating how to give. Often newly diagnosed diabetic animals are booked in with a nurse to discuss how to administer insulin and if owners have any questions, then they can be asked at this point. Monthly injectable medication is quite common now for patients with arthritic pain and itchy skin issues. Under a vet’s instruction, veterinary nurses can administer these monthly injections during a nurse consult. It is again a great time to discuss any concerns owners might have. Falling into this category could also be second vaccinations. If a patient has started their initial course of vaccines, the first one would have been given by a vet so normally the second vaccine will be given by a nurse. 

The support 

Veterinary nurses are always a great support for clients along with the rest of the team. They are there to provide support to the vets, support the clients and their animals. 

Building relations 

A veterinary nurse team that does regular consults can get to know their clients and their pets a bit more than a vet can as they do have a bit more time. The nurse can be a friendly face and a name to ask for if the client needs to speak to someone. It is also nice for owners to know who is looking after their pets: yes, the vets do the treatment, but it is the nurses who look and care for the patients, so building relations with clients and getting to know the pet as an individual is really important.  

Conclusion 

Nurses that consult in practice are very valuable. A lot goes into preparing for a consult, each time they do one. You must check what the patient is coming in for, read through all their history and make sure nothing is missed. The consult nurse needs to be competent and know/have the consultation skills required to run a successful clinic. 

Having nurses that do regular consults also takes some pressure of the vets themselves as it can free up some of their consulting time too. For example, if a vet has prescribed monthly injectable medication for a patient, then a nurse can administer this, freeing up a vet consult time. Consulting nurses can also help vets by triaging any emergencies, getting information from the owners and assessing the patient then informing the vet. This is very helpful, stops clients waiting time and takes some pressure off the consulting vet.  

Nurses that are happy and confident to consult should be used to their full potential as nurse consults can bring in a lot of clients and make stronger connections with clients and their pets.