Veterinary Critically Important Critical Thinking Skills

7^th International Veterinary Congress

September 04-05, 2017 | Paris, France

Megan Brashear

VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists, USA

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Vet Sci Technol

Abstract :

Critically Important Critical Thinking Skills: Veterinary nursing requires more than simply checking off boxes on treatment sheets, it involves thinking through the reasons for and the expectations from each treatment performed. This lecture will cover not only the importance of learning to think critically with every patient interaction, but uses case studies to allow the audience to practice these skills and think through how they can help in real life situations. An emphasis is placed on creating nursing plans and following through each step. Ideas for critical thinking exercises to be used in the practice will be discussed and attendees encouraged to implement ideas in their hospitals. Advanced Trauma Management Case Studies: Polytrauma, bleeding disorders, traumatic brain injury, penetrating thoracic wounds, intestinal evisceration, some trauma patients take a turn for the worse or present to the ICU requiring special care and knowledge. This lecture will cover Acute Traumatic Coagulopathy and discusses damage control resuscitation in appropriate patients. Multiple case studies will be utilized to allow the audience the opportunity to think through â�?�?what would you doâ�? scenarios and discuss why and why not when it comes to fluid resuscitation, pain management, nursing care, and anticipating changes in each patient. Understanding Acid/Base and Blood Gas Measurements: The acid/base balance in the body is delicate and often challenging to understand. Beginning with the basics, this lecture will help veterinary nurses to understand why they should be concerned with their patientâ�?�?s acid/base status and how to anticipate and understand compensatory mechanisms. A fun and simple tic tac toe method will be taught that aids in determining primary disorders. Finally, anticipating oxygen needs using arterial blood gas results will be covered using real-life patient blood gas readings. Emergency Care for the Seizure Patient: Seizure disorders are frequently seen in the veterinary clinic. This lecture will cover seizure recognition including atypical and focal seizures, emergency care for status epilepticus including emergency drug doses and routes, and drugs utilized for maintenance therapy. The bulk of the time is spent discussing the nursing care necessary for monitoring these patients ensuring the nursing team can recognize changes in minimally responsive patients and nursing care for recumbent neurologic patients. The Highs and Lows of Electrolyte Disorders: Alterations in sodium, chloride, and potassium can cause dramatic changes in veterinary patients requiring careful monitoring and anticipating changes from the nursing team. This lecture will break down the reasons, physical signs, and treatments of electrolyte abnormalities placing an emphasis on recognition of physical signs. Nurses attending will gain confidence in which patients require closer monitoring for electrolyte disorder complications. A discussion of fluid therapy selection and reasoning will be included, along with case studies from the ICU.