Veterinary Practice Act 2005

Veterinary nursing.

91.—(1) Subject to section 92 “veterinary nursing” means carrying out any procedures to which subsection (2) applies and other cognate phrases shall be construed accordingly.

(2) This subsection applies to the following procedures on animals:

(a) those carried out by a veterinary nurse, while assisting and in the presence of a veterinary practitioner—

(i) holding and handling tissue during performance of surgical procedures,

(ii) assisting in the administration of sedation, pre-medication, anaesthetics, analgesics, the termination of anaesthesia, and the performance of endotracheal intubation,

(iii) assisting at the performance of surgical procedures that are not minor,

(iv) assisting at the performance on an animal of a caesarean section operation or other surgery to assist her to give birth to her young,

(v) the administration of medication intraosseously, enterically, by inhalation or by intravenous injection;

(b) those carried out by a veterinary nurse, under the direction of a veterinary practitioner—

(i) the administration of medication intravenously or subcutaneously, provided that the medication is being administered for the purposes of rehydration or fluid therapy,

(ii) catheterisation, surgical treatment of abscesses and ulcers, application of external casts and cutaneous suturing,

(iii) the taking of images by x-ray,

(iv) the carrying out of minor medical procedures or minor surgery;

(c) procedures standing prescribed under section 92 and, if the carrying out of any such procedures is made subject to conditions specified under that section, those procedures if carried out in compliance with those conditions.

(3) In paragraphs (a)(iii) and (b)(iv) of subsection (2), “minor” relates to a medical procedure or surgery that does not involve entry into a body cavity (other than a medical procedure to which subparagraph (i) or (ii) of subsection (2)(b) relates).