Patient care at AURA
The nursing team at AURA provide compassionate and professional care for all of our patients and their families
The patient care team
Nurses
Just like in a human hospital, the nursing team at AURA are integrated into all aspects of the hospital. Our nurses have a broad range of expertise and experience, and many have advanced training and qualifications in anaesthesia, oncology or critical care.
Senior Nurses: The senior nurses work in close partnership with the clinical specialists in surgery, medical oncology, interventional radiology/oncology and internal medicine. They bring a wealth of experience and expertise to these specialist roles, and provide their own technical expertise to many of the advanced procedures performed at AURA. The senior nurses also provide an important liaison with the client, and help manage many of the logistics of a patients’ visit. You may meet the senior nurses at your original consultation, as they will often perform the initial phases of this examination. The senior nurses are also involved in many aspects of practice management, and provide essential leadership roles for entire patient care team.
Ward nurses: The patient wards are staffed 24-hours a day, 7 -days a week by a team of qualified veterinary nurses, with support from the veterinary team. The nurses take responsibility for all aspects of patient care while in hospital, and ensure the patient care plan is carefully implemented. The ward nurses quickly get to know their individual patients, and provide important updates to the veterinarians on any unexpected changes in patient progression.
Surgery and diagnostic nurses: On the hospital floor, the nurses are also involved in patient support during diagnostic investigations or surgical treatment. This may involve monitoring and supporting the patient during sedation or procedures involving anaesthesia, and maintaining an accurate record of all activities. The hospital floor is a dynamic and challenging environment, and good teamwork is essential. Our floor co-ordinators have the unenviable task to managing patient flow to ensure that a busy diagnostic and surgical list is completed on time.
Veterinary Care Assistants
The Veterinary Care Assistant (VCA) team are involved in wide variety of essential patient care and hospital services to help maintain efficient running of the clinical floor. Many of our VCAs have qualifications in animal care. We are always proud when a VCA decides to progress onto nurse training or even veterinary qualifications following the experience gained while working at AURA.
Wards: The VCA team assist the nursing team with many of the fundamental elements of patient care, including preparation of all meals, cleaning, grooming and exercise. Because they are more involved in the emotional well-being of the patient, the VCAs will usually form close relationships with the hospital patients. Some patients are anxious or unsettled, so the VCAs will spend time sitting or reassuring a patient, either while they are recuperating in their bed, or when they are receiving medications or treatments.
Hospital floor: The VCA team assist with many aspects of patient preparation prior to surgery or diagnostic procedures. This may include ensuring all of the necessary equipment has been properly setup, as well as clipping and preparing a patient for surgery. In surgery, they are an essential conduit for the surgeon to access additional equipment or consumables that may be required. Finally, the VCAs perform the essential task of keeping the hospital areas clean, well-stocked and ready for any event.
AURA Stories
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Sarah Holliday was appointed to the BVNA Council in 2022. This is a very prestigious position, and is an indication of the high regard that Sarah has within the nursing profession. She demonstrates consistent dedication to ensuring nurses play a key role in supporting patients and their families during cancer treatment. Sarah not only contributes to the clinical and leadership roles at AURA, but is also involved with lecturing for her profession, and writing articles and textbook chapters to share her knowledge and experience.
We are very proud that Sarah is our Senior Oncology nurse. She brings to this role an incredible passion for her patients and clients. She prides herself on putting her patient’s quality of life first.
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Patient care staff
Nurses
Auxiliaries
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