Nursing the Emergency and Critical Wildlife Patient (Online)

Nursing wildlife patients in veterinary practice can be both rewarding and challenging, requiring you to balance immediate clinical care with the animal’s behavioural, environmental and long-term welfare needs. This course is designed to help you develop a practical and thoughtful approach to managing emergency and critical wildlife cases, from initial admission and stabilisation through to rehabilitation and return to the wild. You will explore how to provide appropriate nursing care while considering handling, housing, stress reduction, health and safety, and the ethical decisions that can arise when planning treatment.

By the end of the course, you will have a clearer understanding of how to support wildlife patients in a way that prioritises both recovery and their ability to survive and thrive in their natural habitat.

Topics to be covered include:

• Initial admission and nursing care of the emergency and critical wildlife patient
• Ethical decision-making and balancing treatment choices in the patient’s best interests
• Relevant legislation and professional responsibilities
• Safe and appropriate handling of wildlife species
• Providing suitable housing and behaviourally appropriate environmental support
• Rehabilitation and preparation for return to the wild
• Health and safety considerations when caring for wildlife in practice