PGDip RVN CertSAN CertVNECC VTS(Nutrition) HonMBVNA

Head Medical Nurse

Nicola works as the Head Medical Nurse at The Veterinary Hospital in Plymouth, UK. Nicola graduated from Hartpury College with an honours degree in Equine Science, and subsequently qualified as a veterinary nurse in 2002. Nicola sits on the Veterinary Products Committee for the Veterinary Medicines Directive. Nicola has written for many veterinary publications and textbooks, and is the editor for Aspinall’s Complete Textbook of Veterinary Nursing and is on the editorial board of The Veterinary Nurse. Nicola has won the BVNA / Blue Cross award for animal welfare in 2010, and various SQP awards in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 and the College of Animal Welfare Professional Development Award in 2012. Nicola is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Advanced Veterinary Nursing with Glasgow University.

Nicola Lakeman lectures on the following courses

Mastering Diary Management: Essential Skills for Client-Facing Staff

Nicola Lakeman

Monday 9th June 2025

The Pickle Factory, London

This one-day course by Nicola Lakeman will look at the multifaceted role of the veterinary front-of-house team, covering crucial aspects of diary management and improving clinical knowledge.

Veterinary Academies

7Hours

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To Dispense or not to Dispense: A Comprehensive Guide to Dispensing for Vet Nurses and Practice Support Staff

Nicola Lakeman

Many pet owners are often unaware of the drug licensing legislation within veterinary medicine and have all too many times ‘popped in’ to grab that POM-VPS that their pet has run out of two days ago. But where does that leave the frontline team? Are receptionists and nurses able to pass over...

On-Demand

5.5Hours

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ECC for Nurses: Emergency Triage, Shock and Transfusion Medicine

Nicola Lakeman

The emergency patient can be a stressful presentation in practice; requiring prompt triage and stabilisation. Nurses can play a pivotal role in ensuring these patients are dealt with in a controlled, effective and efficient manner from initial assessment at triage through emergency stabilisation...

On-Demand

5.5Hours

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Nursing the Feline & Canine Diabetic Patient

Nicola Lakeman

A learning series of four videos filmed at a Livestream event with veterinary nurse Nicola Lakeman. Cats and dogs with diabetes are commonly seen in practice. These cases may present as an acute emergency requiring intensive nursing care and treatment, or be diagnosed from consultations such...

On-Demand

4.5Hours

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Nursing The Medical Patient

Nicola Lakeman

An eleven-part learning series for nurses with Nicola Lakeman. Covering all aspects of medical nursing, this series aims to provide you with the confidence to go back into practice fully-equipped to deal with even the most challenging of cases. We begin by looking at care bundles, nursing...

On-Demand

6Hours

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Clinical Nutrition for Nurses

Nicola Lakeman

A five-part learning series with Nicola Lakeman. Veterinary nurses are perfectly placed to manage the nutritional requirements of inpatients, as well as give valuable advice to increasingly-confused clients about what they should actually be feeding their pets. Beginning by looking at how to...

On-Demand

6Hours

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Advanced Nursing of the Gastrointestinal Patient

Nicola Lakeman

This course explores the most common presentations that we encounter in Practice: vomiting and diarrhoea. Gastrointestinal disease is a major cause of patient admittance to the hospital, with a proportion of patients requiring advanced and intensive nursing care. A veterinary nurse’s...

On-Demand

6Hours

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The Role of Nurses in Chronic Renal Disease

Nicola Lakeman

Chronic renal disease is commonly encountered in veterinary practice and is a condition where nurses can make a huge impact on the patients quality of life. This learning series with Nicola Lakeman is designed to help nurses further their understanding of chronic renal disease in cats and dogs...

On-Demand

5.5Hours

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