Think Happy Thoughts – managing patient anxiety in practice

5 hours of In-Person CPD for Veterinary Nurses! 

In Person Event: Think Happy Thoughts – managing patient anxiety in practice

Venue: St Paul’s Church Hall, Mostyn Broadway, Llandudno LL30 1TP

Times: 9:30 – 16:30 (arrival from 9:00)

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Kindly sponsored by Domes Pharma and CEVA :

Event Running Order:

Speakers:

Speaker: Kelly Eyre MRes Anthrozoology RVN ISFM DipFN & AdvCertFB
Schedule: Understanding Feline Behaviour and Communication (9:30-10:30) and Optimising Feline Care: Practical Approaches to Managing Emotions and Reducing Stress (10:45-11:45)

Kelly qualified as a veterinary nurse in 2015 and has since advanced her expertise with the ISFM Diploma in Feline Nursing and the ISFM Advanced Certificate in Feline Behaviour. She recently completed a Master of Research in Anthrozoology, where her research focused on caregivers ability to recognise chronic dental pain in cats.

Kelly served as Clinical Lead for the Royal Canin Feline Healthy Ageing Clinic at the University of Liverpool for seven years, and continues her involvement in an honorary capacity. The project focuses on enhancing the quality of life for ageing cats through research and education.

In addition to her clinical work, Kelly is a Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Nursing at Wrexham University. She is also passionate about educating veterinary professionals and the public on feline behaviour, welfare, and the care of ageing cats.

Session: Understanding Feline Behaviour and Communication (9:30-10:30)

Synopsis:

This session will explore the various emotions commonly exhibited by cats in the veterinary practice, teaching attendees how to recognise and interpret these emotional cues. We will cover the fundamentals of feline behaviour and communication, focusing on how cats express fear, stress, and comfort. Misunderstanding these signals can impact handling and patient care, so this session will lay the foundations for avoiding common mistakes and provide practical tips to improve interactions with feline patients, leading to better outcomes in clinical settings. The next lecture will build on this foundation, offering practical approaches to minimising and managing stress in these patients.

Learning Points:

1. Identify and interpret common feline emotional cues through body language, vocalisations, and behaviours observed in clinical settings.
2. Understand the impact of misinterpreting feline behaviour, and how it affects handling and patient care.
3. Apply foundational knowledge to enhance interactions with feline patients, improving overall clinical outcomes.

Session: Feline Care: Practical Approaches to Managing Emotions and Reducing Stress (10:45-11:45)

Synopsis:

Building on the foundational knowledge of feline behaviour and communication, this interactive lecture will focus on practical approaches to managing feline emotions and stress in the veterinary environment. Attendees will learn techniques to create a calmer environment for feline patients and strategies on how to handle them on an individual basis. Special attention will be given to how different disease processes and life stages, such as pain, age-related changes, and chronic disease, can influence feline behaviour and stress levels. By understanding these factors, veterinary nurses will be better equipped to adapt their approach and provide compassionate, effective care tailored to each patient’s unique needs, ensuring better outcomes and a less stressful experience for both the cat and the veterinary team.

Learning Points:

1. Implement practical techniques to reduce stress and manage feline emotions during nursing care, promoting a calmer clinical environment.
2. Recognize how disease processes and life stages (such as age, illness, and pain) can impact feline behaviour and stress responses.
3. Adapt nursing approaches to meet the individual needs of feline patients, ensuring more effective and compassionate care based on their specific emotional and physical states.

Speaker: Jo Clews RVN
Schedule: Positive Vibes Only: Part 1  (13:30-14:30) and Positive Vibes Only: Part 2  (14:45-15:45)

Jo has been in the veterinary industry for over 10 years and has been qualified as an RVN for over 6 years.  In this time Jo has worked in all aspects of Veterinary Nursing from ECC and Charity work to first opinion.  However, behaviour is where her special interest lies.
Jo first got into behaviour after stumbling across a poorly puppy from the RSPCA,where she took her under her wing and went on a very special behaviour journey with her. Since then Jo has undertaken her Level 5 in Canine Behaviour and set up behaviour referrals in her current place of work. It is Jo’s mission to educate and inspire her colleagues in all things behaviour and how we can better understand our canine friends.

Session:  Positive Vibes Only: Part 1  (13:30-14:30)

Synopsis:  

In this session Jo will talk about how positive vibes and thoughts can influence our clients’ ideas about their pet’s behaviour around the veterinary setting, as well as looking at what the dog is really telling us and we can help them.

Learning Points:

1. How to change the stigma of dogs hating the vets
2. Canine body language and trigger stacking
3. Confidence building and why this is so important to help build relationships and reliance
4. Setting them up to succeed

Session: Positive Vibes Only: Part 2  (14:45-15:45)

Synopsis:  

In this session Jo will discuss how to set up and run successful confidence clinics and the science behind them .

Learning Points:

1. How to set up and run success desensitisation /confidence clinics
2. What is desensitisation and classic conditioning and how can that be used within the veterinary setting
3. Games to play to help develop cooperative care
4. Exploring some success stories

BVNA Advocate: Joy Shutt BSc (Hons) RVN C-SQP DipNCS (RVNCons) Joy is part of a team of BVNA Advocates, organising CPD for veterinary nurses, both online and in her part of North Wales.  She is the Head Nurse and Nurse Clinic Lead in a first opinion practice, with a diploma in veterinary nurse consulting.  She enjoys everything cats and maintains her practice’s silver level Cat Friendly Clinic accreditation. Joy also writes for veterinary publications and is a veterinary nurse course assessor for Colourful CPD. Outside of nursing, Joy runs a Facebook group “North Wales Schnauzers” who meet for regular walks and support the charity Schnauzerfest. As well as Frank her miniature Schnauzer, Joy has a rescue cat and three Royal Pythons.

If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us; cpd@bvna.co.uk

Cancellation Policy

BVNA CPD Courses and Events Cancellation Policy.pdf

Please note that CPD certificates are no longer emailed to attendees. BVNA members are able to log their CPD within their BVNA profile and details on how to do this can be found here; CPD