Ryan Kavanagh

Management of the nursing team at central London's only multi-disciplinary referral service. Coordinating rotas, conducting performance reviews, interviewing candidates, overseeing stock control and ordering of all medications and consumables, implementing and updating of SOPs, training of new nursing staff, interns, patient care assistants and supervision of students. This role is 80% clinical providing nursing duties across surgery, anaesthesia, internal medicine, oncology, imaging, cardiology, dermatology and ophthalmology services. Administering chemotherapy, facilitating CT studies, monitoring sedation and anaesthesia, assisting with endoscopy, taking radiographs, intravenous catheter placement, blood sampling and various other nursing responsibilities.

Responsible for the management of the nursing team and coordinating patient flow through the hospital wards, including medical and surgery patients. Ensuring all patient care is carried out to a high standard; introduction and updating of nursing care protocols, including advanced nursing such as central line and tracheostomy tube maintenance and care. Overseeing and managing the use of the controlled drugs register books. Everyday nursing tasks also included, such as IV placement, blood sampling, fluid therapy, bandaging, medication administration, admit/ discharge appointments, anaesthesia etc.

Working as part of a large team in a 24-hour emergency veterinary centre, carrying out radiography (general and dental), IV catheterisation, blood sampling, fluid therapy, administration of medication, laser therapy, and all aspects of critical care and anaesthesia nursing, including use of ventilator. Also responsible for the management of the isolation facilities and protocol for infectious disease.

Following my internship, I progressed to a permanent position in the UCDVH, where I rotated through the different specialist departments, performing the duties of a veterinary nurse in each respective service, including small animal internal medicine, intensive care unit, hospital pharmacy, small animal surgery, diagnostic imaging, anaesthesia and both equine and farm animal medicine and surgery. My position also involved out of hours work, providing care to hospitalised patients during the night. This post also heavily involved the supervision, direction and teaching of undergraduate veterinary medicine and nursing students, rotating through the hospital as part of their final year curriculum.

Providing weekend cover in a busy out of hours emergency hospital, and carrying out the duties of a veterinary nurse including IV catheterisation, blood sampling, radiography, bandaging, surgical preparation and assistance, wound care, anaesthesia, triage & first aid, patient husbandry plus reception and finance duties.

Based on my work in the hospital as a final year student, I was awarded a nursing internship in the Small Animal Surgery department of the UCDVH. I was responsible for performing all duties of a surgical nurse, including IV catheterisation, blood sampling, fluid therapy, bandaging, patient husbandry, client communication, as well as preparing and assisting various specialist soft tissue and orthopaedic surgical procedures.

Modules covered include General Veterinary Nursing, Surgical Nursing, Small Animal Nursing, Equine Nursing, Farm Animal Nursing, Anaesthesia & Analgesia, Critical Care & Rehabilitation, Behaviour, Dentistry, Nutrition, Anatomy, and Laboratory; followed by two clinical-based years.