LIVE VET NURSE COURSE
Anaesthesia of Special Patients
A comprehensive 2-week online course for veterinary nurses and technicians that builds confidence and practical skills in safely anaesthetising patients with complex systemic disease.
- Vet Nurse/Tech
- Starts May 11, 2026
- 19:30 AEST
- 2 Weeks
- 10 Race-Approved CPD Points
This course includes
- Live Online Weekly Tutorials
- Access to Tutorial Recordings
- 10 Race-Approved CPD Points
- Protocols For Your Practice
- Graded Course Assessment
- Discussion Forums
- Comprehensive Learning Resources
- Extra Course Resources
Course Blurb
In veterinary practice, patients with underlying systemic disease present some of the most significant anesthetic challenges. This comprehensive two-week online course is especially written for veterinary nurses and technicians who are ready to elevate anaesthesia skills beyond the healthy patient.
Under the guidance of emergency and critical care clinician, dr. Philip Judge, you will deconstruct the complexities of major disease states seen commonly in veterinary practice – including cardiac, respiratory (including brachycephalic airway disease), urinary, liver, and endocrine syndromes. You will move from understanding the pathology of these syndromes, and how they affect anaesthesia to implementing tailored, practical anesthetic plans that prioritize patient safety and improve outcomes. Join us to transform anxiety into confidence when your next compromised patient arrives!
Course Outline
Week 1 - Anaesthesia for the Cardiac, Respiratory and Endocrine Patient
Monday, May 11, 2026 | 19:30 AEST
Monday, May 11, 2026 | 19:30 AEST
This week, we lay the critical groundwork by tackling three of the most challenging anaesthesia patients: Those with cardiac disease, respiratory disease, and endocrine diseases.
We begin by breaking down anaesthesia of the cardiac patient – from medication timing, fluid therapy, arrhythmia management and blood pressure management – translating theory into safe protocol choices.
Next, we turn to the respiratory patient, including safe anaesthesia practices for Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) and other respiratory diseases.
Finally, we navigate the complex world of metabolic conditions, including diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.
By week’s end, you’ll have a sound framework for managing these common but complex cases with renewed confidence and knowledge!
Date: Monday, 11 May 2026
Time: 19:30 AEST [Sydney] | 21:30 NZST [Auckland]
Time: 19:30 AEST [Sydney] | 21:30 NZST [Auckland]
Date:Â Â Monday, 11 May 2026
Time:Â 05:30 EDT
Time:Â 05:30 EDT
All Countries are Invited to Join this Webinar! To check the time in your zone/country, please click here.
Week 2 - Anaesthesia for the Urinary, Liver and Neurological Patient
Monday, May 18, 2026 | 19:30 AEST
Monday, May 18, 2026 | 19:30 AEST
In your second week, we confront the silent but systemic threats posed by urinary and liver diseases.
How do you manage anesthesia for a patient that can’t effectively metabolize or eliminate drugs? We’ll provide clear answers, exploring liver and kidney disease, and their impact on anaesthetic drug metabolism and excretion, how to select “kidney-friendly” anaesthetic regimens. You will focus on specific intra-operative support, including fluid therapy nuances, blood pressure management, and advanced monitoring for these vulnerable patients.
Finally, we’ll talk specifically about anaesthesia for the neurological patient – the patient with seizures, traumatic brain injury and other diseases.
You will leave equipped not just with information, but with the clinical judgment to advocate for every compromised patient in your care.
Date: Monday, 18 May 2026
Time: 19:30 AEST [Sydney] | 21:30 NZST [Auckland]
Time: 19:30 AEST [Sydney] | 21:30 NZST [Auckland]
Date:Â Â Monday, 18 May 2026
Time:Â 05:30 EDT
Time:Â 05:30 EDT
All Countries are Invited to Join this Webinar! To check the time in your zone/country, please click here.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Get clarity on how common organ system diseases change the way anaesthesia affects a patient.
- Learn to tailor anaesthetic plans for individual patients - what to prep, what to monitor closely, and what supportive steps make a real difference in the moment
- How to use your monitoring skills to spot early red flags in at-risk patients before they crash, and know exactly which nursing actions to take next.
- Build simple, effective ways to talk about anaesthetic risks and custom protocols, so that you can feel confident and clear when briefing your team and reassuring pet owners
Course Tutor
BVSc MVS PG Cert Vet Stud MACVSc (Vet. Emergency and Critical Care; Medicine of Dogs)
AUD 199
This course is FREE for our Annual Vet Education Member
Looking to Enrol Groups of 5 or More?
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is this course right for me?
If you’re confident with healthy patients but feel your stomach drop when a systemically sick patient hits your surgery list,the YES. This Deep Dive Live course is built for vet nurses who want to move beyond the healthy patient and develop real confidence with compromised cases.
Over two weeks, Dr Philip Judge, your course tutor connects the pathophysiology of each disease state directly to practical anaesthetic planning, so you understand not just what to do, but why. And because it’s live and interactive, you can ask questions in real time and learn alongside other nurses navigating the same challenges.
If you’d like to build or refresh your foundations first, our on-demand course Anaesthesia I: Essentials of Veterinary Anaesthesia for Vet Nurses is a great companion. It covers machine setup, pharmacology, monitoring, and managing common complications at your own pace, with 6 months of access. Many nurses choose to do both. Find out more at veteducation.com/anaesthesia-i-essentials-of-veterinary-anaesthesia.
2. I want to feel more confident making decisions when I'm the one monitoring the anaesthetic. Will this course help?
That’s one of the biggest things this course is designed to do. When you’re the nurse at the monitor and the vet is focused on the surgical field, the decisions often fall to you.
Should I adjust the fluids? Is this heart rate a problem or a normal response? When do I speak up? This Deep Dive Live course builds your understanding of how each disease state affects what you’re seeing on the monitor, so that you are able to interpret the changes you see on your monitor and in your patient. You’ll develop the clinical reasoning to act early, intervene appropriately, and communicate clearly with your veterinary team when something needs attention.
Should I adjust the fluids? Is this heart rate a problem or a normal response? When do I speak up? This Deep Dive Live course builds your understanding of how each disease state affects what you’re seeing on the monitor, so that you are able to interpret the changes you see on your monitor and in your patient. You’ll develop the clinical reasoning to act early, intervene appropriately, and communicate clearly with your veterinary team when something needs attention.
3. What makes a Deep Dive Live course different from an On-Demand course at Vet Education?
A Deep Dive Live course is interactive, tutor-guided, and synchronous. That means you’re learning in real time alongside a group of other vet nurses & vet technicians, with direct access to your course tutor through live tutorials and moderated discussion forums for the full two weeks. It’s a very different experience from working through content on your own. You get the accountability of a structured programme, the richness of peer-based learning, and the ability to ask questions and discuss real cases as they come up.
Our on-demand courses (like Anaesthesia I: Essentials) are self-paced and flexible, and they’re fantastic for building foundations at your own speed. The Deep Dive Live takes things further by adding that real-time, collaborative learning layer.
Our on-demand courses (like Anaesthesia I: Essentials) are self-paced and flexible, and they’re fantastic for building foundations at your own speed. The Deep Dive Live takes things further by adding that real-time, collaborative learning layer.
4. I work full time and have a pretty unpredictable roster. Can I still keep up?
Absolutely. While the Deep Dive Live runs over two weeks with scheduled live tutorials, every live session is recorded so you won’t miss a thing if you can’t attend in real time. The discussion forums stay active throughout the course so you can contribute when it suits your schedule. You also have a full 6 months of access to all course materials, downloadable resources, and assessments. If life gets in the way (and we know it does), VetEducation works with students to extend access as needed. No one gets left behind.
5. Is there a community element, or am I learning on my own?
Community is at the heart of what makes our Deep Dive Live course format work. You’re learning alongside a group of other vet nurses and vet technicians who share your interest in anaesthesia, working through the same cardiac, hepatobiliary, respiratory, renal, and endocrine cases together.
The moderated discussion forums let you share how things work in your practice, ask the questions that come up when you’re reviewing a disease state, and learn from how other nurses are approaching the same patients. Dr Philip Judge is actively involved in those discussions too, so you’re getting tutor input alongside the peer learning.
The course already comes with a rich depth and breadth of resources, but what makes our Deep Dive Live format genuinely responsiveis that the learning evolves with the group on top of that. If a question comes up that needs a deeper resource, we create it or source it for you. It’s collaborative learning in the truest sense, and it’s one of the things participants consistently tell us they value most.
The moderated discussion forums let you share how things work in your practice, ask the questions that come up when you’re reviewing a disease state, and learn from how other nurses are approaching the same patients. Dr Philip Judge is actively involved in those discussions too, so you’re getting tutor input alongside the peer learning.
The course already comes with a rich depth and breadth of resources, but what makes our Deep Dive Live format genuinely responsiveis that the learning evolves with the group on top of that. If a question comes up that needs a deeper resource, we create it or source it for you. It’s collaborative learning in the truest sense, and it’s one of the things participants consistently tell us they value most.
6. What resources and materials are included in the course?
The course is packed with downloadable notes, practice protocols, checklists, and video resources that are yours to keep. These are designed to be practical tools you can reference in clinic. Many nurses use them as quick-reference guides when a compromised patient shows up on their surgery list. You’ll also have access to the recorded live tutorials for review, so if you want to revisit how to approach a particular disease state before your next anaesthetic, it’s all there.
On top of what’s already built into the course, the Deep Dive Live format means the resources grow with the group. If a question comes up during the live tutorials or discussion forums that needs a deeper resource, we create it or source it for participants. So you’re not just getting a fixed set of materials. You’re getting a course that responds to what you and your peers actually need as you learn.
On top of what’s already built into the course, the Deep Dive Live format means the resources grow with the group. If a question comes up during the live tutorials or discussion forums that needs a deeper resource, we create it or source it for participants. So you’re not just getting a fixed set of materials. You’re getting a course that responds to what you and your peers actually need as you learn.
7. Is there a certificate on completion, and how much does it cost?
The course costs AUD $199 and starts on May 11th, 2026. Yes, a certificate of completion is awarded once you’ve finished your quiz assessments.
It’s worth knowing that this is a Deep Dive Live course, which is a different experience from our on-demand courses. Deep Dive Live means it’s interactive, tutor-guided, and synchronous. You’re learning in real time with your tutor and a group of fellow vet nurses & vet technicians for the full two weeks, with live tutorials, moderated discussions, and direct access to your tutor and peers. It’s the depth of a structured programme with the energy and accountability of learning together.
For a focused two-week commitment at this price point, it’s a genuinely different offering from both one-off webinars and longer certificate programmes.
It’s worth knowing that this is a Deep Dive Live course, which is a different experience from our on-demand courses. Deep Dive Live means it’s interactive, tutor-guided, and synchronous. You’re learning in real time with your tutor and a group of fellow vet nurses & vet technicians for the full two weeks, with live tutorials, moderated discussions, and direct access to your tutor and peers. It’s the depth of a structured programme with the energy and accountability of learning together.
For a focused two-week commitment at this price point, it’s a genuinely different offering from both one-off webinars and longer certificate programmes.
Your Colleagues Love These Courses!
I love Vet Education courses. Dr. Phil is such a great teacher, who presents such clear, practical information.
Jess
(USA)
Loving these shorter courses – so much useful information in a nice concise form. Thanks Vet Ed!
Toni
(New Zealand)
Fantastic. I’ll be doing more of these short courses!
Liam
(Australia)
