Veterinary Nursing CPD for Clinics and Employers: Building a Team That Keeps Learning

A veterinary clinic is a busy place to learn. There are patients waiting, phones ringing, emergencies arriving and rarely quite enough hours in the day. But when your veterinary nursing team has opportunities to keep developing its knowledge and skills, that investment can benefit patients, colleagues and the whole practice.

Professional development doesn’t have to mean sending everyone away to the same conference. A thoughtful mix of recorded webinars, focused short courses, workplace teaching and practical feedback can make learning more accessible — even when your team works different shifts.

Why should veterinary clinics invest in nursing CPD?

Continuing professional development (CPD) isn’t simply about collecting attendance certificates. It’s an opportunity to keep clinical knowledge current, build confidence and create a workplace where asking questions is part of good patient care.

Consider the everyday impact of a nurse who understands anaesthetic monitoring more thoroughly, communicates concerns promptly or helps newer colleagues apply infection-control principles consistently. Those improvements start with education but depend on opportunities to discuss, practise and apply what has been learnt.

A learning culture also makes it easier for nurses to say, “I’m not sure; can we go through that together?” That’s an important foundation for safe practice.

How can practice managers plan CPD for a veterinary nursing team?

Start with the work your team actually does. Are there recurring questions about nursing care, anaesthesia, patient handling, clinical communication or emergencies? Are newer nurses needing more support with foundational concepts? Would experienced nurses benefit from extending their knowledge in a specialist area?

Invite nurses to identify learning goals, then combine those interests with the practice’s clinical priorities. Rather than choosing education solely because it is available or inexpensive, ask what a team member should be able to understand or do better afterwards.

It can help to plan a small number of topics over several months, leaving room for unexpected learning needs. Not every person needs the same webinar, and not every learning activity needs to happen outside paid working hours.

Are recorded webinars useful for clinics with rotating rosters?

Yes. Recorded webinars are particularly useful when a whole team cannot attend at one time. A nurse finishing a late shift can learn at a different time from a colleague working mornings, without either missing the material.

VetNurse.Study provides access to 200+ recorded veterinary nursing webinars across a range of nursing subjects. Nurses can explore topics relevant to their role, refresh knowledge or investigate an area they would like to understand better.

Most webinars carry AVNAT CPD recognition, but eligibility and points can differ. Check each webinar’s page in Academy for its AVNAT points and completion requirements.

Explore the recorded veterinary nursing webinar catalogue

How do you turn webinar learning into better workplace practice?

Watching a webinar is a starting point, not the whole process. Encourage staff to discuss what they learnt, compare it with your clinic’s protocols and identify anything that warrants a closer look. Sometimes a short team conversation is enough to turn an interesting idea into a useful change.

For example, after a webinar about patient warming or recovery monitoring, the nursing team might review existing equipment, documentation and escalation procedures with the supervising veterinarian. That process helps put information into context rather than introducing changes based on one presentation alone.

Where a topic involves a practical procedure, follow up with appropriate demonstration, supervised experience and feedback. Online education supports clinical development but doesn’t replace local protocols, scope-of-practice requirements or professional supervision.

When is a short course a better investment than a webinar?

Sometimes a single presentation is exactly what someone needs. Other times, a nurse wants to develop a deeper understanding of a subject rather than take away a few key points.

That’s where structured short courses can be useful. Short courses offered by the Australian College of Veterinary Nursing (ACVN) allow nurses to explore selected topics in greater depth through organised learning materials and activities. They can be especially valuable when someone is taking on new responsibilities or developing an area of clinical interest.

Short courses and webinars can work together: a webinar may introduce an area worth exploring, while a short course supports more sustained study.

How should clinics support student and new veterinary nurses?

Students and new nurses need more than a list of videos to watch. They need regular opportunities to connect theory with what happens in the clinic, practise safely under supervision and receive constructive feedback.

VetNurse Study Club is for aspiring, new and student veterinary nurses. It combines practical skills demonstrations, interactive tutorials with ACVN educators and seven-day tutorial replays. It can support the learning happening alongside workplace experience and formal training, but it does not replace direct supervision or competency assessment.

Your workplace’s contribution is just as important. Give developing nurses clear expectations, opportunities to ask questions and time to reflect on what they have seen and done. Our guide to improving practical veterinary nursing skills explains why repetition and feedback matter.

Should a clinic track its team’s CPD?

A simple record can help managers understand which topics staff have studied, where learning gaps remain and which activities support professional registration requirements. Keep individual learning records accurate and respect staff privacy when sharing information across the practice.

For nurses participating in the voluntary AVNAT registration scheme, the relevant CPD requirements and evidence rules should be checked against current Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia guidance. Western Australian veterinary nurse registration is a separate statutory requirement and should not be confused with AVNAT.

You can also share our practical guide to AVNAT CPD points, webinars and certificates with your team.

What about a CPD membership for the whole clinic?

Managing professional development across multiple employees can become complicated, especially when people have different rosters and learning goals. A clinic-focused CPD arrangement can make it easier to organise access and understand what learning is taking place.

ACVN is developing a Clinic CPD Membership intended to support veterinary workplaces with access to professional development and team learning administration. Details about availability, inclusions and participation will be provided through VetNurse.Study when the programme is ready. In the meantime, nurses can explore the existing recorded webinar library through the webinar catalogue and memberships.

Make learning part of the way your clinic works

Professional development is most valuable when it becomes an ordinary part of practice life, not an obligation squeezed into the final weeks of the year. Start with one relevant subject, make space to talk about it and support staff to apply their learning safely.

A team that keeps learning is better placed to notice problems, share knowledge and deliver thoughtful care. And that is a worthwhile investment at every stage of a veterinary nurse’s career.

Browse 200+ recorded veterinary nursing webinars or explore ACVN’s in-depth short courses.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best way to provide CPD for nurses who work different shifts?

Recorded webinars provide flexibility because staff can learn at different times. Combine them with brief workplace discussions and supervised practice where appropriate.

Do all veterinary nurses need the same CPD?

Not necessarily. Learning priorities should reflect each nurse’s role, experience, interests and applicable professional obligations. A mix of shared team topics and individual learning goals is often more useful.

Can a webinar replace supervised clinical training?

No. A webinar can strengthen knowledge and prepare someone for learning, but practical clinical competence requires appropriate supervised experience, feedback and assessment.

Can webinar learning count towards AVNAT CPD?

Eligible activities can. Most webinars in the VetNurse.Study library offer recognition; check each webinar’s page in Academy for its particular AVNAT CPD points and completion requirements.

Where can our clinic find more in-depth veterinary nursing education?

Explore the Australian College of Veterinary Nursing’s short courses for structured learning in selected nursing subjects, or browse VetNurse.Study’s recorded webinars for flexible professional development.