Melanie Owen
Summary
An accomplished and skilled nurse with extensive experience in animal healthcare within a fast-paced and busy environment seeking employment in a not-for-profit organization with like-minded individuals dedicated to providing accessible and excellent animal and client care.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Veterinary Nurse
Lort Smith Animal Hospital
10.2016 - Current
- ICU - close monitoring with full TPR's including pain scoring on critical and complex patients to inform treatment decisions, managing medical intervention and therapy for patients in collaboration with veterinarian, completing detailed charts and treatment notes, safely administering a broad range of medications, using syringe pumps alongside other fluid pumps to administer a various range of fluid therapy, CRI's and medications, performing CPR, carrying out plasma, blood and anti-venin transfusions, providing critical nursing care of oxygen dependent patients and tracheostomy patients as well as complex post-surgical patients and recumbent patients.
- INPATIENTS - providing nursing care and carrying out treatment plans set by the veterinarian for a dynamic list of hospitalized non-critical patients, ensuring patient total well-being during their hospitalization stay, liaising with other departments to enact the treatment plans for the patients.
- THEATRE - setting up and testing anaesthetic machine and monitoring equipment before each procedure, calculating and documenting pre-medication, induction agents and anaesthetic drugs with the veterinarian for each procedure, using aseptic surgical site preparation techniques, monitoring anaesthetics on routine and also complex procedures including ones on patients with co-morbidities, monitoring anaesthesia and scrubbing in on orthopaedic surgeries, utilising capnography, ECG, and ossilometric machines as well as manual observations, using digital x-ray and appropriate positioning for pre, peri, and post surgical patients, using fluoroscopy and CT scanning machines, cleaning sterilising and packing surgical instruments, detailed clean down of theatre room and preparation area at end of day.
- RECOVERY - monitoring recovering patients closely and extubating when appropriate, calling clients following routine procedures and organising discharge appointments, monitoring closely for signs of pain post procedure, ensuring total well-being of patient while recovering until ready to return to ward or be discharged to owner.
- ADMIT/DISCHARGE - running through admission forms and and estimates and gaining signed consent, ensuring hospitalized patients are admitted appropriately on Ezyvet and Smartflow, ensuring adequate and appropriate cage set up for hospitalized patients, discharging patients to clients going through full instructions set out by veterinarian plus answering any additional questions, explaining and demonstrating medications that clients have to administer, scheduling follow up appointments as required.
- EXOTICS - providing care and species-specific husbandry to a broad range of species including Australian wildlife, rabbits, guinea pigs, reptiles and birds, assisting veterinarian with exotic consultations, appropriate feeding and inpatient care of hospitalized exotic patients, setting up for and monitoring exotic surgeries and enacting appropriate post-surgical care.
- ACCIDENT & EMERGENCY - triaging incoming patients to determine treatment needs and urgency of care, administering emergency first aid, liaising with clients about hospital processes and first aid requirements, liaising across multiple hospital departments to ensure a smooth admission process and that treatment plans are enacted.
- STUDENT MENTORING - having veterinary nurse students shadow on shift and mentoring them on all aspects of nursing and patient care, providing written and verbal feedback to the education provider, providing students with a positive and encouraging environment in which to learn and grow.
Produce Second In Charge
Coles Supermarket
10.2013 - 10.2016
- Running the department in absence of the manager, performing accurate and thorough stock orders, completing quality checks, receiving the delivery, delegating tasks to team members and coordinating the team for optimal results, accurately stock-taking and recording waste, handling customer queries and complaints, attending managerial and safety meetings, leading by example, achieving sales targets and department KPI's, liaising with upper management, implementing positive change.
Grocery Team Member
Coles Supermarket
10.2012 - 10.2013
- Splitting pellets, organising stock, stock counting and control, stocking shelves, cleaning, heavy lifting, assisting customers with queries and complaints, and visual merchandising.
- Also worked in the bakery, dairy, freezer and meat departments as required and successfully learned the operations of each department.
Education
Associate Degree - Veterinary Nursing
Melbourne Polytechnic
Epping, VIC12.2016
Bachelor - Media Studies
La Trobe University
Melbourne, VIC12.2012
Skills
- Treating each patient with love and respect
- Using Smartflow and Ezyvet
- Perfected methods of handling and restraint
- Confidence handling anxious and aggressive felines
- Dedicated and proficient monitoring of patients
- Monitoring anaesthesia for various types of surgery using a range of monitoring equipment
- Placing catheters and taking bloods with precision
- Using IDEXX laboratory machines
- Ability to work as part of a team to achieve collaborative goals
- Ability to work completely autonomously
- Great communication which enables positive interactions with clients and other team members
- Self-motivation which drives ability to continuously learn and grow
Certification
- CPR: Basic Life Support and CPR: Advanced Life Support, American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care RECOVER initiative, 2020
- Advanced Critical Care Nursing, Australian College of Veterinary Nursing Short Course, 2021
- First Aid and Mental Health Training, Australian Red Cross, 2022
Personal Attributes
- Hard-working
- Dedicated
- Truthful
- Thorough
- Inclusive
- Encouraging
- Compassionate
- Wicked sense of humour
REFERENCES
Available on request.
Timeline
Veterinary Nurse
Lort Smith Animal Hospital
10.2016 - Current
Produce Second In Charge
Coles Supermarket
10.2013 - 10.2016
Grocery Team Member
Coles Supermarket
10.2012 - 10.2013
Associate Degree - Veterinary Nursing
Melbourne Polytechnic
Bachelor - Media Studies
La Trobe University
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