Elements and Performance Criteria
- Prepare for anaesthesia
- Prepare facility and personnel for animal anaesthesia, including confirming facility ethics approvals and suitable space to perform surgeries
- Select suitable anaesthetic options and equipment for animal anaesthesia
- Prepare equipment according to manufacturer specifications, organisational procedures and/or job requirements
- Prepare anaesthetic and monitoring equipment, including routine sterilisation and disinfection of equipment
- Prepare animals for anaesthesia procedures
- Assess animal health and condition according to species-specific standards
- Handle and restrain animals safely and humanely according to workplace policies and procedures, ethics protocols and legislative requirements
- Perform pre-anaesthetic evaluations on animals, including the use of checklists and scoresheets, according to ethics protocols
- Prepare animals for anaesthesia, including animal site preparation, provision of heat sources and monitoring equipment, according to species-specific requirements
- Identify and locate species-specific animal structures, tissues and organs relevant to administration and monitoring of induction of anaesthesia
- Follow safe work practices, including health and safety, according to organisational policies and procedures
- Assist in administering anaesthesia and monitoring animals
- Perform induction of anaesthesia
- Monitor and detect species-specific signs of pain and/or distress while anaesthetised
- Record variations in the physiological parameters and signs of anaesthesia in animals using appropriate organisational checklist or score sheet
- Comply with organisational protocols for anaesthetic procedures on animals
- Provide anaesthetic emergency assistance according to organisational policies and procedures and supervisor instructions
- Provide post-anaesthetic care for animals
- Use analgesics and other supportive therapies to manage animals post-anaesthesia according to ethics protocols and supervisor instructions
- Apply fluid therapy and oxygen supplementation to animals according to ethics protocols, supervisor directions and/or procedures
- Recognise and respond, according to supervisor instructions, to post-anaesthetic emergencies immediately
- Monitor animals post-anaesthesia by evaluating behaviour and vital clinical signs using appropriate organisational checklist or score sheet
- Maintain post-anaesthetic monitoring records accurately and completely according to legislative requirements and ethics protocols
- Maintain anaesthetic facilities and equipment
- Clean facilities, sterilise instrumentation and linen, and store equipment according to organisational policies and procedures
- Carry out routine maintenance on anaesthetic equipment according to manufacturer specifications or job requirements
- Validate sterilisation of instrumentation and linen according to organisational procedures