By Kath Gannaway
In any one day, patients on the ‘sick list’ at Healesville Sanctuary’s Australian Wildlife Health Centre can include a bearded dragon, feathertail glider, long-nosed potoroo, wedge-tailed eagle, orange-bellied parrot, super parrot, juvenile powerful owl and a truckload of turtles.
And, they are just some of the 1500 or so animals the sanctuary’s vet nurse team deals with each year.
The team celebrated their chosen profession on Friday, 13 October, along with veterinary nurses everywhere, as part of National Vet Nurse Day, an initiative of the Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia.
Senior Vet Nurse Jodi Sievwright heads the sanctuary team which includes Sarah Kaiser, Ellen Richmond, Kelly Wynn and Gerry Ross.
Growing up in the country, Jodi said she always wanted to work with animals and got a foot in the door as a volunteer with the RSPCA.
It’s not an easy profession to break into, and to be qualified in Australia entails a two-year course with a prerequisite that you have worked in the industry.
Jodi said while a love of animals was a given, there was a lot more to the job.
“It’s a skill to be a vet nurse,” she said.
“It’s not just about cuddling the animals, it is about common sense, recognising illness and applying all the technical and practical skills you learn.
“There are so many different species to learn about, and making the transition from small animals to wildlife is a whole new learning curve,” she said.
Sanctuary director Ross Williamson welcomed National Vet Nurse Day as an opportunity to highlight the valuable role they play in caring for animals that are taken to the sanctuary after being found orphaned, injured or sick.
“Our team’s number one goal is to see these animals released back into the wild, and they work very hard on a case by case basis to provide world-class care to our unique wildlife,” Mr Williamson said.
“It’s hard not to be inspired by the work our expert team does every day, at the forefront of wildlife care and welfare, when you see them in action at the Australian Wildlife Health Centre.”
Visitors to the sanctuary can see the vets and the vet nurses in action at all stages of an animal’s care in the innovative glass-walled hospital and learn more about the work they do at daily talks at 11am, 1.30pm and 3pm.
Jodi said it was great to have a day dedicated to recognising their work, and vet nursing as a profession.
“In some countries, it is not so well recognised and respected as it is here, so I feel very lucky to be working in Australia, and at Healesville Sanctuary,” she said.
