VSS designs, develops and delivers training for post-graduate, mixed animal veterinarians. From Dine-and-Digest sessions and webinars to conferences and workshops, we pride ourselves in delivering clinically relevant, practical-focused events, creating hard-to-find graduate CPD and providing important network building and socialising opportunities.
Clinics who participate in VSS programs are eligible for discounted rates for training events.
We welcome input on event content and ideas for new events and locations. Get in touch if you have any suggestions!
Upcoming workshops
Skills Training and Seminars for Veterinary Practices
Trust VSS to deliver further education to all of your veterinary staff through individual clinic sessions or CPD seminars. Whether you want to train your nursing and support staff in their management of production animal work and communication with farm clients, upskill your vets in production animal disease management or address work place mental health and well-being, VSS can work with your clinic to tailor a program that suits your needs.
International Veterinarian Training
International veterinarians are required to sit the Australian Veterinary Examination (AVE) to become a registered vet in Australia. Part of the AVE involves practical exams including handling and working with large animal species. Many international vets have limited to no access to large animal veterinary work and find it challenging to build this skill base. Veterinary Support Services can provide opportunities for international vets to work alongside a registered large animal veterinarian and practice skills required for their AVE practical examinations. If you are an international vet interested in this service, please contact us for more details or to arrange a training session. Please note, this AVE large animal training is usually only delivered in Gippsland, Victoria.
Skills required for their AVE practical examinations
AVE Practical Examination requirements for cattle, sheep and horses
The CATTLE Practical Examination assesses competency in the following procedures:
- Pregnancy testing per rectum of 3 cows –(non-pregnant, pregnant < 4 months and pregnant > 4 months);
- Putting a halter on a cow in an appropriate way;
- Safely examining the oral cavity;
- Safely and correctly passing a stomach tube;
- Restraining a cow and injecting a solution into the jugular vein;
- Collecting a blood sample from the tail vein;
- Administering an epidural anaesthetic;
Please note that the Examiner may include one or more of the following tasks:
- Aseptically collecting a milk sample;
- Lifting and restraining a cow’s front or back leg;
- Collecting a urine sample from a cow via a urinary catheter;
- Collecting a sample of rumen fluid by rumenocentesis;
- Thoroughly examining a cow’s foot.
The SHEEP Practical Examination assesses competency in all or some of the following clinical procedures:
- Conducting a distance examination of a pen of sheep and reporting the findings;
- Catching and restraining a sheep and carrying out a clinical examination;
- Taking the temperature per rectum;
- Demonstrating collection of a jugular blood sample;
- Examining mouth and teeth;
- Examining feet and using a searcher knife to check for footrot;
- Taking a faecal sample for culture;
- Conducting an examination of a scrotum and scrotal contents of a ram and discussing the findings.
The Equine Practice Examination assesses competency in all or some of the following clinical procedures:
- Recommending a protocol for sedation and/or general anaesthesia by considering animal temperament and health status, and procedure to be performed.
- Humanely and appropriately catch and restrain a horse using a halter or bridle;
- Describing the horse in terms of markings, gender, colour and breed with an approximate estimate of age;
- Safely conducting a thorough clinical examination of a horse. This will include obtaining TPR (temperature, pulse,respiration), auscultation of lungs and abdomen;
- Discussing how disease may affect clinical findings;
- Examining a horse’s mouth and assessing the condition of the teeth with a mouth gag;
- Examining the eye with, or without, an ophthalmoscope;
- Describing how and where to perform an abdominocentesis;
- Describing the procedure and discussing the indications for performing a rectal examination and describing the structuresthat may be palpated;
- Describing the procedure of passing a nasogastric tube including method of differentiating if tube is in the oesophagus ortrachea;
- Indicating suitable sites for giving an intramuscular injection to a horse;
- Describing how to take a blood sample for haematological analysis and interpret results;
- Picking up a horse’s fore or hind limb and examine the hoof;
- Effectively using the hoof testers;
- Identifying location of various joints;
- Examining by palpation the major soft tissue structures of the distal limb;
- Positioning a horse for radiographic examination of the distal limbs;
- Identifying the sites for applying local anaesthetic to block:
regional nerves to the distal extremity, motor nerves to the eye, sensory nerves to the eye;