Vet Nurse

VetPartners Australia Pty; Mornington Shire; On-site; AUD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Southpaws Mornington is seeking an experienced Overnight Veterinary Nurse to cover three 12-hour night shifts (7pm–7am). You will be sole charge of inpatients, monitoring recovery, administering meds and maintaining charts while ensuring the night team can start the day well.

Work-life balance comes with support from our Malvern site; strong clinical judgement, organisation and calm communication are essential for handovers and patient care.

Qualifications

• Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing (or equivalent) is required.
• Minimum 2 years of clinical experience in veterinary nursing.
• Confidence caring for in-patient and post-operative patients; sound knowledge of nursing procedures.

Responsibilities

• Monitor patient comfort and vital signs, maintain charts.
• Administer medications and manage CRIs, fluids, catheters and drains.
• Handover to daytime team with clear communication each morning.
• Maintain ward cleanliness and restock hospital supplies.
• Support sterile processing, theatre cleaning and instrument sterilisation.

Skills

Strong organisational skills

Clear communication

Clinical nursing

Education

Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing (or equivalent)

Job description

Overnight Veterinary Nurse – Mornington | Full Time | 3 x 12-hour nights

Southpaws is a specialist-led hospital with teams across Surgery, Anaesthesia and Emergency & Critical Care. Our patients receive exceptional care during the day, and our Mornington site is looking for an experienced nurse to continue that standard throughout the night while the hospital is closed.

The role

Working 7pm to 7am, three nights a week, you’ll be sole charge of our inpatients, most of whom are stable and recovering from surgery. You’ll monitor their progress closely, keep them comfortable and recognise early when something needs attention. You’ll also manage sterile supply, cleaning and the general running of the hospital overnight so the day team starts each morning well prepared.

While this is a sole-charge role, you’ll have plenty of support on hand with our Malvern site open 24/7 for phone support and advice on patients as needed.

This role suits a nurse who is confident working independently. You’ll manage multiple patients with minimal support (however 24/7 phone support is available from our Malvern site), so sound clinical judgement, strong organisation and a calm, methodical approach are essential. Your handover to our specialist team each morning is an important part of the role, so strong communication is a must, as your observations will directly shape each patient’s ongoing care.

You will be expected to be able to:

• Monitor patient comfort and vital signs and maintain patient charts
• Administer medications
• Handle patients, toileting and exercise
• Monitor & maintain CRI’s, fluid therapy, urinary catheters, patient drains etc.
• Update patient records and communicate with clients as required
• Maintain a high standard of ward organisation and cleanliness
• Process, clean & pack surgical instruments
• Clean theatre & whole hospital as required
• Restock hospital

About you

• Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing (or equivalent)
• Minimum 2 years of clinical experience
• Confidence caring for in-patient and post-operative patients
• Sound knowledge of veterinary nursing procedures
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail
• Clear, professional communication, particularly at handover
• Experience in a surgical or referral hospital is well regarded but not essential

Don’t quite meet all of the requirements? That’s okay, we would still love to hear from you and understand why you would be the best fit for the role.

As an Employer

Southpaws are committed to leading the way in creating a workplace that operates the way we believe it should, rather than the way they always have. To help deliver on our goal of becoming an industry employer of choice, we have created career pathways that support year-on-year progression both for your capabilities as a professional, as well as your remuneration.