Veterinary Nurse – Urgent & Emergency Care

Geelong Group; Geelong; Hybrid; AUD 51,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job summary

Vets of Geelong in Geelong, Victoria, seeks an enthusiastic Veterinary Nurse for daytime urgent and emergency care at our Highton hospital. You’ll provide urgent/emergency services alongside general practice care, with a four-day on, three consecutive days off schedule and no overnight shifts.

We welcome nurses with solid general practice skills who are eager to develop in emergency and critical care. A Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing and good clinical judgement are preferred.

Qualifications

• Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing, or recognised equivalent qualification.
• Experience in general practice veterinary nursing is desirable.
• Strong communication and organisational skills with a calm, professional approach.

Responsibilities

• Triage and initial assessment of urgent and emergency presentations within your scope of practice.
• Assist veterinarians with stabilisation and treatment of critically unwell patients.
• Hospital nursing and monitoring of medical and surgical patients.
• Anaesthetic monitoring, surgical preparation and patient recovery.
• Intravenous catheter placement, blood collection and laboratory investigations.
• Assisting with diagnostic imaging and emergency procedures.
• Preparing and maintaining emergency equipment and treatment areas.
• Monitoring patient progress and recognising changes requiring veterinary attention.
• Communicating with clients and supporting them during stressful situations.
• General practice nursing responsibilities when urgent care demand allows.

Skills

Calm under pressure

Communication

Organisation

General nursing

Education

Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing

Job description

Veterinary Nurse – Urgent & Emergency Care

Veterinary Nurse – Urgent & Emergency Care

Veterinary Nurse – Urgent & Emergency Care

Love Veterinary Nursing? Enjoy the Variety of Urgent and Emergency Cases? What If You Could Do It Without Overnight Shifts?

Vets of Geelong | Highton, Geelong, Victoria

Full-Time Position | Friday to Monday | Three Consecutive Days Off

Indicative average remuneration of $45 per hour across the Friday-to-Monday roster, inclusive of applicable weekend penalty rates, plus superannuation.

Not Every Veterinary Nurse Enjoys Knowing Exactly What’s Coming Next.

Some nurses love the predictability of a fully booked general practice day.

Others enjoy the challenge of urgent presentations, interesting medical cases and the satisfaction of helping patients when they need it most.

At Vets of Geelong, we’re looking for an enthusiastic Veterinary Nurse to join our Highton hospital in a dedicated daytime urgent and emergency care role.

You’ll be part of a team providing urgent and emergency veterinary care alongside our established general practice services.

Four days on. Three consecutive days off. No overnight shifts.

You don’t need to have spent years working in an emergency hospital.

We’re looking for someone with sound general nursing skills, good clinical judgement, a calm approach and a genuine enthusiasm for developing their capabilities in urgent and emergency care.

A Different Kind of Veterinary Nursing Position

This role is designed for a nurse who enjoys variety, hands-on clinical work and the challenge of changing priorities.

• Triage and initial assessment of urgent and emergency presentations within your scope of practice
• Assisting veterinarians with stabilisation and treatment of critically unwell patients
• Hospital nursing and monitoring of medical and surgical patients
• Anaesthetic monitoring, surgical preparation and patient recovery
• Intravenous catheter placement, blood collection and laboratory investigations
• Assisting with diagnostic imaging and emergency procedures
• Preparing and maintaining emergency equipment and treatment areas
• Monitoring patient progress and recognising changes requiring veterinary attention
• Communicating with clients and supporting them during stressful situations
• General practice nursing responsibilities when urgent care demand allows

Some days will be busy and unpredictable.

Other days will involve a combination of urgent presentations, hospital nursing, surgical support and general practice cases.

We’re looking for someone who enjoys that variety and takes pride in being a capable, reliable member of the clinical team.

Four Days On. Three Days Off.

One of the attractions of this position is the regular working pattern.

Your roster will be:

• Friday: Rostered shift
• Saturday: Rostered shift
• Sunday: Rostered shift
• Monday: Rostered shift
• Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: Three consecutive days off

There are no routine overnight shifts or overnight on‑call requirements.

We recognise that urgent and emergency care can be demanding, and we want the working arrangement to be sustainable while providing genuine time away from the clinic.

Modern Facilities and Clinical Support

You’ll be based at our Highton hospital, the largest of our four veterinary clinics.

You’ll work alongside experienced veterinarians, skilled veterinary nurses and an established support team.

Our clinical resources include:

• Digital radiography and diagnostic ultrasound
• In-house IDEXX laboratory diagnostics
• IDEXX blood gas analysis
• Modern anaesthetic monitoring and surgical equipment
• Hospitalisation and patient monitoring facilities
• Access to additional clinical resources across our veterinary group

You’ll also have access to our established Vets of Geelong Standards of Care, supported by a dedicated clinical app, helping our teams maintain consistent clinical standards and access practical information when needed.

You Don’t Need an Emergency Nursing Background

We’re particularly interested in nurses who have a solid foundation in general practice nursing and are enthusiastic about developing their emergency and critical care skills.

Perhaps you’re already confident in surgery, anaesthesia and hospital patient care but would love more exposure to urgent presentations.

Or perhaps you’ve had some emergency nursing experience and are looking for a daytime role without overnight shifts.

Either way, we’d be happy to have a conversation.

Ideally, you’ll bring:

• Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing or a recognised equivalent qualification
• Experience in general practice veterinary nursing
• Confidence in hospital patient care and routine clinical procedures
• An understanding of anaesthetic monitoring and surgical nursing
• Good clinical judgement and the ability to recognise and elevate concerns
• A calm, practical approach when priorities change
• Strong communication and organisational skills
• A willingness to learn and continue developing your clinical capabilities
• A compassionate, professional and team‑focused attitude

You don’t need to know everything about emergency nursing. You do need to enjoy learning, adapting and working as part of a team.

Professional Development and Clinical Growth

We want this role to provide opportunities to continue developing our clinical nursing skills.

You’ll work alongside experienced colleagues and gain exposure to a range of urgent and emergency presentations.

Depending on your existing experience and interests, you’ll have opportunities to build your confidence in:

• Emergency triage and patient assessment
• Monitoring and nursing care of critically unwell patients
• Emergency anaesthesia and surgical nursing
• Diagnostic investigations and laboratory procedures
• Patient stabilisation and ongoing hospital care
• Clinical decision‑making and communication within the veterinary team

We value nurses who are curious, receptive to feedback and motivated to continue improving their clinical capabilities.

Remuneration and Working Arrangements

Indicative average remuneration of $45 per hour across the Friday-to-Monday roster, inclusive of applicable weekend penalty rates, plus superannuation.

This represents the estimated average hourly remuneration across all four rostered days, incorporating applicable weekday and weekend rates.

Actual remuneration will depend on experience, qualifications and applicable employment conditions.

This is a full-time, daytime nursing position, with three consecutive days off each week.

We want to attract someone who enjoys urgent and emergency nursing and is looking for a role that combines interesting clinical work with a predictable weekly roster.

A Little About Us

Vets of Geelong is a proudly family‑owned veterinary group operated by veterinarians Dr James and Dr Jane Tiernan.

Since opening our Highton clinic in 2010, we’ve grown to four practices across Highton, Geelong West, Lara and East Geelong.

Both James and Jane have worked in emergency veterinary clinics in Australia and overseas, so we understand firsthand the challenges, rewards and demands of emergency veterinary medicine.

We recognise that emergency care requires teamwork, adaptability and a particular temperament.

Our values are simple:

Kindness. Trust. Teamwork.

We want to create a workplace where our nurses feel respected, supported and proud of their contribution to excellent patient care.

Vets of Geelong. Kindness. Trust. Teamwork.