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Elements and Performance Criteria

  1. Assess and maintain health of neonatal foals
  2. Assess foal growth and development to six weeks of age
  3. Perform a physical examination of an equine neonate
  4. Care for and handle sick or compromised foals
  5. Provide initial care for critically ill foal
  6. Identify the clinical signs of common foal diseases in the early neonatal period.

Required Skills

Required skills include

Ability to

analyse and solve problems using available information and resources including recording information and prioritising daily tasks

apply interpersonal skills to work with others and relate to people from a range of cultural social and religious backgrounds and with a range of physical and mental abilities

communicate effectively to fulfil the job role including questioning active listening asking for clarification and consulting with or seeking advice from appropriate persons

comply with animal welfare legislation animal care guidelines state and territory veterinary surgeons or practitioners legislation and regulations

employ safe humane and environmentally responsible organisational systems and procedures when working with handling and restraining mares and foals

follow sequenced written instructions record accurately and legibly information collected and select and apply procedures to a range of defined tasks

identify hazards and assess risks

measure parameters of health in foals

maintain appropriate records

maintain the highest standards of hygiene and infection control at all times to reduce the risk of infection and crossinfection considering zoonotic and exotic disease possibilities biosecurity

perform a physical examination of a foal

provide initial nursing care to impaired foals

recognise normal health behaviour growth and development in a healthy foal

read understand and follow required policies and procedures including workplace health and safety infection control and waste management

recognise normal physical and behavioural signs in mares and foals

use numeracy skills to estimate calculate and record routine and more complex workplace elements

use safe manual handling techniques andor equipment

use safe hygienic and environmentally friendly waste handling and disposal procedures

work as part of a team and in close working arrangements with the supervising veterinarian

Required knowledge includes

Knowledge of

clinical signs of common foal diseases

normal health parameters for newborn foals

handling techniques for impaired foals

normal behaviour patterns for newborn foals

nutritional requirements and options for impaired foals

nursing techniques for impaired foals

principles and practices of infection control

principles and practices of routine care of hospitalised animals

principles of animal welfare

problems affecting newborn foals

procedures for providing care to critically ill foals

relevant legislation regulations and codes of practice including workplace health and safety animal welfare and ethics veterinary practices and waste disposal

workplace hygiene standards biosecurity including disinfectants cleaning agents and techniques cleaning and appropriate disinfection or sterilisation of equipment materials and personal protective equipment PPE

Evidence Required

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria required skills and knowledge range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

The evidence required to demonstrate competence in this Unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy all of the requirements of the performance criteria required skills and knowledge and the range statement of this unit Assessors should ensure that candidates can

safely handle and restrain healthy and ill or compromised foals

assess and maintain health of neonatal foals

perform a physical examination of a foal

care for ill or compromised foals

provide initial care for critically ill foals

follow workplace health and safety requirements animal welfare rules and infection control protocols

accurately document and maintain appropriate records

The skills and knowledge required to nurse foals must be transferable to a range of work environments and contexts and include the ability to deal with unplanned events

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment for this unit is to be practical in nature and will be most appropriately assessed in a equine veterinary clinic or hospital with access to a range of mares and newborn foals and the appropriate equipment andor resources to enable one to demonstrate competence

Method of assessment

To ensure consistency in ones performance competency should be demonstrated to industry defined standards on more than two occasions over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances patients cases and responsibilities and over a number of assessment activities

The assessment strategy must include practical skills assessment Suggested strategies for this unit are

written andor oral assessment of candidates required knowledge

observed documented and firsthand testimonial evidence of candidates application of practical tasks

simulation exercises that reproduce normal work conditions

thirdparty evidence

workplace documentation

case studies

portfolio

This unit may be assessed in a holistic way with other units of competency relevant to the industry sector workplace and job role

Guidance information for assessment

Assessment methods should reflect workplace demands eg literacy and numeracy demands and the needs of particular target groups eg people with disabilities Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people women people with a language background other than English youth and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds


Range Statement

The range statement relates to the Unit of Competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Health of neonatal foals

Indicators of normal behaviour for neonatal foals may include, but is not limited to:

blinking, sitting up, suckling reflex, attempts to rise, stand and walk, search for udder, suckling mare, awareness of immediate surroundings, defecation, urination

Assessment requirements include:

measuring colostrum quality

determining the level of antibodies or immunoglobulins (IgG) in the colostrum

Risk factors to be aware of include:

unwell dam

difficult foaling

not meeting any of the normal newborn foal parameters

failure of transfer of passive immunity.

Restraint

Restraint methods include those:

appropriate for healthy neonates

appropriate for ill neonates

restraint with mare (manually or crush)

restraint without mare (manually or crush)

Procedures requiring restraint may include, but are not limited to:

application of umbilical stump treatment

administration of an enema

drawing blood for IgG test

physical examination.

Growth and development

Aspects of foal growth and development that should be assessed include:

growth rate

weight gain

limb conformation

illness

dam’s condition and ability to produce milk.

Physical examination

Factors assessed in a physical examination of the equine neonate may include, but are not limited to:

recording history of the foal including:

details of the foaling

details of any prior illness in the mare

details of foals behaviour post foaling

any vital signs recorded post foaling

any clinical pathology results for the foal such as: IgG, blood work, swabs

measuring vital parameters such as: temperature, pulse, respiration and mucous membranes

assessing general health such as: eyes, mouth, navel, nostrils, ribs and limbs

monitoring normal behavioural routines demonstrated by foal such as: sleeping, rising and suckling, urinating and defecating.

Infection control protocols

Routine industry standard infection control procedures may include:

practising aseptic techniques in all possible areas and maintaining strict hygiene protocol

monitoring and maintaining equipment

preparing and maintaining individual inventories for each patient

accurately labelling and recording samples taken

following strict isolation protocol in all cases where infection and/or contagion is suspected

observing and practising strict personal antiseptic protocol.

Nursing assistance

Nursing assistance may be required to:

restrain a foal

teach a weak foal to rise

provide temperature support such as:

warming with specialist care blankets, hot water bottles, limb and body covers

cooling with fans, alcohol wash, iced water

move a compromised foal

provide limb support

provide respiratory support

provide nutritional support.

Assessment to determine if a foal requires special foal nursing and intensive care

Factors that may be assessed include:

foal physical examination

foal maintenance behaviour

foaling history.

Initial care for critically ill foal

Initial care may include, but is not limited to:

respiratory support

temperature support

feeding of appropriate cases

safe transport to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Common foal diseases

Common foal diseases likely to be encountered include, but are not limited to:

meconium retention

neonatal syndrome

septicaemia

neonatal maladjustment syndrome

localised infections

neonatal seizures

infectious and non-infectious diarrhoea

gastroduodenal ulcers

haemolytic disease (NI)

ruptured bladder

septic arthritis (joint ill)

umbilical problems

congenital and genetic disorders

hypoglycaemia

rhodococcus equi.