Seizures are probably the most common neurological issue we see in practice, and they can be one of the most daunting conditions to nurse (and be incredibly stressful to witness).

Thankfully, though, there's lots we can do to support these patients as veterinary nurses and technicians. To do this, we need to understand a bit more about what seizures are, why they happen, the impact they have on our patients, and how they're managed - as well as the nursing care these patients need, and the skills we can use in the process.

That's exactly what we're covering in episode 104 of the Medical Nursing Podcast. Join me, Laura Jones (RVN, VTS Internal Medicine) and resident neuro expert Zoe Hatfield (RVN, VTS Neurology) as we discuss exactly what you need to know to care for these patients confidently as a veterinary nurse. Settle in, make yourself comfy, and get ready to do more with your seizure patients.

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About Zoe:

Zoe qualified as a registered veterinary nurse in 2012. After spending her first year as a RVN working in first opinion practice, she moved to referral joining the University of Glasgow Small Animal Hospital nursing team in 2013.

Since joining the nursing team, Zoe has developed her passion for neurology and in 2019 gained the VTS certificate in Neurology.

Working within the vet school she enjoys using her extensive experience in neurology to teach and educate students and newer members of staff.

She also presents CPD on a wide variety of neurological topics, including at BSAVA Alba, ExcelCPD, VetTrust, AIMVT and BVA Live.

Watch Zoe's excelCPD webinar series here.

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More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today's episode

🖥️ Grab the free webinar, podcast AND resource library access

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

Fluid therapy is one of those things we do every single day in practice.

We hang the bag, we set the rate, we check the pump, we monitor the patient. It feels routine - maybe even safe.

But the reality is this: fluids are a drug, with complications and contraindications just like any other.

They are not 'just supportive care.' They are pharmacologically active solutions that can either help our patients recover, or contribute to complications if we don't use them in the right way.

So in this episode of the Medical Nursing Podcast, I'm breaking down the most recent AAHA fluid therapy guidelines - giving you all the need-to-know information so you can give great care to patients receiving IV fluids, and hopefully busting a few fluid therapy myths while we're at it.

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BRAND NEW ways to learn with me:

📲 Join the Medical Nursing Library Club

📲 Snag a webinar from the on-demand library

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today's episode

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

There's a lot to think about when it comes to stabilising, treating and nursing cats and dogs with inflammatory CNS disease.

But luckily, we've got a guest with us today to guide us through it!

In episode 102 of the Medical Nursing Podcast I'm delighted to be joined once again by Zoe Hatfield who is bringing us her expertise on nursing neuro patients! Zoe is a neurology RVN and a Veterinary Technician Specialist in neurology, working at Glasgow University's Small Animal Hospital.

In this episode, Zoe is giving us the lowdown on a surprisingly common neurological condition and one that has a significant impact on our patients - and that's meningioencephalomyelitis of unknown origin, or MUO.

These patients are often critically unwell and need intensive nursing care, meaning there are lots of ways we can put our skills to good use and advocate for our patients in the process - and that's exactly what you'll be able to do confidently after this episode!

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About Zoe:

Zoe qualified as a registered veterinary nurse in 2012. After spending her first year as a RVN working in first opinion practice, she moved to referral joining the University of Glasgow Small Animal Hospital nursing team in 2013.

Since joining the nursing team, Zoe has developed her passion for neurology and in 2019 gained the VTS certificate in Neurology.

Working within the vet school she enjoys using her extensive experience in neurology to teach and educate students and newer members of staff.

She also presents CPD on a wide variety of neurological topics, including at BSAVA Alba, ExcelCPD, VetTrust, AIMVT and BVA Live.

Watch Zoe's excelCPD webinar series here.

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today's episode

🖥️ Grab the free webinar, podcast AND resource library access

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

In episode 101 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, join Zoe Hatfield (RVN, VTS in Neurology) and Laura Jones (RVN, VTS in Internal Medicine) as they discuss one of the most common neurological disorders seen in practice: intervertebral disc disease!

There's so much more to the spinal patient than first meets the eye - and Zoe is here to share her expertise and break all of that down for us. Despite the many causes of IVDD, the impact on our patient is the same - they require intensive nursing care to recover. Luckily, that's where we step in and shine, with lots of skills we can use in the process.

We're discussing all of those skills today, so you can feel confident nursing your spinal patients!

---

About Zoe:

Zoe qualified as a registered veterinary nurse in 2012. After spending her first year as a RVN working in first opinion practice, she moved to referral joining the University of Glasgow Small Animal Hospital nursing team in 2013.

Since joining the nursing team, Zoe has developed her passion for neurology and in 2019 gained the VTS certificate in Neurology.

Working within the vet school she enjoys using her extensive experience in neurology to teach and educate students and newer members of staff.

She also presents CPD on a wide variety of neurological topics, including at BSAVA Alba, ExcelCPD, VetTrust, AIMVT and BVA Live.

Watch Zoe's excelCPD webinar series here.

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today's episode

🖥️ Grab the free webinar, podcast AND resource library access

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

For the 100th episode of the Medical Nursing Podcast, the tables are turned. Instead of leading the conversation, I hand the microphone to Cat, a registered veterinary nurse and Medical Nursing Academy student, who interviews me about career identity, internal medicine nursing, advocacy, and what the future of the profession could look like.

This episode is a celebration of far more than hitting 100 episodes. It reflects on how our nursing careers evolve, how our confidence is built through experience, and why we play such a vital (and often underestimated) role in internal medicine. I hope you enjoy this honest, vulnerable and reflective conversation, and that it helps you, no matter where you are in your veterinary nursing career.

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today's episode

🖥️ Grab the free webinar, podcast AND resource library access

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

In episode 99 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, join Zoe Hatfield (RVN, VTS in Neurology) and Laura Jones (RVN, VTS in Internal Medicine) as they discuss one of the most common neurological disorders seen in practice: Myasthenia gravis, or MG.

MG is a disorder of the neuromuscular junction causing significant weakness, megaoesophagus, regurgitation, aspiration and recumbency - and these patients need INTENSIVE nursing care to recover.

We're breaking down exactly what MG is, how it impacts our patients, and the skills we can use when caring for them, in this episode.

---

About Zoe:

Zoe qualified as a registered veterinary nurse in 2012. After spending her first year as a RVN working in first opinion practice, she moved to referral joining the University of Glasgow Small Animal Hospital nursing team in 2013.

Since joining the nursing team, Zoe has developed her passion for neurology and in 2019 gained the VTS certificate in Neurology.

Working within the vet school she enjoys using her extensive experience in neurology to teach and educate students and newer members of staff.

She also presents CPD on a wide variety of neurological topics, including at BSAVA Alba, ExcelCPD, VetTrust, AIMVT and BVA Live.

Watch Zoe's excelCPD webinar series here.

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today's episode

🖥️ Grab the free webinar, podcast AND resource library access

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

In episode 98 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, join Zoe Hatfield (RVN, VTS in Neurology) and Laura Jones (RVN, VTS in Internal Medicine) as they chat about the neurological system - how it works, what we need to know as veterinary nurses, and what happens when it goes wrong.

Whether you're revising for an exam, brushing up on your skills ahead of seeing a neurological patient, or just want to get nerdy, you'll leave this episode feeling more confident about managing neurological cases.

---

About Zoe:

Zoe qualified as a registered veterinary nurse in 2012. After spending her first year as a RVN working in first opinion practice, she moved to referral joining the University of Glasgow Small Animal Hospital nursing team in 2013.

Since joining the nursing team, Zoe has developed her passion for neurology and in 2019 gained the VTS certificate in Neurology.

Working within the vet school she enjoys using her extensive experience in neurology to teach and educate students and newer members of staff.

She also presents CPD on a wide variety of neurological topics, including at BSAVA Alba, ExcelCPD, VetTrust, AIMVT and BVA Live.

Watch Zoe's excelCPD webinar series here.

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today's episode

🖥️ Grab the free webinar, podcast AND resource library access

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

Episode 97 of the Medical Nursing Podcast gives you the action steps you need to start actually doing more and using more of your skills as a veterinary nurse.

Because while it's one thing to talk about what needs to change, it's another to talk about what you can actually do, on shift, with your patients.

So today I want to talk about the ways every single veterinary nurse can do more with their medical inpatients, regardless of where you work, your job title, whether you're qualified or not, or how long you've been qualified.

My goal is that you'll leave this episode with a renewed sense of what 'doing more' CAN look like, and how to start making that happen in practice - ready to make 2026 your best professional year yet.

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Ways to learn together in 2026:

📲 Join the Medical Nursing Library Club

📲 Grab a webinar from the Academy On-Demand Library

📲 Enrol in the Foundation Award in Medical Nursing

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today's episode

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

Join me for our unofficial 2025 Wrapped!

In this episode of the Medical Nursing Podcast we'll take a look back at what's happened across the profession this year, what the evidence about our role and skills is telling us, what it actually means for us as veterinary nurses and technicians, and why I'm ending this year feeling more hopeful about our role and more determined for our future than ever.

If you're ready to step into 2026 feeling inspired, valued, and speaking up for your skills, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

--- Want the studies I mentioned this episode? You'll find all the links and resources on the website here.

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BRAND NEW ways to learn with me:

📲 Join the Medical Nursing Library Club

📲 Join me for our next live webinar

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today's episode

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

In episode 95 of the Medical Nursing Podcast we wrap up our toxicology series with a true emergency and one of the most dramatic, challenging and emotional conditions: inhalation of smoke, thermal and chemical airway injury in our feline and canine patients.

Managing fire-injury is so much more than 'just' dealing with smoke inhalation, and these patients can be challenging to nurse, since their disease is often much worse than it initially seems.

These patients need intensive respiratory support, monitoring and nursing care, which means that as well as challenging to manage, they're incredibly rewarding, and provide us with lots of nursing opportunities to make a difference.

So in this episode, we'll discuss what happens when our patients become fire-injured, the common complications we see, and the nursing our patients need to recover successfully. You'll leave this episode feeling much more confident about managing these patients, and with some new skills ready to put to use with your next case.

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BRAND NEW ways to learn with me:

📲 Join the Medical Nursing Library Club

📲 Join me for the next live webinar: IV access 101, how to hit those tricky veins!

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today's episode

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.