Emergency and Critical Care for Vet Nurses NZ (August 2025)

This workshop focused on the various skills required to nurse a variety of ECC patients, including performing triage, accurate assessments, recognising life-threatening emergencies, managing the various indwelling devices, and the nursing care considerations these patients required.

Ashleigh Walsh

Dip.VN, VTS (ECC), RVNS

Ashleigh is a Registered Veterinary Nurse Specialist in Emergency and Critical Care. Since graduating with a Diploma in Veterinary Nursing from Unitec in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2009, she has dedicated her career to advancing veterinary emergency care. In 2022, Ashleigh earned her Veterinary Technician Specialty in Emergency and Critical Care (VTS (ECC)), becoming the first VTS (ECC) in New Zealand. She is also a certified RECOVER CPR instructor.

Currently, Ashleigh serves as the primary critical care nurse at the Animal Referral Centre Central, where she assists in the day-to-day running of the ICU. In addition to her clinical duties, she is the Nurse Education Coordinator, overseeing in-house continuing professional development (CPD), training initiatives, and organising the hospital’s annual nursing conference.

Prior to her role at Animal Referral Centre Central, Ashleigh spent nine years at the Brisbane Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Services in Australia, honing her skills in a high-paced emergency environment. Her career began in small animal general practice across New Zealand and Australia, where she discovered her passion for emergency veterinary care.

Beyond her clinical work, Ashleigh contributes to the veterinary community as a leadership team member for the New Zealand Allied Veterinary Professional Regulatory Council. She is actively involved in the registration committee, managing the specialist nursing registrar and overseeing the conflict-of-interest portfolio.