Anaesthesia and Emergency for Vet Nurses NZ (November 2025)

Veterinary nurses played an essential role in critical care nursing and the administration and monitoring of anaesthesia and analgesia in small animal practice. This one-day practical workshop reviewed the techniques needed to ensure patients received the best care, covering topics such as the initial triage and stabilisation of emergent patients, anaesthesia for compromised patients, the value of monitoring equipment, and emergency anaesthesia. The practical session taught the evidence-based RECOVER CPR guidelines, providing plenty of opportunities for hands-on practice.

Marcia Fletcher

RVNS, Dip VN (Dist), VTS – Anesthesia and Analgesia. Director and founder of The Pink Stethoscope

Marcia Fletcher is a registered veterinary nurse specialist and an international speaker on veterinary anaesthesia. She worked for the Massey University Veterinary Teaching Hospital as the senior anaesthesia nurse for over 16 years. Her patients ranged vastly in size, and included small animals, avian, large animals, equine and exotic patients. In 2011 she became New Zealand’s first Veterinary Technician Specialist in Anaesthesia and Analgesia. She has been New Zealand’s “Vet Nurse of the Year”, and been awarded several teaching awards, including “Teacher of the Year” for veterinary technicians. Marcia is also a RECOVER certified instructor of basic and advanced CPR. In 2020 she left university life to create “The Pink Stethoscope” and independently provide postgraduate veterinary anaesthesia education. Loving all aspects of teaching, her passion has always been to share and impart anaesthesia knowledge to both veterinarians and veterinary technicians and nurses. Marcia currently teaches veterinary anaesthesia throughout New Zealand and Australia, and also delivers webinars for her wider audience around the world. Away from work she enjoys her home life with her husband, daughter, son and very special “fur-daughter” Minnie the cat.