Unit of competency
Modification History
Release Number |
TP Version |
Comments |
1 |
AHCv1.0 |
Initial release |
Application
This unit of competency describes the skills and knowledge required to carry out pregnancy testing in livestock.
This unit can be delivered in the context of the following industries: cattle and horses.
This unit does not cover ultrasound scanning for pregnancy diagnosis.
This unit applies to those whose job role includes testing animals for pregnancy using manual diagnosis procedures. Veterinary advice may need to be sought in some cases where pregnancy symptoms are difficult to detect, or animals are to be identified as pregnant for sale.
All work must be carried out to comply with workplace procedures, work health and safety, animal welfare and biosecurity legislation and codes of practice and sustainability practices.
This unit applies to individuals who take responsibility for their own work and for the quality of the work of others within known parameters. They use discretion and judgement in the selection, allocation and use of available resources and provide and communicate solutions to a range of predictable and sometimes unpredictable problems.
All units of competency dealing with animals in the AHC Training Package have the requirements for animals to be handled humanely to minimise stress and discomfort.
No occupational licensing, legislative or certification requirements are known to apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Pre-requisite Unit
Nil.
Unit Sector
Livestock (LSK)
Elements and Performance Criteria
Element |
Performance criteria |
Elements describe the essential outcomes. |
Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Prepare for pregnancy testing |
1.1 Prepare physical resources, human resources and relevant documentation for pregnancy testing 1.2 Muster, yard and safely restrain animals in compliance with work health and safety, animal welfare and workplace procedures 1.3 Draft animals to be tested according to breeding or management program requirements |
2. Arrange support for pregnancy testing |
2.1 Assemble pregnancy testing supplies and equipment for the operators 2.2 Separate and restrain individual animals for veterinary treatment or examination 2.3 Undertake all handling and testing of animals with strict adherence to animal welfare codes of practice 2.4 Complete records of pregnancy testing operations in line with established procedures and report outcomes to management as required |
3. Carry out manual pregnancy diagnosis procedures |
3.1 Identify work health and safety hazards, assess risks and implement suitable controls while working with animals 3.2 Fit and use personal protective equipment in compliance with biosecurity and personal hygiene requirements 3.3 Humanely restrain individual animals for testing and check individual breeding records 3.4 Clean rectal area of animal prior to examination 3.5 Humanely and safely carry out rectal examination/palpation to establish pregnancy or non-pregnancy 3.6 Implement strict hygiene procedures between pregnancy testing individual animals in compliance with animal welfare and biosecurity requirements 3.7 Record identities and relevant details of animals tested 3.8 Observe and record other indicators of animal health for input to herd health management |
4. Carry out post pregnancy testing procedures |
4.1 Accurately identify animals diagnosed as pregnant or not pregnant 4.2 Consign all animals to their destination or return them to paddocks/pens in line with workplace requirements 4.3 Dispose of biological waste, debris and veterinary medicine waste in compliance with work health and safety, biosecurity and environmental requirements 4.4 Carry out regular monitoring of animals post pregnancy testing to detect post-testing complications |
Foundation Skills
Foundation Skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.
Range of Conditions
Unit Mapping Information
This unit is equivalent to AHCLSK408A Pregnancy test animals
Links
Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=c6399549-9c62-4a5e-bf1a-524b2322cf72