Nursing staff

Ashleigh has dedicated her career to emergency veterinary care, beginning in 2013 as an overnight animal attendant with the emergency service at a specialist hospital while completing her Cert IV. After graduating in 2015, she immediately stepped into Emergency and Critical Care nursing.

Joining UVTHS in 2017 as an ECC nurse, Ashleigh progressed to the role of ECC Nurse Unit Coordinator in 2021. Beyond her professional life, she shares her home with her baby angel Cavoodle, Peanut, and two rescued cats, Martin and Audrey.

MSc, BSc (hons) RVN

Becky completed her BSc (hons) in veterinary nursing in 2010 at the Royal Veterinary College, London. After graduating, she worked at the University’s referral hospital in the internal medicine department for 5 years.

During this time, Becky also completed a MSc in veterinary nursing, becoming the first nurse to hold this qualification. Becky then broadened her skill set working at Bristol University’s hospital for one year in the theatre, anaesthesia and medicine teams.

Becky then packed her bags for a year of travelling around Australia’s stunning red centre and scenic coastlines. She worked at multiple practices and volunteered at a desex clinic in the Gili Islands, Indonesia.

Ending her travel year in Sydney, Becky settled into her current role as an ECC nurse and Nurse Unit Coordinator at UVTHS, making Sydney her permanent home along with her beloved Havanese pup, Billie.

Nicole brings six years of broad veterinary nursing experience to UVTHS, previously working in general practice, shelter, and specialty nursing roles. She earned her Cert IV in veterinary nursing in 2018 and has a keen interest in pursuing additional qualifications for an ECC nurse specialty in the future.

Outside of work, Nicole spends her downtime with Dimi, her 6-year-old rescue greyhound, or at reformer Pilates classes.

Adela's veterinary journey began with the completion of her Certificate IV in 2009, followed by four years of experience at a small vet hospital in Liverpool. After a break to start a family and raise three boys, she reignited her passion for animal welfare and joined UVTHS in 2016.

Adela has worked across multiple services at UVTHS, including in primary care, surgery, and ultimately finding her calling with the emergency and critical care team.

Ide graduated with her veterinary nursing degree in Ireland in 2018, starting her career in a mixed practice where she worked both in-clinic and on the road. In February 2020, Ide relocated to Australia with aspirations to continue her career in veterinary care. She spent four months as a Maternity Tech on a farm, providing crucial support to pregnant cows through medication administration, delivery assistance, and the care of newborn calves.

Since April 2021, Ide has been a valued member of the UVTHS emergency and critical care team.

Veterinary Nursing Certificate, Domestic Animal Care

One of the most longstanding members of the UVTHS Nursing team, Rhonda joined the UVTHS as a veterinary nurse in 1986 & continues to work as one of our Primary Care nurses; her special interest is veterinary dermatology.

During her time here she has completed TAFE training in both domestic animal care and veterinary nursing. Rhonda not only looks after the patients at UVTHS, she also looks after the people employed here, as she is our WHS Officer.

Rhonda has a Chihuahua cross foxy ‘Chelsea’ and has recently adopted one of the UVTHS retired feline blood donors ‘Bruno’.

Certificate IV Veterinary Nursing

Amanda has worked in the animal industry for 8 years. She started her Veterinary Nursing career in a small practice North West of Sydney.

She joined the Imaging department at UVTHS in August 2014 after gaining her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. She is responsible for DX images, Fluoroscopy and has a special interest in training future veterinarians.

Amanda’s spare time is spent being outdoors, shooting target archery or spending time with her 3 dogs.

Veterinary Nursing Certificate

Kelly completed her Veterinary Nursing Certificate in 1993 and spent 15 years in a busy private practice as the head nurse and manager of the Burwood Animals Rescue Kennels. The no-kill shelter re-homed abandoned and neglected animals within the Burwood Council district.

As a result of her interest in animal behaviour she has completed her Certificate IV in Companion Animal Service and is an Accredited Instructor with Delta Society Australia.

Her dog training business ‘Love on a Leash’ was established and Kelly runs Puppy Preschool classes and private consultations to manage basic obedience and behavioural issues in dogs.

Kelly spent 9 months in a veterinary specialist centre before joining the UVTHS team in 2005 and can often be heard singing her favourite Prince songs through the corridors.

Certificate III Captive Animal Management, Certificate IV Veterinary Nursing

Rebecca joined UVTHS in early 2010 as an ICU nurse. Before this she worked for a number of years at Kirrawee Vet Hospital, Ku-ring-gai Veterinary Hospital and as the senior nurse at Roseville vet clinic. Rebecca completed her certificate of veterinary nursing in 1996.

In 2004 Bec spent a year teaching Dressage in London’s Hyde Park Stables and travelling the UK and Europe. Bec also spent some time volunteering in Borneo with the endanged Sun bears and Orangutans.  When not working, Rebecca surfs, dives, trains in Taikido and spoils her cats Henry and William.

Certificate IV Veterinary Nursing

Lydia gained her New Zealand Certificate in veterinary nursing in 2002. For Lydia’s first six years of nursing she worked at the busy Auckland SPCA. Since this time Lydia has enjoyed a variety of different nursing roles in New Zealand, England and Melbourne including but not limited to a Specialist Surgical Nurse and Practice Manager.

Having moved to Sydney in September 2015 to join our SAVES team at the UVTH; she is looking forward to learning new skills from her experienced colleagues and all the challenges this role will bring.

Lydia is looking forward to making Sydney her new home and exploring the sights with her energetic Boston Terrier named Pepper.

Associate Diploma in Animal Technology

Jo obtained her Associate Diploma in Animal Technology from Ultimo TAFE in 2001, and joined the UVTHS as an ICU veterinary nurse in April, 2003.

Jo then moved on to work with the medicine specialist team where she continues to work as one of our medicine nurses.

Like most nurses, she has a menagerie, which keeps her busy (a dog, a cat, a rabbit and assorted fish). She also enjoys being outdoors, reading and spending time with her two sons.

Jenna has over 8 years of experience as a veterinary nurse with a keen interest in all things surgery.

She first discovered she wanted to be a vet nurse while volunteering at an animal sanctuary in Thailand during her gap year in 2015. She returned home to study in 2016 and has since travelled to South East Asia several times to participate in more volunteering programs.

She has 2 rescue furbabies. Jinny is a 7 year old scruffy mixed breed doggo and her cat Olive, who is a foster fail from her time working at a rescue shelter.

In her spare time, Jenna loves to go scuba diving, discovering the underwater world and meeting all the different types of marine life.

Betty graduated with a Bachelors in Animal and Veterinary Bioscience from the University of Sydney in 2021 with a First Class Honours for her research into the health issues faced by the Australian dog population. She has since joined UVTHS and has worked in the surgery department for the past three years. Driven by her passion for animal health, Betty's work as a Surgical Assistant largely revolves around ensuring your pets are looked after while in the operating room and ensuring the surgeons are kept happy while operating. She is responsible for preparing all the equipment needed for every surgery, keeping a high level of sterility and cleanliness to minimise patient infections and maintaining our machinery in the operating room.

To further her knowledge, she is pursuing a Certificate in Veterinary Nursing and teaching workshops as she regularly provides surgery education for our Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students to satisfy her love for teaching.

Betty is also a dedicated pet parent of a 3 year old Border Collie, Mili, who experiences refractory epileptic seizures.