Research Interests
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences Clinical Education Nursing Nursing workforce Inclusive education Professional development and adult education Professions and professionalisation Curriculum and Pedagogy Assessment, development and evaluation of curriculum Patient safety Workforce transition and employment Cultural responsiveness and working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities educationTeaching Strengths
Dr Courtnay Baskerville
Program Director
School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences
College of Science
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.
Courtnay Baskerville is a veterinary nursing educator, researcher and academic leader whose work focuses on advancing veterinary nursing and technology through education, evidence and professional practice. With a PhD and extensive experience across veterinary nursing, higher education and clinical education, her teaching and research sit at the intersection of professional education, workforce development and the continued development of veterinary nursing and technology as a profession.
As an educator, Courtnay is committed to developing confident, capable and compassionate veterinary professionals. Her teaching is grounded in authentic, practice-focused learning and the deliberate development of professional competence, clinical reasoning, professional decision-making and identity. She has a particular interest in preparing learners for complex and emotionally demanding areas of veterinary practice through experiential and simulation-based learning, authentic assessment and psychologically safe learning environments.
Courtnay’s research extends these interests by examining how professional competence and capability develop across the transition from education to practice, and the educational, workplace and professional systems that enable veterinary nurses and technologists to contribute effectively within veterinary healthcare. Her work encompasses clinical governance and patient safety, Veterinary Nursing and Technology utilisation and role optimisation, team-based veterinary care and psychological safety, alongside professionalisation, regulation, recognition and development of the profession’s scholarly evidence base.
As Program Director of the Bachelor of Veterinary Technology, Courtnay provides academic leadership in curriculum development, professional standards, clinical education and workforce preparation. She takes a programmatic and evidence-informed approach to educational leadership, with a focus on ensuring curriculum remains responsive to contemporary veterinary practice while also preparing graduates for the evolving roles and opportunities of the profession.
Courtnay is an active supervisor and mentor of graduate researchers and particularly welcomes projects related to veterinary nursing and technology, veterinary nursing and technology education, professional competence and work readiness, professional identity, veterinary teams and workforce development. Her supervisory approach is supportive, collaborative and developmental, encouraging researchers to be curious, think critically and develop increasing independence and confidence in their own scholarly voice. She is particularly interested in supporting research that challenges assumptions, addresses meaningful problems in veterinary practice or education, and contributes new evidence to strengthen the veterinary nursing and technology profession.
Across her teaching, research, supervision and academic leadership, Courtnay is passionate about translating evidence into educational and professional systems that improve outcomes for learners, veterinary teams, the profession and, ultimately, the animals and communities they work with.
Courtnay's research focuses on advancing veterinary nursing and technology through education, evidence and professional practice. She is particularly interested in how veterinary nurses and technologists develop professional competence and capability, how they contribute effectively within veterinary healthcare teams, and the educational and professional systems that enable them to do so.
Her research takes a multidisciplinary approach spanning education, clinical practice, workforce development and professionalisation. A particular focus is the transition from education to practice and the development of veterinary nurses and technologists who can reason, make professional decisions, advocate for patients and contribute confidently and safely within contemporary veterinary healthcare.
Specific areas of research interest include:
- Professional competence and capability — how competence is conceptualised, developed and assessed in veterinary nursing and technology, including clinical reasoning, professional decision-making and transition to practice.
- Veterinary nursing and technology education — curriculum design, workplace and clinical learning, simulation-based education, authentic and competency-based assessment, and approaches that support the translation of learning into professional practice.
- Complex and emotionally demanding clinical practice — how education can prepare veterinary professionals for challenging areas of practice, including euthanasia and end-of-life care, emergency response, patient advocacy and difficult professional communication.
- Veterinary teams and psychological safety — team-based veterinary care, professional communication, role clarity, speaking up and the individual, interpersonal and organisational factors that create psychologically safe veterinary teams.
- Clinical governance and patient safety — the contribution of veterinary nurses and technologists to clinical reasoning, professional decision-making, patient advocacy, quality of care and safe veterinary practice.
- Veterinary Nurse and Technologist utilisation and role optimisation — how veterinary nurses and technologists are utilised within veterinary healthcare teams, barriers and enablers to working to full capability, and opportunities for evolving and advanced professional roles.
- Professional identity and professionalisation — the development of veterinary nursing and technology as a profession, including professional identity, regulation, recognition, scope of practice, workforce development and career pathways.
- Evidence-based veterinary nursing and technology — development of the profession's scholarly evidence base, research engagement and capacity, evidence-informed practice, and the generation and translation of research relevant to veterinary nursing and technology.
Current and Emerging Projects
Current and emerging projects include research examining the scholarly contribution of veterinary nurses and technologists and development of the profession's evidence base; work readiness and professional competence in veterinary nursing and technology graduates; education for euthanasia and end-of-life care; psychological safety and team-based veterinary practice; and the utilisation and optimisation of veterinary nurses and technologists within veterinary healthcare. Emerging work also explores the intersection of artificial intelligence, clinical reasoning and clinical governance.
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Potter, S. J., Bamford, N. J., Baskerville, C. L., Harris, P. A., & Bailey, S. R. (2022). Comparison of Feed Digestibility between Ponies, Standardbreds and Andalusian Horses Fed Three Different Diets. Veterinary Sciences, 9(1), 15. Scopus7 |
| 2021 | Rahnama, S., Spence, R., Vathsangam, N., Baskerville, C. L., Bailey, S. R., de Laat, M. A., . . . Sillence, M. N. (2021). Effects of insulin on IGF-1 receptors in equine lamellar tissue in vitro. Domestic Animal Endocrinology, 74, 9 pages. Scopus4 Europe PMC3 |
| 2019 | Bamford, N. J., Potter, S. J., Baskerville, C. L., Harris, P. A., & Bailey, S. R. (2019). Influence of dietary restriction and low-intensity exercise on weight loss and insulin sensitivity in obese equids. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 33(1), 280-286. Scopus56 Europe PMC39 |
| 2018 | Baskerville, C. L., Chockalingham, S., Harris, P. A., & Bailey, S. R. (2018). The effect of insulin on equine lamellar basal epithelial cells mediated by the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor. PeerJ, 6(11), 17 pages. Scopus17 |
| 2017 | Baskerville, C. L., Bamford, N. J., Harris, P. A., & Bailey, S. R. (2017). Comparison and validation of ELISA assays for plasma insulin-like growth factor-1 in the horse. Open Veterinary Journal, 7(1), 75-80. Scopus4 |
| 2016 | Bamford, N. J., Potter, S. J., Baskerville, C. L., Harris, P. A., & Bailey, S. R. (2016). Effect of increased adiposity on insulin sensitivity and adipokine concentrations in different equine breeds adapted to cereal-rich or fat-rich meals. Veterinary Journal, 214, 14-20. Scopus60 Europe PMC45 |
| 2015 | Bamford, N. J., Baskerville, C. L., Harris, P. A., & Bailey, S. R. (2015). Postprandial glucose, insulin, and glucagon-like peptide-1 responses of different equine breeds adapted to meals containing micronized maize. Journal of Animal Science, 93(7), 3377-3383. Scopus62 Europe PMC46 |
Courtnay is an experienced veterinary nursing educator whose teaching focuses on developing confident, capable and compassionate veterinary professionals. Her approach is grounded in authentic, practice-focused learning and the belief that students develop professional competence when they are appropriately challenged within supportive and psychologically safe learning environments.
Her teaching extends beyond the development of technical clinical skills to foster clinical reasoning, professional decision-making, patient advocacy, communication and professional identity. She has a particular interest in preparing students for complex and emotionally demanding areas of veterinary practice and uses simulation, experiential learning and authentic assessment to provide opportunities for students to practise, reflect and develop confidence before entering the clinical environment.
Courtnay takes a programmatic approach to curriculum design, deliberately scaffolding knowledge, clinical capability and professional responsibility across the student journey. Her teaching is evidence-informed and closely aligned with contemporary veterinary practice, professional competency standards and the evolving roles of veterinary nurses and technologists within veterinary healthcare teams.
Central to her teaching philosophy is creating learning environments in which students feel supported and understood while being encouraged to think critically, exercise professional judgement, seek and respond to feedback, and increasingly take responsibility for their own learning and practice. Ultimately, her teaching aims to develop graduates who are not only clinically competent, but curious, reflective and courageous professionals equipped to contribute meaningfully to their teams, their profession and the care of their veterinary patients.
Courtnay coordinates the following subjects in the Bachelor of Veterinary Technology:
- VETS1005 Veterinary Team Foundations
- VETS3020 Transition to the Veterinary Technology Profession
- VETS3006 Clinical Skills in Veterinary Technology
- VETS3010 Clinical Practice in Veterinary Technology
- VETS3007 Managing Animals in Emergencies
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Co-Supervisor | Strategies to create positive change in mental health and suicide prevention in the Veterinary professions(Veterinarians, Veterinary Nurses and Technologists) | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Mrs Janelle Trott |
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Exploring work readiness in veterinary nursing and technology education: preparing students for the transition to clinical work. | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Ms Alexsia Houridis |
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