Blog

Celebrating Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month

If you have popped in to Shepton or Wells Vets recently, or follow us on Social Media, then some of you may know that May is National Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month.   Every year the British Veterinary Nursing Association dedicates a whole Month on raising awareness of the Veterinary Nursing Profession and what it involves.  This year the theme is ‘Where can your RVN qualification take you’.

An ‘RVN’ is a Registered Veterinary Nurse, who has undergone 3 years (approx) of training and is listed on the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) register.  All of our qualified nurses at Shepton and Wells Vets have completed this training, with our student nurses treading a similar path.

In practice, a veterinary nurse’s role can vary from one day to the next. No two days are truly the same. For example, at Shepton and Wells Vets our nurses could find themselves; in theatre monitoring anaesthesia, assisting the veterinary surgeons during an operation and taking radiographs (X-rays). Our nurses are also responsible for nursing patients back to full health including; administering medications, placing intravenous catheters, taking and running blood samples and recovering patients from operations.  Other responsibilities include; conducting effective nurse consultations such as parasite control, weight clinics and even the occasional cuddle with a new puppy or kitten!

As a qualified veterinary nurse, it is mandatory that we complete 15 hours of continual professional development per year (45 hours over 3 years) in order to stay on the RCVS register.  However, with this in mind, many RVN’s will use this time to explore areas of personal interest and often bring their new found knowledge back to use in practice.  Areas of interest can include; exotics, radiography and laboratory. Some nurses will even go on to achieve post qualifications in; animal behaviour, dentistry, nutrition, anaesthesia, surgical nursing, medical nursing and emergency critical care.

But once qualified as a veterinary nurse, the possibilities really are endless. A qualified veterinary nurse can go on to work in a referral centre, veterinary  hospital, mixed practices (farm and small animal), equine practice, rescue and rehoming centres and even at a Safari Park or a Zoo as a RVN .  Similarly, an RVN qualification is recognised and respected around the world. Many RVN’s will use their skills and expertise to educate owners overseas about animal health and welfare. Volunteering with neutering charities, vaccination projects and rescue centres are all very rewarding and invaluable when trying to raise awareness of the profession.

However, for some, a career away from general practice is also tempting and although very much still in the minority some veterinary nurses are now buying into practices and becoming partners in their own right. Many RVN’s will go on to pursue other avenues in animal health and welfare. For example physiotherapy or hydrotherapy, practice managers, teaching, pharmaceutical representatives and even journalism!

So, where has the RVN qualification taken some of our nurses here at Shepton and Wells Vets?

In our practice, we are have 7 qualified nurses and 3 trainee nurses who are on hand to care for your pets 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Amongst the team we have a nurse who is a certificate holder in Anaesthesia, a nurse who has a certificate in Feline Nursing, a nurse who is a Nutritional Advisor, a qualified Dog Groomer, 2 Clinical Coaches (responsible for training new students) and 3 nurses who have a specialist interest in exotics (including Reptiles, Tortoises, Rabbits and Guinea Pigs).

So, with this in mind, please feel free to come into Shepton or Wells Vets and have a chat with our friendly team. As veterinary nurses we love to chat about animals, so whether you want to discuss a pet problem, or ask advice about a career as a veterinary nurse, or simply to show off your beloved pets, then feel free to drop by or make an appointment with one of our team.  

Make sure you follow our Facebook page for posts about our nursing team this month!