BVNA will once again be holding an election for 2023. There are 6 nominations in total for full (RVN) seats and 4 nominations for student seats. The coming term has just three full (RVN) seats and two student seats available, so we would like you to meet this year’s candidates…
I am a second-year veterinary nurse student and I have been in the veterinary industry for 7 years in total.
In 2016, I joined the PDSA as a VCA, serving in that role for five years before being offered a position as a student veterinary nurse.
Being a charity veterinary practice, the PDSA has opened up a lot of experiences and learning curves for me. Some of these I wish to share with my fellow veterinary nurses and carry them with me as I continue my nursing career.
As a VCA and an SVN, I became aware of how much work SVNs and VNs do and how undervalued they are. One of my passions is raising awareness about veterinary nurses and their role within the industry. I believe that Schedule 3 procedures to be implemented more within practices.
I am also passionate about the health and well-being of veterinary nurses; I work in an extremely busy practice which can become very overwhelming both physically and emotionally draining. With working through the pandemic and becoming a student I have realized how hectic, overwhelming, and sometimes difficult life can I get. Therefore, I believe mental, physical and emotional health should be taken seriously within the industry. I am currently trying to improve well-being within my practice by organizing work social events, a memories board where photos are put from social events and games within the practice. I hope to provide support and resources for RVNS and SVNS who struggle with their wellbeing.
As a student I have noticed that there is a lack of support for SVN education, therefore I believe that SVNS should have access to CPD allowance or financial support to help further their education and to help more with their studies.
I am a first year Student Veterinary Nurse working in a first opinion hospital, and have previous experience as a nursing assistant in a referral centre, where I have met so many amazing and inspiring veterinary nurses. I am passionate about improving feline wellbeing in practice; I am an ISFM member and I am hoping to become my practice’s new cat advocate. I am also interested in becoming a clinical coach once I qualify as I enjoy teaching others about veterinary nursing,
One of the reasons I wish to be a part of BVNA council is the contrast I have noticed between the amazing work that veterinary nurses do and how we are often treated, in terms of public perception (we are not just cleaners/ mini vets!) and the low salary we are expected to just accept as, “it has always been that way”. We are deserving of more recognition and appropriate reimbursement for our extensive skills, the long hours we work, and the emotional toll this career can take. I believe that the best way to combat these issues is by being a part of the BVNA council, to make our voices heard as veterinary nurses.
Furthermore, I am passionate about mental wellbeing and addressing the levels of compassion fatigue in our field. I have suffered from anxiety and depression for years, so I know first-hand the extra challenges this brings to veterinary nursing, and it is no coincidence that the levels of mental illness among veterinary professionals are high. It is something we, as a profession, need to confront head on and develop some initiatives to tackle it. Whilst I applaud movements such as “Not One More Vet”, I believe that veterinary nurses deserve the same initiatives, and if elected to BVNA council this is something I will raise.
I have wanted to work in the animal industry since the age of 10 when I told my parents I wanted to be a ‘monkeyologist’, (something we still joke about to this day). Whilst gaining my Level 3 Extended Diploma in Animal Management and Behaviour at Hartpury College I undertook three weeks of work experience at the PDSA, where I discovered Veterinary Nursing. Five years later, I am an enthusiastic and dedicated third-year Veterinary Nursing and Companion Animal Behaviour student at the University of Bristol, which makes me incredibly proud.
Beginning a veterinary career is exciting, alongside which comes highly intellectual workloads, daunting new placements, advanced responsibilities, and exams. I am not ashamed to say I was terrified to start my third-year placement and at times have felt overwhelmed and struggled with my work-life balance. I want to help end the stigma associated with mental health and reassure others that it’s ok not to be ok all the time. I want to encourage frequent and open conversations surrounding wellbeing and stress, helping push SVNs to the current resources available at the BVNA and facilitate new ideas for improving our support network and management of mental health.
I feel there is a lack of awareness within SVNs surrounding the BVNA and the amazing resources that are available to us. The BVNA provides an opportunity to connect passionate SVNs with wider veterinary professionals to shape professional identity, discover passions, build confidence, and provide a space to discuss innovative ideas!
Becoming a veterinary nurse is an exciting time and I would be honoured to represent the student voice for the BVNA to connect more SVNs with our ever-evolving, inspiring profession.
“I started my nursing journey 8 years ago by volunteering with the RSPCA in order to be accepted onto an ACA college course. The twoyear course required a placement within a veterinary practice, which I managed to secure on a voluntary basis, as well as GCSE maths, which I took as a night course, alongside my permanent job and being a single parent. On qualifying I was unable to find a role as a VCA, so applied to undertake the level 3 Veterinary Nursing diploma. I was unable to secure a placement practice so after a year of trying, I applied to Harper Adams University. I didn’t have the qualifications for the course, so I was required to take an access year course first and needed to gain over a 70% grade to progress onto BSc Veterinary Nursing. Within my first year of University, I was diagnosed with dyslexia, but despite this I was one of the three people that managed to progress onto the Veterinary Nursing degree. It has been worth every single obstacle. Alongside University, I continued to work in practice while also working at Vets Now as a VCA.
I’m an admin of a SVN group on Facebook that has over 7,000 members, and I enjoy bringing students together, sharing advice and often post CPD resources in the group, hoping to help fellow students. As a student member of the BVNA council I hope to encourage ACAs and SVNs in their development and passion within the profession. I used to believe that I was incapable of becoming a Veterinary Nurse due to my inadequate qualifications from school, but through hard work and my passion for animal care, I have been able to prove myself wrong and hopefully I can inspire others, that it is possible to achieve.
I have been working as a veterinary nurse in a small animal hospital for the last 7 years. Every time that I put on my green uniform, I am proud to call myself a Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN). This is the pride and joy that I want every veterinary nurse to feel when they head out to work, and why I am standing for the BVNA council.
As veterinary nurses, we are an integral part of the industry, and no nurse should ever feel undervalued or experience imposter syndrome during their career. Over the past couple of years, the industry has been massively strained as a result of the shortage of RVN’s, with a vast number of nurses leaving and a lack of new nurses entering the industry.
To help combat this, I am very passionate about improving diversity and inclusivity amongst nurses. As a British Indian, I have personally experienced the difficulties of working as a person of colour in a less diverse environment. I want to help encourage these types of conversations and look at ways in which the industry can adapt to encourage more diversity and to be more inclusive. Diversification can help spark innovation and provide new perspectives, which will help all of our nurses to grow and develop together.
I am devoted to caring for animals, and that is why I am so passionate about saving our career and in turn, our industry. If I was given the honour of joining the BVNA council, I would be sure to use my voice to help all nurses. I want to help the association with creating positive changes for veterinary nurses, to improve employee retention and protect our RVN’s.
Now is the time to act for change and to save our industry.
“I am extremely proud to be a Veterinary Nurse & to work within an exceptionally talented profession. I qualified in 2006 & I have an extensive clinical background as a Referral DipAVN, working in anaesthesia, ECC & surgical specialties. I now work in academia/education, with experience in teaching SVNs and animal health & science degree students.
As a Council member, I want to advocate mental & physical wellbeing and promote standards of excellence for both VN education and professional development.
It is increasingly important for VNs to have accessible resources for mental health & wellbeing support. I’m passionate to contribute towards the BVNA’s toolkits & raise awareness of mental & physical health, chronic illness & disabilities.
Through articles & podcasts, I’ve shared the intimate challenges of my own disabilities and chronic disorders; my personal experience can offer support to fellow VNs. Additional industry pressures also need addressing to improve daily & mental wellbeing e.g. pay, work life balance, title recognition.
I’m a self-confessed ‘academia nerd’ at heart! I am passionate for academic writing, EBVM & providing education as a speaker & lecturer. I believe in proactively nurturing our knowledgebase & continually advancing professional skills. This enables us to adopt current & best practice for nursing & patient care excellence.
I hope to positively influence VN professional development alongside personal confidence & growth. Today’s Veterinary Nurses should feel empowered to take that next career step & explore their own passions & specialisms.
I would work to supplement & elevate CPD quality & standards, incorporating specialisms & improved accessibility for practising VNs. I strongly feel that Educators & Clinical Supervisors need improved support networks for their roles to include access to current materials, literature & interactive training platforms. We need to provide outstanding mentorship for our future generations of VNs!
“Hi, I’m Vic, I started in mixed practice back in 2005 and qualified in 2008. Since qualifying I have worked predominantly in referral with a year spent working as a night nurse at an emergency Out of hours practice before returning to referral.
For the last 8 years I have been the team leader of the Internal Medicine department. Some of the standard diagnostic procedures my team carry out include radiographs, ultrasound, and endoscopy, I also manage the first radioiodine unit within the Northwest.
Last year I became a clinical coach and after completing a teaching qualification started working at a nursing school part time teaching the level 3 nursing diploma – both of which I absolutely love!
It has been very exciting being part of and seeing the veterinary industry progress over the past two decades but most of all I have loved being able to see the veterinary nurse’s role and responsibilities develop.
If elected I would like to work to further the following areas:
Firstly, I would like to investigate ways we can retain nurses, how we can stay motivated and advance our skillset within the veterinary practice and how the veterinary nurse’s role can grow further.
Secondly, I would like to look at developing ways to further support our fantastic SVN’s. Providing resources such as revision aids and reliable sources of up-to-date information. Also, ways in which we can make their revision fun i.e., Looking at ways to incorporate relaxation and entertainment in OSCE revision to lower the high levels of stress and anxiety students feel.
And finally, and a subject that I feel is important to everyone is protecting our VN title and increasing public awareness of the critical roles that RVN’s play.
“Hello there! As my second attempt at the council election, I’m still super excited to share my vision, optimism, and excitement to begin forging positive changes in our profession. As a small animal RVN with over eight years of experience in practice, I seize any opportunity to expand my skills and knowledge, such as working additional out-of-hours shifts and becoming a clinical coach for SVNs and VCAs later this year. I recognise how hard we work and care as RVNs; we deserve to be acknowledged and rewarded for our awesome contributions.
- Brightening everyone’s work-life balance and reinforcing the retention of RVNs are the most vital issues we face.
- We must work together to find solutions that benefit all veterinary nurses and are fair, sustainable, and effective.
- I will commit to working tirelessly as a strong voice for our community, helping to develop education and advancement opportunities, such as greater Schedule 3 utilisation for those that desire it.
- I will also advocate bolstering our support networks and resources for mental health and well-being where it is needed, both at work and home.
A supportive work environment where RVNs feel valued and appreciated can ensure that RVNs continue to provide high-quality care and positively impact their local communities. In addition, we must strive to make our profession more inclusive and welcoming to all. We can create a stronger and more vibrant profession by promoting diversity and inclusivity.
I would love the privilege to collaborate with other council members, professionals, and paraprofessionals to implement everyone’s ideas, driving our profession forward. I am keen to learn from others to develop my skills and experience. So please vote for me if you share my vision for our profession.
“I am extremely proud to be a Registered Veterinary Nurse and to be a part of a progressive profession. I started my career 12 years ago, qualifying in 2013 at the College of Animal Welfare. My 10 years as an RVN have been a rollercoaster, working in small animal practices, emergency clinics, charity clinics in the UK and abroad both as a locum and permanent. To be on the front line seeing the development of the veterinary nursing profession has been inspiring, and it is exciting to see the future.
Since entering the profession, I have completed several courses, the latest being the PgCert AVN in emergency and critical care. I have also recently participated in an interview for VN Futures. My journey within education and practice has allowed me to network within the profession. Thus, giving me an insight into the diversity of the profession, and the importance of allowing veterinary nurses to recognise their greatness and overall role within the veterinary industry.
I hope to promote the veterinary nursing profession, by educating the public and the veterinary profession. We are not just nurses. We are a supportive community, a developing profession, and an advocate for animal welfare. Our roles are a vital component so we should shout about it!
Evidenced based veterinary medicine is an area that I am passionate about. Development within this area allows us to excel and provide the gold standard of care. I believe veterinary nurses can excel within this role. Providing nurses with the knowledge, and tools to evaluate and implement evidenced based nursing can help greatly with job satisfaction, and value within the profession.
Overall, I would like to provide the tools for veterinary nurses to develop their skills and allow them to get the recognition they deserve.
I qualified as an RVN via the diploma route over 20 years ago and have had a varied career to date incorporating the charity sector, referral, ECC and working overseas in Australia and Slovenia. I am passionate about improving clinical standards through evidence-based practice and ongoing learning and it’s an integral part of my current role as a lead nurse and clinical supervisor.
I love all things anaesthesia and I am due to complete the new Advanced Certificate in Veterinary Nursing (Anaesthesia) with Harper Adams University this summer. The development of the post registration framework by the RCVS VN futures project is vital for the continued progression of VN’s and is something that I wholeheartedly support. A clear career pathway is fundamental in empowering nurses to become specialised in specific areas, and so helping to tackle the ongoing challenges facing retention and job satisfaction.
Currently many of us are facing unprecedented demand for veterinary services leading to increased stress levels and a lack of work/life balance. It has never been more important to ensure that we are taking care of ourselves as well as our colleagues and so the Mind Matters initiative is an invaluable resource for those who need additional support. I believe embracing flexible working and an open and supportive working environment is key in reducing chronic stress and the risk of developing burnout.
Whilst so much has changed over the past 21 years, my passion for the profession and our patients remains as strong as ever. It would be an honour to be a voice for both current and future vet nurses and to have the opportunity to continue the fight to “Protect the title” and gain the recognition that we deserve.
