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Today an increasing number of people who own pets are becoming familiar with the sight
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of the veterinary nurse in their local practice.
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Veterinary Nursing is a rewarding career that offers variety and daily contact with animals
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and their owners.
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As a qualified Veterinary Nurse you will be responsible for the welfare, comfort and
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recovery of animals that may have undergone trauma, surgery or are receiving treatment for
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medical conditions.
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You will be trained to a high level to enable you to work in all aspects of the veterinary
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practice from reception through to the operating theatre.
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The majority of Veterinary Nurses work in small animal practice, which is a practice that
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predominantly treats cats, dogs and small animals such as rabbits and rodents as well
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as the occasional reptile.
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Like their counterpart in the NHS, Veterinary Nurses must be prepared to work long and
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often unsociable hours when the occasion demands. The work can be physically
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demanding and Veterinary Nurses must be versatile enough to turn their hands to the
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many aspects of veterinary practice like the reception work you see here.
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The receptionist is the first contact the client has with the practice and must make a
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favourable impression.
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It’s important to be of smart appearance at all times as well as being cheerful, patient and
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helpful.
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Owners can often be in an emotional state when their pets are unwell. And the good
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Veterinary Nurse must be able to deal with such situations sympathetically. Imagine how
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you would feel if your own pet had been involved in a road traffic accident for example.
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The Veterinary Nurse is admitting this patient for an operation, the procedure is discussed
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with the owner and a consent form signed.
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Another important role of the Veterinary Nurse is to assist the Veterinary Surgeon in surgery.
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Here we see two nurses assisting with an operation one is monitoring the level of
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anaesthetic that is being administered to the patient while the other is scrubbed in and
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assisting the surgeon as an extra pair of hands.
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Some operations do not require this type of assistance from the nurse, but in the majority
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of instances the maintenance of anaesthesia by the nurse is essential and is obviously an
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extremely responsible job.
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This area is called the prep room and many of the simple, non-surgical operations are
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performed here. This cat is having his teeth de-scaled by a Veterinary Nurse, he was first
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of all anaesthetised by a Vet who also examined his mouth and removed any bad
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teeth. The Veterinary Nurse continues the procedure by removing the plaque from the
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remaining teeth whilst one of her colleagues continues to monitor the cat’s anaesthetic.
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This rabbit has been sedated in order for the Vet to burr its teeth. The Veterinary Nurse is
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assisting by holding the animal and monitoring its heart rate and breathing.
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This nurse is assisting the vet in administering chemotherapy to a patient.
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It’s often necessary to take x-rays, more properly called radiographs, of animals in
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order to diagnose problems such as broken bones. Most practices have their own x-ray
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machine, and the Veterinary Nurse is usually responsible for positioning the animal and
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taking the x-ray. In this, as in all aspects of the job, proper training is essential, not only
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for good standards of work, but also to comply with health & safety regulations.
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After undergoing an operation the patient is moved to a recovery area where the nurse will
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be responsible for monitoring its progress. Nursing of patients is considered by many
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nurses to be the most rewarding aspect of the job.
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Most Veterinary Surgeons dispense the necessary drugs for the animals in their care
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rather than only giving the owner a prescription. This means keeping and
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managing a large stock of medicines and tablets. The dispensing and ordering of these
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is often the initial responsibility of the Veterinary Nurse who then reports back to the
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surgeon.
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Many practices have computerised ordering systems as well as a computer which stores
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client records.
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In addition, the Veterinary Nurse may have to carry out certain laboratory tests.
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Some Veterinary Nurses choose to train and work for one of the welfare organisations. The
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role of the nurse here is similar to that in small animal practice except that the animals
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they care for may not have an owner or the owner may not be able to afford private
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veterinary medicine. Working in this field may sometimes require great mental fortitude as
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animals are sometimes presented in a very poor state physically and in some cases
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euthanasia is the only option. However, the rewards when a patient is successfully treated
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by the Veterinary Surgeon and nursed back to health by the nurse to be returned to a
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grateful owner are tremendous.
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There are occasionally opportunities for the Veterinary Nurse to work in an equine
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practice, although this type of practice is much less common than the small animal
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practice which we’ve just seen.
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The duties of this nurse in this field may include stable management and assisting with
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radiography and surgery. Experience with horses is an obvious advantage.
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Opportunities in large animal practice, which is working with farm animals, are very limited.
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Most of these practices are known as mixed practices, in other words, they provide a
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service for both pet owners and farmers.
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The Veterinary Nurse in these practices will deal with the farmers when they phone up or
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come in for drugs and will occasionally be required to assist with procedures on a farm
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animal; these are most commonly performed on the farm.
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So what about training? The entry requirements are a minimum of 5 GCSE’s at
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Grade C or above which must include English language, science and mathematics.
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Alternative qualifications of a comparable or higher standard may be accepted and these
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would be checked on initial enrolment.
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There are two different routes to qualifying as a Veterinary Nurse. The Level 3 Diploma in
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Veterinary Nursing comprises a core and two option pathways, one in small animal nursing
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and one in equine nursing. Training can be undertaken via an apprenticeship, which
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means you work as a student VN in practice and attend college part time, or by joining a
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full time course at college and undertaking clinical placements in veterinary practice.
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You must complete at least 60 full-time weeks of work experience in veterinary practice
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alongside completing work based clinical skills using a Nursing Progress Log (NPL).
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Alternatively, you can undertake a Veterinary Nursing Foundation or BSc Honours Degree
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at University. Training takes between three and four years depending upon the type of
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course you choose.
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You will also undertake a number of different examinations and assessment which will
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include written and practical examinations, college examinations, assignments and work
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based assessments.
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Once qualified, nurses are placed on the register kept by the Royal College of
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Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), they are entitled to use the initials RVN (Registered Veterinary
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Nurse) after their name and can perform all the procedures described in schedule 3 of the
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Veterinary Surgeons act.
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After qualification, Veterinary Nurses will find a rewarding career ahead of them. Nurses
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may choose to develop an interest in different aspects of animal health, such as behaviour,
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alternative therapy or may choose to further develop their skills by studying the Diploma in
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Advanced Veterinary Nursing focussing on areas such as anaesthesia, radiography or
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intensive care nursing.
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Veterinary Nurses may choose to embark on a career in nursing and work in large veterinary
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hospitals, universities or specialist referral centres. They may also take on a veterinary
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practice management role or become a veterinary drugs company representative.
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Many RVN’s may also elect to follow a career in education and become college tutors and
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lecturers thus teaching the next generation of veterinary nurses.
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Many Veterinary Nurses are members of the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA)
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The BVNA was formed in 1965 and is the only
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representative body for veterinary nurses in the UK.
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BVNA’s main objective is to promote animal health and welfare through the on-going
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development of professional excellence in veterinary nursing.
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Membership is open to all veterinary nurses, trainees and interested persons.
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The staff at the head office in Harlow will be only too pleased to help you with any
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enquiries that you may have.