Bev Hawkins is our Senior Nurse and Behaviourist here at Donnachie & Townley and, for Veterinary Nurse Awareness Month, she kindly took time out to tell us about life as a vet nurse.
How long have you been a Vet Nurse and what route did you follow to qualify?
I have been a vet nurse for 16 years and worked at Donnachie & Townley for 20 years. I did my vet nurse training over a three year period at Rodbaston College.
What attracted you to a career as a Veterinary Nurse?
My first ever job was at Amerton Farm looking after the animals. Doing this job made me realise I had a love for caring for different animals. I first went to Rodbaston College and completed an Advanced Diploma in Animal Care but this was not enough and I realised I wanted to care for sick and injured animals so went into nursing.
What does your job as an Emergency and Critical Care Clinical Lead entail?
My job as a vet nurse entails so much more than I first thought. The list is very long. We provide support to animals and their owners through many different situations. We assist with surgical procedures. We nurse animals back to good health. We educate owners from nutrition to behavioural advice. We do nurse consultation, radiography, dispense medications, assist with emergencies and so much more.
What is the most rewarding thing about being a Vet Nurse?
The most rewarding things about being a vet nurse is reuniting your patients with their owners and seeing that unconditional bond, and the happiness you see when they realise their pet is going to be ok.
What kind of attributes do you need to be a good Vet Nurse?
To be a good vet nurse you need to be hard working, kind, patient, thoughtful and willing to go above and beyond for patients and their owners. Teamwork is also very important.
What advice would you give someone thinking about a career as a Vet Nurse?
The advice I would give to anyone wanting to be a vet nurse would be to work hard, get as much experience as you can, enjoy what you do, and the rest we can work on.
What are the best things about working at Donnachie & Townley?
The best thing about working at D&T is the team spirit. We have a fantastic caring team that makes D&T such a lovely practice to work for. A place is only as good as the team that is running it.
What would be your career highlight so far?
My career highlight so far was delivering 10 Great Dane puppies as sole nurse on an emergency call out working with one vet. It was hard work but well worth it.
Have you completed any additional training to support you in your role?
I also have an Advanced Diploma in Companion Behaviour, and I love this side of my job.
What’s the next step in your career pathway?
I will continue to keep pushing myself to achieve my goals in my vet nurse career.