May is Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month, a whole month dedicated to raising awareness of the veterinary nursing profession and the vital role they play in animal care and treatment.
Meg is our Student Nurse here at Donnachie and Townley and 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 started at Donnachie and Townley three years ago and I am currently studying at Rod Baston College.
- What attracted you to a career as a Veterinary Nurse?
I wanted to find a career doing something I’m passionate about, that would challenge me daily. I have definitely found that in Veterinary nursing.
- What does your job as Veterinary Nurse entail?
A typical day as a student veterinary nurse includes; admitting and examining patients, taking blood samples from patients and prepping them for surgery, calculating and drawing up pre-meds (under guidance of the veterinary surgeon), monitoring anaesthetics, recovering patients post-surgery, radiography, nurse clinics (weight checks, nail clips, post op checks etc), performing minor surgical procedures e.g. wound stitch ups (under the direction of the Veterinary Surgeon), feeding, walking and medicating inpatients, discharging patients, lots of cleaning and of course plenty of patient cuddles!
- What is the most rewarding thing about being a Vet Nurse?
Helping each patient through their illness/surgery and seeing their steps to recovery.
- What kind of attributes do you need to be a good Vet Nurse?
You need to be dedicated, caring, a team player and of course have a love for animals.
- What advice would you give someone thinking about a career as a Vet Nurse?
Despite popular belief, our job isn’t just cuddling puppies! It can be both emotionally and physically challenging, but definitely very rewarding and the puppy and kitten cuddles are a huge bonus!
- What are the best things about working at Donnachie and Townley practice?
Definitely the team, we work really well together and I have made some great friends in the past three years of working for D&T.
- What would be your career highlight so far?
Completing my first year of Veterinary Nurse training, looking forward to qualifying as a Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN).
- Have you completed any additional training to support you in your role?
Not yet.
- What’s the next step in your career pathway?
I am focussing on completing my training at the moment before choosing my next step!