Dear Reader
Hopefully the cold snap is now behind us and we can look forward to Spring in earnest! I have been persuaded to join our village community allotment scheme and will be spending the coming months fighting off the wide spectrum of pests and weeds that threaten the welfare of the carrots, onions and soft fruits! A completely new vocabulary must also be learned including such terms as mulching, double-digging and grafting, let’s hope it will all be worth it!
Spring also brings the first of the veterinary congresses, BSAVA, (and WSAVA this year), will provide plenty of opportunity for great nursing CPD but I am really looking forward to our own congress in the Autumn. Having visited the venue in Telford I am confident that delegates will be impressed by the facilities and details of the forthcoming programme are available in this issue of the VNJ.
Also inside you will find the nomination forms for BVNA Council, I’m pleased to see in RCVS News that VN Council has received three nominations for two places and I would hope that we can at least match that this year! I will be stepping down from Council at this year’s AGM, partly in order to make way for the fresh ideas and enthusiasm that new members will bring to the role as Council must be a dynamic institution to meet the needs of its membership. I would urge you to think about whether you would be able to spend the time working for your representative association. I can assure you that it’s a worthwhile and stimulating experience and the fringe benefits are that you meet a great bunch of people as well!
One of the highlights of the Spring term at Langford for me are the BVSc bandaging practicals, in part as they give me the opportunity to inculcate the advantages of the creme de la creme of breeds, the Border Terrier, to third year veterinary students whilst they are still impressionable. Whilst not exactly a bid for world domination I would like to think that every little counts in my drive to spread the word! Having said that, I have just visited the cinema to see ‘The Artist’ and the star of the film was undoubtedly the little Jack Russell, what a shame there are no Oscars for non human actors!
Whilst on the subject of dog breeds, I was really pleased to see that Claire Fraser’s choice for BVNA Charity of the Year involves the Greyhound. In my experience they are very civilised and make great companions, provided they can reach an ‘accommodation’ with any cats in the household!
Finally, there is also news in this issue of the decision to increase the length of National VN Week. It was decided to implement this change to make it easier for practices and nurses to fit their planned events into the actual timeframe. Over the years, this initiative has gone from strength to strength and it’s an ideal opportunity to raise the profile of the qualified veterinary nurse so why not start planning now?
Author
Sue Badger MEd CertEd VN Executive Editor
To cite this editorial use either
DOI: 10.111 l/j.2045-0648.2012.00148.x or Veterinary Nursing Journal Vol 27 pp 78
• VOL 27 • March 2012 • Veterinary Nursing Journal