Where do you see your profession heading? Do you have strong views about where you want to be in five or ten years? Nows your chance to have your say in the future of your profession, as the new VN Futures project launches its roadshow. Lizzie Lockett, Director of Strategic Communications at the RCVS, explains.

The VN profession now has its own ‘Futures’ project, a companion initiative to Vet Futures. VN Futures is powered by the RCVS VN Council and the BVNA, and will help the VN profession shape its future, with a view to launching an action plan at the Vet Futures summit on 4 July 2016.

Vet Futures launched its report – Taking charge of our future: a vision for the veterinary profession for 2030 – on 20 November 2015 at the British Veterinary Association Congress (within the London Vet Show). The report includes 34 recommendations, of which one is to “encourage veterinary nurse leaders to develop a report and recommendations which are directly relevant to veterinary nurses and their future…”.

Following an historic joint meeting between the RCVS VN Council and BVNA Council in October 2015 to discuss the draft report, the VN Futures project was born, to take this recommendation forward.

Get involved

The VN Futures project is running a roadshow of five evening meetings to engage with VNs and those involved in the profession, to which all members of the veterinary team are welcome.

It’s the first time that the RCVS and BVNA have worked together on such a major project, and Liz Cox, Chair of the RCVS VN Council, is excited by the prospect: “I am delighted that the two organisations are collaborating on this important project, which should have a real impact on the future of the profession. While we each have our different and specific roles, working together we can develop a blueprint for the future of the profession that will have real breadth and depth.

“I am looking forward to working with the BVNA and other organisations represented on our Action Group to get to grips with some of the important issues that will inform our action plan, such as career progression, working conditions, One Health and the review of Schedule 3”

An initial meeting with a broad range of stakeholders took place at the RCVS on 7 January 2016, and, following this, a VN Futures Action Group has been established to take the project forward. The group includes a mix of individuals involved in the training, representation, regulation, employment and management of vet-erinary nurses, as follows. The biographies of the Action Group members can be found on www.vetfutures.org.uk/vnfutures.

The timeframe for Vet Futures was 2030, however, it was considered that a five-year timeline may be more appropriate for veterinary nursing, given that it’s a younger profession, the retention rate is lower, and the training cycle is shorter.

The first meeting, in Bristol, took place in March. Others will take place in Leeds, Edinburgh, Nottingham and Cardiff during April and May – all of the meetings will start at 6.30pm, with a buffet supper, and will draw to a close around 9.30-10pm. Please visit www.vetfutures.org.uk/vnfutures for more details and to register.

We will also have a session on the review of Schedule 3 at BSAVA Congress on Friday 8 April, from 2.05pm to 3.45pm, in the Kingston Theatre, as part of the ‘Big Issues’ stream.

Sam Morgan, BVNA President, urges members to get involved: “BVNA is delighted to work alongside RCVS VN Council on this project. We fully believe in the importance of the veterinary nurse within practice and think this project can help shape the future of the profession,” she says.

“Being involved in the Vet Futures project with BVA was an eye- opener and only just glimpsed into our own profession; we now have the chance to look at veterinary nursing specifically, and it is an opportunity not to be missed. Knowing where we want to take the profession will make it so much easier to reach the goal.”

Please do join us to have your say on the future of your profession!

Veterinary Nursing Journal • VOL 31 • April 2016