The British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) has today launched new guidance surrounding the delegation of Schedule 3 tasks to veterinary nurses. The resource aims to improve interprofessional confidence in understanding and interpreting Schedule 3, ensuring the skillset of RVNs can be fully utilised.

Whilst BVNA continues to call for urgent reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, the association also recognises that there are missed opportunities to utilise RVNs more fully under the existing legislation.

The guidance also follows the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) review of its interpretation of ‘under care’, which came into effect in 2023 and identified potential new opportunities for RVNs to take on additional clinical responsibility.

Access the guidance on ‘Maximising the RVN role under current legislation’ here.

BVNA recognises that utilising RVNs’ skills to their full potential has many benefits, at an individual, veterinary team and business level. These include enhancing job satisfaction in RVNs, providing additional support to veterinary surgeons’ workload, improving team efficiency, and ultimately, promoting patient welfare.

BVNA President, Lyndsay Hughes, commented: “I am delighted that BVNA has led the development of this important resource to clarify Schedule 3, which we hope will be useful for veterinary nurses, vets, and veterinary businesses alike.

“BVNA’s position is clear – that reform of the outdated Veterinary Surgeons Act is urgently required. However, we are also aware that under this existing legislation, there are still missed opportunities to utilise RVNs to our full capability, often due to a lack of confidence and clarity in interpreting Schedule 3.

“RVNs are highly skilled and trained professionals. Full utilisation of our skillset means we can enhance the delivery of patient care, and do even more to contribute to the veterinary team and business. Importantly, this will also lead to a greater sense of fulfilment and job satisfaction in our roles.

“BVNA looks forward to building upon this work in 2025, as we continue to work to improve interprofessional confidence in delegation to veterinary nurses. Legislative reform is imperative, however positive change within our teams is still very much possible in the meantime.”

A series of activities and resources to complement this guidance will be announced by BVNA early in 2025, to include interactive sessions at BVNA Congress 2025 between Friday 10^th – Sunday 12^th October.