Where it Began

So you may think this story starts with me knowing I wanted to be a vet nurse from a really young age, because I always loved looking after a family pet…but this story is different, because I’m a British Indian.

Growing up, I never had any experience of interacting with animals. My family would take me to the local farms and nature reserves but having a family pet was very rare in an Indian household in those days. I always had an interest in animals and medicine, but I was unaware of what career route that could take me down. Veterinary nursing was not a career that was thrown about in my household; accountant, lawyer or doctor, those are the paths that I heard a lot more about.

As I was heading into sixth form, I very quickly knew that I wanted to work with animals, but I still wasn’t sure what that meant for me, in terms of a career. I had never seen a vet nurse at a careers fair, or coming into school, so I didn’t even know they existed. I searched through animal related university courses, and there I found the answer; a veterinary nurse, that’s what I want to be! It was nerve racking going into an industry where nobody that I knew of had been, and into a career that most of my family had not even heard of, but I always did enjoy taking on a new challenge.

The Journey

I graduated as an RVN from Nottingham Trent University, in 2016 after completing my work placement in a small animal practice. I was keen to expand my experience whilst I was fresh out of university, and so I began working at a small animal hospital in Staffordshire and I have been there ever since.

It was a tough journey and there were times that I wanted to give up along the way, but I was lucky to have a supportive network around me to keep pushing me forwards. In particular, I am grateful to my parents who allowed me to follow my dreams and always taught me to be who I want to be. In Indian culture, there is often an expectation to go down a certain career or life path, but my parents always supported me in making my own decisions and to not be scared of going against the grain.

Being an RVN

Whenever I tell someone that I work as a veterinary nurse, I always get asked the same questions: “Why not become a vet?” “Is this the stepping stone to you becoming a vet?” Vet nursing is a completely different role to a vet, and I am proud to say that I am a veterinary nurse. I love that no two days are the same, and I am able to combine my passion for animals and science in this role. I have had the opportunity to complete the Girling & Fraser Certificate in Vet Nursing of Exotic Species, and supported students through their student nursing, as a clinical coach. I am already looking at other areas that I can further my knowledge in, and courses I can undertake (anaesthesia is an interest of mine), because the learning does not stop after you qualify.

Being a vet nurse comes with its challenges of emotional stress and long hours at work, but it is worth it when you can go home at the end of a hard day, knowing that you have made a difference. This is where it is so important to have a positive and welcoming practice culture, because you will need your colleagues there when things get tough. I am blessed to have an amazing team within the hospital; a team that you can laugh with, drink tea with and vent to after a long day. They really are a second family.

The future

So what’s next?

I am so excited for the future of RVNs, especially as I have already seen significant changes during my 7 years in this career. There are now more opportunities for vet nurses to take further qualifications, and specialise in certain areas. We are being given more recognition for the skills that we have and the years of learning and experience that we have developed.

There is still some work to be done in other areas, which is why I was so keen to take up the offer to write a blog for the DIWP (Diversity, Inclusion and Widening Participation Working Goup) as part of their Role Models campaign. I’ve never been made to feel that I don’t belong in the industry, but being the only Indian in both practices I have worked in has, at times, given me the imposter syndrome feeling. It made me question whether I was given a university place or offered a job because the colour of my skin ticked the diversity box. However, rather than letting this get in the way of my career, it just made me work even harder so that my skills would be what people saw, not my ethnicity.

Seeing the work that the BVNA is doing gave me that sense of belonging and made me feel heard, and I no longer question whether I am in an industry that I shouldn’t be in. This is why it is so important that we look at how diverse and inclusive the vet nursing world is. Are we blocking whole groups of individuals out, simply because of our silence? Are we really making courses and careers accessible to everyone? What are we depriving the industry of, by not being diverse and inclusive? It’s about time we started asking these questions.

So why is it so important?

Without diversity and inclusion in the veterinary nursing world, we risk losing the progression and the development that the industry needs. A diverse and inclusive team brings new ideas, new skills and creativity to the board. If we limit the individuals in our industry, we in turn, limit the knowledge and the possibility for expansion. Diversity and inclusion will allow the team to think outside the box and to keep the industry moving forwards, which is what we need to protect the future of vet nursing, and the future of animal care.