Dear Reader

Welcome to the May edition of the VNJ. The year already seems to be flying by and whilst writing this I realised that the BVNA annual congress will soon be upon us once again.

As part of this year’s BVNA congress, the VNJ will again be hosting a writing workshop to help inspire new authors for the journal and hopefully encourage you that there is really at least one article inside every student and registered veterinary nurse. The scientific programme for the BVNA congress this year promises to be one of the most exciting yet, with Megan Brashear CVT VTS (ECC) being flown in for her expertise in the field of emergency and critical care, alongside many of our home grown speakers. The symposium this year will feature two days of anaesthesia lectures but still includes something for everyone; with a day of lectures supported by ZEVN, a day of equine nursing lectures, emergency and critical care, dedicated student stream and much more. Last year the abstract and poster presentations at BVNA congress were something that made me so proud to be a part of a profession that is moving forward in such a dynamic and inspiring way. BVNA congress is the ideal opportunity for you to showcase any research that you have been undertaking as RVNs in clinical practice or as part of a DipHE or BSC(Hons) project. It also provides the

perfect arena to deliver this evidence based research to the correct audience, at the grass roots of veterinary nursing.

Whilst reviewing the proofs for this month’s journal, and reading with interest the clinical articles on analgesia and pain manage-ment in rabbits and how nurses can improve pain management in practice, it struck me how much the profession is moving forward in terms of pain assessment and patient welfare. It really is important to remember that we, as RVNs and SVNs, are the patient advocate and the voice of these non-verbal species. The VNJ editorial team would love to hear from you if you have any suggestions for articles on professional issues, animal welfare and ethics, whether you would want to write them yourself or just see them covered by the journal in future issues.

Personally, I’ve been pondering the RVN declaration a lot recently, whilst discussing ethics, welfare and the code of conduct with BSc and FdSc students due to graduate this year. As many of you look towards your own graduations this coming summer and autumn, or celebrate with those you have trained, I hope the words from the declaration that will particularly resonate with you is the section which states: “ABOVE ALL, my constant endeavour will be to ensure the health and welfare of animals committed to my care". Be proud to be part of this profession and help the BVNA to represent you and drive the profession forwards.

Author

Sam McMillanBSc(Hons) VTS(Anesthesia/Analgesia) DipAVN RVN Editor-in-Chief

VOL 31 • May 2016 • Veterinary Nursing Journal