Dear Reader
And so we start another BVNA year! I have now handed over the Presidential reins and returned to my favourite role, that of Executive Editor of the journal!
I have enjoyed the last year tremendously and 1 know that Claire Fraser will do a sterling job as President, especially as she is an old hand having been President once already! I have decided to step down from Council at the end of next year as 1 strongly believe that the association must remain dynamic and for that to happen we must recruit ‘new blood’ onto Council on a regular basis. If you are a member of BVNA ask yourself what you could bring to Council as it is the responsibility of every member to strengthen the association by participating to the highest level as well as by spreading the word to non-members! Remember you get the association that you deserve and if you don’t value it make an effort to change it!
This issue sees a review of last month’s Congress which, if 1 say it myself, was a roaring success! Considering the present economic climate, the fact that delegate numbers were higher than ever testifies that BVNA Congress is an important feature in the veterinary nurse calendar! The lectures were well attended, in some cases oversubscribed, and those exhibitors that I had a chance to speak to, reported a successful weekend. The most difficult part of my Congress was the judging of the best stands as well as the costumes at the event on Saturday! So many worthy participants, in particular I was impressed by the work that had gone into the costumes, thank you to all who took part. Our guest speaker, Noel Fitzpatrick combined his message that veterinary nurses must value themselves, with humour and the odd four-letter word!
If you did not get the chance to attend the opening ceremony you missed an inspirational speech and the fact that Noel is a Border Terrier fan demonstrated that he has excellent taste too!
Hardly had we recovered from Congress when I found myself on the train to London to attend the RCVS reception at the House of Commons. BVNA and VN Council have worked hard this year to promote the introduction of statutory regulation for qualified veterinary nurses and the celebration of the golden jubilee of the RCVS training scheme has proved an opportune time to focus on the future of veterinary nursing whilst reflecting on the past fifty years.
A Parliamentary Early Day Motion in support of regulation has also been tabled by Andrew Rosindell MP and can be viewed at http://www.parliament.uk/edm/ 2010-12/2217. You can also play your part by signing the e-petition on the BVNA website or http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/18700 so far there are just over 400 signatures but I know that we can do much better!
Finally, most of you will also be aware by now that the RCVS have decided to cease being an Awarding Body for VN training. A significant move on their part, which makes sense as they can now concentrate on regulation of RVNs, but it does signify the end of an era and I’m sure that we will find that the next few years will bring new challenges as the new regime beds in! We certainly live in interesting times!
Author
Sue Badger MEd CertEd VN Executive Editor
To cite this editorial use either
DOI: 10.1111/j .2045-0648.2011.00106.x or Veterinary Nursing Journal Vol 26 pp 378
• VOL 26 • November 2011 • Veterinary Nursing Journal