Alice Robinson is a student veterinary nurse (SVN) working towards her equine nursing qualification, and has just completed her first year of training. In this blog, Alice describes her role at Donnington Grove Vets and her experience of what it’s like to be an SVN.
“I have been working at Donnington Grove since 2021 and became a student veterinary nurse in September 2022. This means that I work full time alongside studying and attending college, both virtually and in-person one day a week.
“There are many roles within equine nursing and I very much enjoy the variety that it gives me – no two days or two patients are the same!
“My role includes preparing patients for surgery; assisting in anaesthetic induction and recovery; packing and sterilising instruments; administering medications; taking parameters; cleaning wounds; admitting and discharging patients and assisting in taking radiographs at the clinic and on the road, among many other tasks.
“Training alongside working can be long and tiring, especially when the last thing you want to do after a night shift is write a report or revise for an exam! However, it is extremely rewarding and I love learning the theory behind what I do every day and becoming a better equine nurse because of it. I would tell you my favourite part of the role, but I’d struggle to pick! I particularly enjoy theatre nursing and I don’t think I will ever stop finding colic surgery fascinating. I also really enjoy admitting and helping to work up emergency admits as it keeps you on your toes as you’ve always got to be thinking ahead and keep calm under pressure. One of the most satisfying parts of the role is nursing a sick inpatient, especially foals who regain the spring in their step because you’ve finally managed to encourage them to drink milk from a scoop after hours and hours of trying.
“I have finished my first year of studying to become a registered veterinary nurse and I can’t wait for year 2!”
Don’t miss our ‘Nursing the Equine Patient’ stream at BVNA Congress 2023, where the BEVA Nurses Committee will be supporting us in sessions on equine anaesthesia and ambulatory nursing.
Find out more and view the full programme here; www.bvna.org.uk/congress