Ali Heywood is an RVN with over 25 years’ experience in education leadership, and quality assurance. She is passionate about shaping the future of veterinary nursing through quality education, compassionate leadership, and ensuring that the women in our profession can enjoy long, fulfilling, and sustainable careers.
Ali will be writing a series of blogs throughout 2026 linking to the BVNA Presidential theme of compassion and empathy. Check out Ali’s previous blogs here for the series so far.
Building veterinary teams through belonging
Belonging is not built through policies or posters. It does not come from mission statements, slogans, or values written on the wall. It grows in the spaces between colleagues – through shared experience, quiet awareness, and the sense that someone else has noticed how hard the work can be.
When support comes from peers rather than hierarchy, it lands differently. It says, without fanfare or explanation, you are part of this. In veterinary nursing, where the work is demanding, fast-paced, and emotionally charged, that feeling of belonging can be the difference between coping and leaving.
Belonging is built sideways
Much of what helps people feel heard at work does not come from formal structures or job titles. It comes from colleagues who notice, who respond, and who step in without being asked.
Over time, I have learned that culture shows up most clearly in what people do, not in what they say. It is revealed in everyday behaviour, particularly when someone is struggling or needs space.
I was reminded of this recently when a colleague at Dick White Academy was navigating a significant and very positive change. Even so, the processing and organising that came with it left her overwhelmed one morning, with an afternoon of teaching still ahead.
As we were talking, I became aware of a quiet conversation happening between two other colleagues nearby. Without fuss or announcement, they rearranged cover for the afternoon so she could go home, rest, and recover. There was no escalation, no permission-seeking, and no expectation of recognition. It was simply a team noticing one of its own and responding.
Moments like this rarely make it into formal evaluations or staff surveys, yet they shape how people experience their workplace. They signal whether support is conditional or assumed, and whether vulnerability is tolerated or quietly discouraged.
Why belonging matters
In teams where people feel they belong, confidence grows, learning feels safer, and difficult moments are carried together rather than in silence. Research in healthcare settings shows that a sense of workplace belonging is associated with lower burnout and improved wellbeing, particularly in demanding roles [1].
Belonging also supports learning. When people feel safe enough to admit uncertainty, to ask questions, or to say that something has been difficult, they are more likely to grow in confidence and capability. This matters in veterinary nursing, where the work requires judgement, adaptability, and emotional resilience.
Importantly, belonging does not remove challenge or responsibility. It does not lower standards or expectations. Instead, it creates the conditions in which people can meet those standards without being left alone with the emotional weight of the work.
Encouragement, not performance
Encouragement within teams is sometimes misunderstood as praise or recognition. But what builds belonging is rarely a compliment or an award. It is consistency, trust, and the knowledge that support will be there tomorrow as well as today.
When encouragement comes from peers, it reinforces a sense of shared endeavour. It tells people that their contribution matters, and that they are seen by those who understand the realities of the role.
Lifting each other up
Lifting each other up is rarely dramatic. It is quiet, relational, and often unseen. It happens in the margins of the working day; in the way colleagues look out for one another and respond before situations escalate.
Over time, these moments accumulate. They shape whether people feel they belong, whether they feel supported, and whether they can imagine staying in the profession during difficult periods.
In a profession built on care, belonging is not a luxury or a soft extra. It is part of what sustains individuals, strengthens teams, and helps good nurses remain connected to the work they value.
As professionals, we all shape the cultures we work in, whether we intend to or not.
It is worth pausing to notice how we respond to one another – who we check in on, who we make space for, and what we model when things are difficult. Belonging is built through these choices, and each of us has a part to play.
References
- Jena AB, et al. Association between workplace belonging and clinician well-being. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(4):e231157.