National Careers Week runs from the 1^st to the 6^th of March!

“I love being a Registered Veterinary Nurse. It seems a loooong old time since I started out in the Valleys on my quest to become a veterinary nurse and wow, have there been some lessons learnt. Someone once told me “who wants to ride a monorail when you can ride a roller-coaster”. I guess that’s what it is to me now.

I’m there at a cesarean, I hear the first cries of puppies. In the moments my heart skips a beat trying to resuscitate them, followed by the absolute joy they take their first breathe and begin to wriggle.

I take absolute pride in ensuring their last breathes, are with dignity. I’ll hold their paw and stroke velvet ears while they fall asleep for the last time. There’s something incredibly special about that peace. It should be treasured.

I’ll snap into action like an F1 pit crew when the call comes in for a major emergency. Crash kit, tubes, breathing systems, xray. Ever heard an orchestra start playing together from absolute silence? Vet teams are like that in a crash situation, each person integral, each with their own role.

I balance aneasthetics. Striking the perfect equilibrium between sleeping and awake. Treating each patient as if they were my own. When they are my own, I entrust them to another vet team. They too will walk the tightrope of anaesthesia with presison and poise.

Labwork, imaging, teaching, consulting, wards, ICU. Each with its own challenges and so important.

I love being a vet nurse and part of the veterinary community. Although there are highs and lows every single shift, each day is different. Each day is challenging. Each day we make a difference.”

Look out for the BVNA booth at the National Careers Week 2021 virtual event taking place from the 1^st to the 6^th of March! 

At the moment, we’ve all had to adapt and we hope that young people who have an interest in or would like to find out more about a career in animal welfare and veterinary nursing, will go to the #NCW2021 event website and visit our booth. Our booth has information and a video on the training required and routes that can be taken to become a veterinary nurse and describes what work and activities a veterinary nurse carries out.

If you’re a parent or young person, you can find out more about how the virtual event works here where you can find booklets and guides such as The Parent’s Guide to Careers, An introduction to Careers Week and The Future of Work Guide. There are also activities for young people such as a Skills Builder Benchmark self-assessment tool, signposting to Not Going to Uni website and many resources that young people and parents may find useful.

BVNA have our own Learning & Development team who can help with any questions about a career in veterinary nursing. Email bvna@bvna.co.uk and ask your questions or visit the booth at #NWC2021.