After nine years, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) have announced that their joint initiative, VN Futures, has reached its natural conclusion, based upon the original project remit.

Since its inception in 2016, the RCVS and BVNA have worked together on the project to ensure that veterinary nursing is, and remains, a vibrant, rewarding and sustainable profession. While this remains a joint goal for both organisations, in differing roles as the regulator and representative body for veterinary nursing, both parties recognised the benefits of the two organisations working more independently.

The RCVS and BVNA will continue to maintain a strong working relationship, to ensure that the veterinary nursing profession continues to move forward.

RCVS Veterinary Nurses’ Council Chair, Belinda Andrews-Jones said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to be part of the collaborative VN Futures project, and I am so proud of all we have achieved together.

“We have undertaken numerous important projects including the launch of the VN School Ambassadors Scheme, wellbeing projects in collaboration with the RCVS Mind Matters Initiative, the provision and creation of veterinary nurse-specific resources in areas such as leadership, and the inception of our Diversity, Inclusion and Widening Participation Group.

“The project may be coming to an end, but the legacy of all we have achieved will continue to live on and fuel further invaluable projects within the veterinary nursing profession for many years to come.”

Lyndsay Hughes, BVNA President, said: “Over the years, we have had the opportunity to work with some truly inspiring veterinary nurses, all of whom have helped the profession continue to progress towards a more positive future.

“The joint decision to end the project marks an end of an era, but also the beginning of an exciting new chapter. We will continue to work with each other on activities and projects that support the veterinary nursing profession on an ongoing basis.”

Moving forward, both the RCVS and BVNA have identified the need to continue to drive the effective utilisation of veterinary nurses within the wider veterinary team, in order to promote job satisfaction, progression opportunities and, above all, deliver excellent standards of patient care and welfare.

The BVNA released resources earlier this year surrounding ‘Maximising the RVN role under current legislation’, with an ‘RVN utilisation champions’ campaign launching later this year, as well as associated streams during BVNA Congress in October. The association is also currently compiling a ‘Nurse Utilisation Toolkit’ for members – due to launch in late 2025/early 2026 – to provide members with access to relevant resources on how to implement and support effective nurse utilisation in the workplace.

The RCVS has recently launched the second phase of the VN Vision initiative – a project launched under the VN Futures project umbrella last year. The second phase will build on the VN Vision work carried out in 2024 – aiming to inspire a cultural shift in how veterinary nurses can be more effectively integrated within multidisciplinary veterinary teams, and explore why doing so is essential for the future of veterinary healthcare. A series of workshops ‘A vision or a necessity: strengthening the role of veterinary nurses in team-based veterinary healthcare’ is being held across the UK for all members of the veterinary team this year, with an additional session being held at BVNA Congress.

For more information on VN Futures over the years, the 2023 VN Futures Strategy video, which summarises some of the key achievements of the project, is available to view on YouTube.