VNAM 2023 is here and as always my heart bursts with pride when I see veterinary nurses from all over the UK celebrating our wonderful profession. VNAM is also a time for reflection and every year I take some time to think about my own career and what veterinary nursing means to me. 2023 is my 26^th year as a qualified veterinary nurse and 29^th year in the veterinary profession – which makes me feel pretty old but a little bit wiser!

Some people may look at me and think how lucky I am to be where I am now, but I would like to highlight that just like many of you, my career has had lots of ups and downs. I have no regrets, but there’s been plenty of blood sweat and tears along the way.

I started in clinical practice when I was 18, working as a kennel assistant in a busy hospital in East London. I remember watching how my head nurse Sara worked and thinking how amazing she was with the animals. I wanted to be just like her! I qualified when I was 21 and have worked in a number of different small animal clinics, taught veterinary nurses, and worked as a locum for several years. Some places I worked at were a great fit for me, others less so and I have had one or two very stressful experiences where things just didn’t work out – but that’s OK because challenges, although difficult to deal with at the time do help you evolve and come out a better person on the other side. I have also been affected by chronic illness during my career, which was very tough at times.

I have focused on one thing in particular over the last few years – cats! This is mainly due to learning more about feline nursing and behaviour by completing several ISFM (International Society of Feline Medicine) courses. Learning more about cats made me realise just how misunderstood they are as a species and motivated me to teach others more about feline welfare.

A few years ago I started to provide in-house training on feline nursing and behaviour, which is something that I still do and love to this day. This is one of many hats I wear, but one of the most enjoyable! Every clinic is different, and I have been very impressed with how keen other veterinary professionals are to make their practice cat friendly!

In 2015 my Cat Nurse Facebook page was born and then next year I set up my @thecatnurse_rvn Instagram account. My social media pages were initially set up to keep others up to date with what I was doing as a veterinary nurse but have now grown into an education platform for cat caregivers and veterinary professionals. It really empowers me when others message me to say that something I have written or shared on my social media pages has had a positive impact on them, their cats, or their feline patients.

Last year I started working for the charity International Cat Care, which was the absolute dream for me. I recently celebrated my year’s anniversary with iCatCare and I am so very proud to work for a charity that supports the welfare of cats worldwide. I have learned so much already and am supported by a fantastic team of like-minded individuals.

I couldn’t write this blog without mentioning my role on BVNA Council. I am now in my fifth and final year on BVNA Council and I can’t believe it’s almost over – what a journey it’s been! I have learned a lot about myself, met many interesting and dedicated veterinary professionals and made some friends for life – not bad for someone who wasn’t sure if it ‘was for me’ when I first joined. Being part of the BVNA family has been a massive learning curve and has, without a doubt made me a better person. I would highly recommend looking into how you can take part in any BVNA activities, whether that’s during VNAM, at BVNA Congress or putting yourself forward for BVNA Council – you never know where it might take you!

As you can see, my career has taken me on many different journeys, some of which have been hard. If I had to give some advice to other veterinary nurses it would be that if you really want something don’t give up, even when times are tough. Never let anyone dull your sparkle and remember that your hopes and dreams are important too.

Alex Taylor RVN CertSAN ISFMDip AdvCertFB

BVNA Senior Vice President

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