Veterinary nurses are…

Dreadfully ……… knowledgeable.

The veterinary nursing course lasts at least two years, is both theoretical and practical, and covers an enormous amount of information in huge detail and depth over a range of medical and surgical disciplines and species. It genuinely never ceases to amaze me how much veterinary nurses know and they continue to add to this knowledge throughout their careers.

Terribly ….. specialist.

Once a vet nurse has their qualification, they can then go on to specialise in huge variety of disciplines; from nutrition to physiotherapy, from anaesthesia to medicine, from oncology to exotic pets and many more. And these are high levels of specialism, involving thousands of hours of study and very challenging examinations.

Awfully….. kind.

From a cute puppy in reception, to an elderly pet at the end of their life. From a snotty kitten that needs hand rearing, to a pet recovering from surgery. A veterinary nurse has a kind word, a gentle hand and a comforting presence for all.

Frightfully ….. busy.

I mean, honestly, when we are having a rare ‘q’ day (we don’t say the word, we don’t want to anger the gods of veterinary chaos), you would think they would just sit down, have a cuppa and take the break (like the vets). But no, they are likely to be found waist deep in the cupboards saying things like ‘look at this pack, it went out of date last year!’, or ‘I’ve found where the Finohiehitto Rib Spreaders* went!’

Or they will be deep cleaning the kennels or reviewing protocols or checking stock levels or updating client information sheets or, (and I secretly think they take a perverse pleasure in this one), gutting the vet’s office and forcing us to empty our in-trays and part with all our veterinary magazine. (Yes, they may be unopened and yes, they may be years old but I NEED them. But ok, we will recycle them, very sorry and thank you).

They, like all of us in this profession to be fair, never have nothing to do. They are just better than the vets at doing it!

So yes, my nursing colleagues are dreadfully, terribly, awfully, frightfully, AMAZING!

*obviously I have zero idea of what these are, I asked Jennifer the RVN for the most obscure piece of equipment she knew. They are also rubbish at forgetting things, even the information they hardly ever need!

Cat Henstridge BVSc ESVPS Cert GP (SAM) MRCVS