Lacey Pitcher is a Registered Veterinary Nurse and BVNA Council Member. She has been in practice since 2008, working in a variety of settings including referral, first opinion, charity, ECC and non-clinical roles. Here, Lacey shares her entry into our Pocket Guide for Day 1 as an RVN:

“Day 1 may feel like a huge landmark. Like the day someone took the stabilisers off your first bike or the first time you looked across at the passenger seat as a driver and saw it empty. It should absolutely be celebrated, but not feared.

“Consider instead that you’ve been handed your first passport. Ready to explore and adventure the career YOU studied hard for. Your VN Passport opens up a world of opportunity and I am so excited for you to make and mark those memories and achievements.

“There will be a world of experiences opened to you having chosen to join a profession with a multitude of transferable skills. A community ready to share knowledge, to mentor, to nurture talent and cheer you on from the side-lines. Plenty of opportunities to learn and expand your repertoire. To pivot and diversify. To lead the change and to strive to push the profession and animal welfare forward… And you’ve been handed the passport to make that happen.

“Veterinary Nurses are expanding their careers in ways I could never have imagined when I first started my training and I’ve used my passport to travel the world. I’ve worked in Veterinary field hospitals in Borneo, the RCVS in the Mind Matters Initiative, Veterinary ICUs and so much more. I still love the sound of a puppies first cry; I still celebrate the first time I master a new skill, every time a new challenge is unlocked and every time a student gets excited at the prospect of what Veterinary Nursing CAN bring.

“Welcome to our profession. A world of opportunity awaits.”

Why not contact us to share your own advice for Day 1 as an RVN? Find out more about VNAM 2023 here; www.bvna.org.uk/project/vnam-2023