BVNA Council is made up of a team of RVNs and SVNs from around the UK, from a range of backgrounds and career pathways. Together, Council members volunteer to champion veterinary nursing, sharing complete belief in what our profession can achieve.

Taking up senior roles within BVNA Council, Officers have opted to dedicate additional time and responsibility to support BVNA and drive the association forward. In this blog series, we meet the BVNA Council members beginning their Officer term in October 2026.

Declan Jones was elected on to BVNA Council in 2023 and currently works in a university as a technician and demonstrator in veterinary nursing. Ahead of stepping into the role of Chair of the BVNA Membership Committee in October, Declan reflects on his career in veterinary nursing to date and shares his ambition for the future of the profession.

What led you to pursue a career in veterinary nursing?

Science, animals, compassion and practical skills. What more could you want from a job? I knew from a young age that I wanted to work in a veterinary practice, but I didn’t even consider working as a veterinary nurse until I started my work experience in a small local first-opinion practice. It was there that I learnt the difference between the roles we find in practice, and it was there that I learnt to love the idea of becoming a veterinary nurse. Whilst every person I encountered was amazing and I learnt so much from each member of staff, it was really the veterinary nurses who took me under their wing. From learning how to work an autoclave or preparing for surgery, I loved it all. And again, it was the inspiring veterinary nurses who primarily supported my development after beginning work in my first role as an apprentice veterinary care assistant.

Where has your career taken you since qualifying as an RVN?

After qualifying as a veterinary nurse, my first week working as a registered veterinary nurse felt more natural than I would have ever expected! It was a journey that took nearly seven years to complete. An achievement which was supported by years of tough work, relentless study and a magnificent team. So, perhaps it shouldn’t have come as a surprise? But something which still surprises me to this day was my inexplicable decision to begin additional work as an out-of-hours nurse. I continued working in that emergency and critical care setting for two years, which supported my development as a veterinary nurse and helped build my confidence when dealing with difficult cases in my day job by leaps and bounds.

Aside from the clinical work, another substantial part of my journey includes my passion for continuing to pass on what I’ve learnt to newer professionals. Supporting veterinary care assistants and student veterinary nurses in practice is a major point of pride for me. I hope I might have been able to impart just a little bit of knowledge, but more importantly – helped to foster a positive and cheerful environment. My journey into the world of education has landed me a position in a university, as a technician and demonstrator in veterinary nursing. The world of academia is very different from practice, but I’m loving every second of it.

Tell us about your previous experience as a BVNA Council member, that has led you to your officer role.

I’ll be joining the officer team at the start of my fourth year on council. The three years leading to that point have been a wild whirlwind of projects, conversations, and more meetings than I care to count! Of course, there are the obvious and big projects which BVNA continues each year; BVNA Congress and Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month. It is the community of veterinary nurses, the voices, ideas and passions we support and admire, which I find most rewarding during these events.

Other fun projects I have engaged with includes contributing to the production of several toolkits, including welfare of pets in schools, student and newly qualified veterinary nurses, and mental health. I’ve supported projects such as the behaviour hub, reviewing our social media and literature imagery and facilitating the VN Voice column in the VN Times. But possibly most importantly, I’ve enjoyed contributing to conversations within council, sharing views and understanding perspectives.

My mentors within council have always been amazingly supportive and have without a doubt driven a massive influence in my journey towards stepping into an officer role. I hope to be able to continue their fantastic and compassionate work, encouraging the next wave of RVNs joining council to achieve their aspirations and engage with as many projects as they wish.

Where do you see veterinary nursing going in the future?

Like many others in the modern world, the veterinary industry moves at an incredible pace. With new technologies, medicines, processes and expectations consistently emerging, directly impacting the work we all do. Our profession, veterinary nursing, is no different. Setting aside the obvious transformations we find in the modern world, I would encourage some reflection on the changes we have seen in our profession since the first RANAs in the sixties. We are team leaders. We are industry trailblazers.  Every single passionate registered or student veterinary nurse will be learning how to push the boundaries of clinical excellence; contributing to the increased respect and acknowledgement our profession finds from our colleagues.

Where do I see our profession going in the future? Wherever we want it to. Whatever we set our minds to – remaining considerate of legal and ethical boundaries, naturally. The potential for industry reform is real, and the wheels are beginning to turn. Perhaps we will see greater utilisation of the skills we develop, and trust in our areas of competence – perhaps we will have advanced practitioners. We have a long journey in front of us, but I am excited to see the day when we can recognise the public comprehending who we are, what we do, and our dedication to caring.

Why should SVNs and RVNs be a BVNA member?

Change doesn’t just happen. It is deliberate, it can feel slow, and it requires persistence. BVNA is the only association whose primary purpose is dedicated to representation and the progression of the veterinary nursing industry in the UK. BVNA has taken a leading seat within industry conversations, ensuring veterinary nursing perspectives and considerations are front and centre wherever appropriate. However, the voice of the association is only as loud as its membership is large.  The more members we represent, the more authority we can hold in those spaces. BVNA as an association would be unable to achieve anything without veterinary nurses stepping up and participating in the conversation.

If you, the reader, expect to see positive change in our industry, then you should expect to play your part and contribute to that change. There are many ways to contribute to positive change; talking to colleagues for example or participating in public consultations when asked. But the easiest way to contribute to positive change is by supporting the association which is steadily working in your corner. Become a member and be proud of the things we are achieving together.

Find out more about BVNA Council and how we work for the veterinary nursing profession here.