So you want to be a Veterinary Nurse….
Becoming a Veterinary Nurse is an amazing, rewarding, life long career which enables us to support and provide care for animals and their owners throughout different stages of their life. Being a Veterinary Nurse takes dedication from the very start your career. It is a demanding job that requires team work, willingness to learn and a never ending love for animals. To become a Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN) you must complete either a Degree in Veterinary Nursing or a Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing, both routes involve a mixture of college and work based practical learning.
Being a Veterinary Nurse is very challenging and fast paced and is not for the faint hearted. In practice we are responsible for supporting the Veterinary Surgeon, the patients and their owners from the moment they contact the surgery until the patient has been discharged. This means a lot more than cuddling puppies….
Some of the roles and responsibilities of a veterinary nurse are;
Consultations – 2nd Vaccinations, Microchipping, Weight clinics, Puppy classes, Nail clips, Diabetes clinics, Post operative checks, Triage of emergencies, wound management, Flea and Worm treatment advice.
Reception duties – Answering phone calls, making appointments, arranging referrals, updating client records, taking payments, dispensing medication.
Monitoring of Anaesthesia – Supporting patients through surgery
Taking Blood samples and managing our in house laboratory
Pre operative set up – Preparing patients and theatre
Post operative care – Supporting patients throughout recovery from surgeries both routine and and emergencies.
Radiography – Positioning, taking and developing radiographs.
Supporting patients through ultrasound scans.
Supporting patients and their owners throughout euthanasia.
Last but not least CLEANING….a lot of it!
Within our team we have nurses at different stages within their careers; Registered Veterinary nurses, Student Veterinary nurses and Auxiliary nurses.
See our meet the team page for our nurses blogs to see what they say about their careers in Veterinary nursing.
If you would like some advice on a career as a Veterinary Nurse please feel free to call into the clinic and speak to one of our RVN’s. We are a training practice but our placements fill up quickly so please get in touch in advance. We can also offer work experience placements to give you a taste of our day to day life here at Westway’s.
