8 Mar 2021
To mark International Women’s Day (8 March), emergency and critical care nurse Elle Haskey looks at the changes in veterinary nursing during the past 20 years, including the rise of female voices.
Vet Times
Job Title
ECC nurse Eleanor Haskey from the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals at the RVC.
Veterinary nursing has changed a lot in the two decades since Eleanor Haskey decided she wanted to work in the profession, but there’s still some way to go, says the 35-year-old emergency and critical care nurse.
To name a few of the changes:
For nurses, more career opportunities also now exist, believes Ms Haskey, who works at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals at the RVC.
She said: “Thinking of my peers who I studied with at the University of Bristol, some now work in general practice; others specialise, teach or lecture; and some work for pharmaceutical and animal feed companies. So the opportunities now are very diverse.
“There are also nurses in roles that they perhaps wouldn’t have been in 20 years ago, such as practice managers, or who are buying into a practice. Having the nurse register was an important step towards recognising the nursing profession.”
But one area that the veterinary profession still needs to work on is mental health and well-being, believes Ms Haskey.
“It’s a very hard job – it is physically, mentally and emotionally demanding, and we know that there is a high suicide rate in the profession,” she said. “The COVID pandemic has added to that pressure and it’s not been an easy year for the veterinary profession.
“I think there needs to be more encouragement of a healthy work-life balance, and people need to be encouraged to talk about their mental health more.
“A lot of employers are providing better support, and people are becoming more aware of what is available. We’re also hearing it talked about more at conferences, but it still feels like a taboo subject often and I know that not everyone feels so supported, as it depends on your employer.
“Being a vet or vet nurse is a very giving and caring role and it’s hard to give if you’re not first caring for yourself.”
To help address this, Ms Haskey, who is part of the BSAVA Virtual Congress committee, is helping to organise activities for the event, including fitness, yoga and mindfulness classes.
Another area that has seen positive change is the voice of women in the profession, believes Ms Haskey.
She said: “Certainly where I work, women head many of the clinical services. Role models have definitely changed – when I started studying, many books were written by men and many of my lectures were given by men.
“But now we’re seeing a shift with social media – a lot of women in the profession are using the platform to educate their peers and the public, and so we now hear their voices and different issues, including about juggling career and family.”
