12 Jan 2023
New initiatives have a special focus on VN’s talents and versatility in practice, spearheaded by BEVA’s VN committee and championed by its president David Rendle.
Rachael Buzzel
Job Title
Vet practices are being encouraged to recognise and reward equine veterinary nurses through a series of initiatives spearheaded by BEVA’s new VN committee.
The initiatives – which have a special focus on VN’s talents and versatility in practice, and championed by BEVA president David Rendle – are in response to a survey of RVNs, which identified that one of the main problems facing equine nurses was a poor understanding within the profession and among clients of what nurses can do within their role.
Respondents believed they could be given more responsibility and do more within their roles, and that there was a lack of opportunity for progression.
Mr Rendle said: “RVNs are a significant asset to any equine practice. They have invested a lot of time and effort to become highly skilled, but in some instances, their significant attributes are not being utilised to the full.
“I feel, and the RVN survey results would seem to confirm, that veterinary surgeons and practice managers do not appreciate how much veterinary nurses are allowed to do in equine practice.
“We all know veterinary nurses have the ability – look at what they do in small animal and human nursing – but we have felt unnecessarily constrained by Schedule 3 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 and the associated RCVS guidelines. If you actually look at Schedule 3, it is clear that we can, and should, be letting our qualified equine nurses do far more.”
To help support career development for RVNs, BEVA has lined up the following initiatives to take place throughout 2023:
In addition to launching the VN committee last year, BEVA has introduced a dedicated forum for BEVA nurse members to chat directly to each other via its BEVA Buddy app.
Marie Rippingale, chair of the BEVA nurse committee, said: “The review of Schedule 3 is important so we can encourage delegation of tasks to RVNs. This will allow RVNs to demonstrate their value and worth, earning money for the practice and achieving job satisfaction at the same time.
“This will contribute positively towards the current retention crisis.”
More information about what EVNs can do in practice can be found online.
