20 Nov 2020
The 12-month internship caters for qualified nurses with no prior referral experience, and aims to equip veterinary nurses with referral-specific skills.
Rachael Buzzel
Job Title
Seven members of the first cohort: Louise, Evie, Emily, Katie, Heather, Kristine and Josh. Jodie is self-isolating and will join the group later this month.
A young multidisciplinary referral centre has launched a referral nurse internship programme.
The 12-month internship at The Ralph – based in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, which opened in February 2019 – caters for qualified nurses with no prior referral experience, and aims to equip veterinary nurses with referral-specific skills.
Reflective practice will be a key part of the programme, with formative and summative assessments to test critical thinking, skills competency and depth of clinical knowledge.
Its first cohort of eight RVNs will rotate across a number of The Ralph’s 12 core services, and will be allocated mentors to support their learning in each department.
Julia Cox, nurse training coordinator at The Ralph, said: “I’m really excited to be involved in the development of this supportive learning programme. It will assist nurses to bridge the gap between primary care nursing and referral level nursing, and help them to advance their careers.”
Shailen Jasani – veterinary emergency and critical care specialist, founder, chief executive and clinical director – said: “Despite still being a young hospital, we always look for new opportunities to support our progressive ethos. This ethos is consistent with our start-up DNA and learning mindset.
“Our new Referral Nurse Internship Programme aligns very well with this. The structured programme will support RVNs wanting to dip their toes into referral practice.
“This gentle introduction is better for both their psychological safety and for patient care.”
