5 Nov 2021
VN joined York-based practice when she left school in 1996 and has risen through the ranks to become a member of the senior nursing team.
Rachael Buzzel
Job Title
A veterinary nurse whose childhood dream was to work with animals is celebrating a quarter of a century of caring at Minster Veterinary Practice in York.
VN Tracey Pulleyn joined the Salisbury Road practice, part of VetPartners, when she left school in 1996 and has risen through the ranks to become a member of the senior nursing team.
Mrs Pulleyn’s 25-year career has proved to be life-changing in more ways than one as she met her husband when he took a poorly dog into the practice for treatment.
She said: “I grew up wanting to work with animals. As soon as I could pull on a pair of wellies, you’d find me out in a field. I would volunteer to walk dogs and look after ponies, and at lambing time I’d offer to help on local farms.
“I left school with exam grades that weren’t worth writing on a piece of paper, but I begged and begged Minster Vets to let me work there, and luckily my persistence paid off. I was given an incredible opportunity and it was a dream come true when I walked through the doors on my first day here.
“It was also a very memorable day when one of my former teachers, who had told me I wasn’t brainy enough to work at a vets, came through the doors with his dog.”
Highlights of Mrs Pulleyn’s career include winning a national award, Vet Health Care Advisor of the Year, in 2006 and she says she is proud that nurse clinics she set up 20 years ago are still hugely popular today.
Mrs Pulleyn added: “A lot has changed at the practice and in veterinary medicine over the past 25 years. The practice has grown and we have invested in all the latest equipment to ensure we offer the highest levels of care to our patients. There’s also a bit more paperwork involved than when I first started my job.
“Being a veterinary nurse is very rewarding, and I love spending time with pets and building relationships with their owners. I also absolutely love being part of the team at Minster Vets. Everyone who works here is friendly and supportive, and we all look out for each other – it really has been an amazing 25 years.”
