3 Mar 2026
PhD launch comes as part of group’s work to advance the role of veterinary nurses.
Chris Simpson
Job Title
Image: West Mount Vets / CVS
A veterinary group has launched a nurse optimisation PhD focused on strengthening the role of RVNs within companion animal practice.
Launched and funded by CVS and said to be among the first of its kind, the three-year doctoral project will focus on how veterinary nurse skills can be better recognised, optimised and supported in UK practice.
The group said the aim of the degree is to improve job satisfaction, patient care and long-term workforce sustainability.
It was developed following a VN survey conducted by CVS in 2024, which received more than 1,000 responses, and also after the BVNA issued guidance on maximising the VN role later that year.
RVN Michelle Farrow, who took on a research assistant secondment position at CVS having initially worked for the group as a referral manager in practice, will undertake the project.
It is said she will explore how the effectiveness and well-being of VN teams can be enhanced by sector-transferable, evidence-based frameworks.
The project will work with VNs, vets and practice leaders across varied clinical environments to develop a practical toolkit designed to be flexible and transferable to different practice contexts, rather than focusing on imposing a singular model of nurse optimisation.
Miss Farrow said: “This project is perfectly timed. Veterinary nurses are eager to develop and contribute more, and the wider profession is at a point where this progression is genuinely needed.
“I hope practice teams feel both excited and reassured – this research is designed to support the whole veterinary team, strengthen collaboration, and improve how we work together for the benefit of patients, clients and colleagues.”
In January, Defra launched a consultation on a new Veterinary Surgeons Act, with BVNA senior vice-president Lyndsay Hughes describing the impending legislative reform as a “potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for the profession.
The programme will be delivered in collaboration with the RVC, with researchers Rowena Packer and Tierney Kinnison providing academic supervision.
Dr Packer described it as an “exciting collaboration” that “brings together academic rigour and real-world insight to address one of the most pressing workforce challenges in small animal practice”.
Chief VN officer at CVS and project sponsor Tara Ryan said: “Veterinary nurses are at the heart of our profession.
“This PhD represents an exciting and essential step in understanding how we can better support them, to optimise their skills and ensure they continually thrive in practice.”
CVS’ director of clinical research, Imogen Schofield, will oversee the PhD.
Describing it as a “pivotal project shaping our profession’s future”, she added it “represents a significant step forward for veterinary nursing”.
