16 May 2023
Menna Field and Nicola Aston-Ranger have each worked at St Anne’s Veterinary Group for 20 years.
Rachael Buzzel
Job Title
Nicola Aston Ranger (left) and Menna Field celebrate a combined 40 years.
Two long-serving vet nurses are marking Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month (VNAM) by celebrating their combined 40-year service at an Eastbourne-based practice.
RVNs Menna Field and Nicola Aston-Ranger are each marking 20 years at St Anne’s Veterinary Group, having both joined the Linnaeus-owned practice as trainees in 2003.
The duo both said they had seen remarkable advances in animal care and treatment over the years, but insist it is the amazing individual cases dealt with at St Anne’s that stand out in the memory, along with the realisation their dedication to animal care has made a real difference.
One such case even brought Miss Field national press coverage. She said: “I once nursed a kitten that had breathing issues and when we x-rayed it, there were bones in his tummy and a mouse’s tail in his windpipe.
“It was an absolute once-in-a-career find and the story made it into the national press. I was even interviewed on the Alan Titchmarsh Show and The One Show.”
Mrs Aston-Ranger, who joined St Anne’s in February 2003, soon found a passion for nursing feline patients, and looks after all matters feline, from operations and behavioural issues through to microchipping and strays. She holds the International Society of Feline Medicine diploma in feline nursing at distinction level, is a Hill’s nutritional ambassador and a mentor to St Anne’s student vet nurses.
She said: “I have always had a special interest in cat behaviour and made it my mission to reunite stray cats with their owners.
“Amazingly, one stray brought to St Anne’s had a Portuguese microchip, which hadn’t been updated, but we used the local press to highlight the case and were successful in reuniting the cat with its owners for a happy ending.
“The team here at St Anne’s always felt like family, and they’ve been so supportive as I trained and studied to add to my skills and knowledge.”
Miss Field, who joined St Anne’s in August 2003, added: “Education has always been St Anne’s core value. As part of that ethos, I have completed training courses with the Vet Poisons Information Service, which have led to me presenting at client evenings, schools, career talks and local fêtes.
“I love educating people. I love the variety of things we see and do in this job, and I especially love our team.”
