Great job in the right practice! (Veterinary Nurse)

Member Name: scoutingbargains

Product:	Veterinary Nurse
Date:	16/12/08 (176 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Can be rewarding

Disadvantages: Qualified cleaner at times

I have ten years nursing experience. I have worked in the same general practice during this time. I have been qualifed for four years.

Right from a young age I knew that I wanted to become a VN and I was determined to do so. I qualified through the NVQ in work scheme which is basically day release from work (which has to be a registered training practice) to attend college. You need five GCSEs at grade C or above and these have to include Maths & English. My course was two years in duration with exams at the end of the year. There are various exam centres spaced throughout the country. I took my written exams in Sheffield and my practicals in London. There are portfolios and in practice training that you need to complete alongside attending college. The portfolios are a pain in the neck as the amount of red tape binding them in unbearable, although on a positive note once you know the system and knuckle down it's easy enough to work through.

As for nursing in general, I love my job (generally). I have found that over the years general practice has bored me. I thrive on emergency nursing and there isn't enough of this where I work so I locum for emergency clinics which I have found to be much more rewarding, both professionally and financially.

Many people who don't work within the Veterinary sector think that nursing is more exhilarating than it actually is. It is my opinion that unless you work in a referal hosipital or university that this isn't the case. I have refered to myself for years as a qualified cleaner.

I am convinced that for those fortunate nurses who do work within the uni's and referal hospitals have a varied, demanding, exciting and mentally stimilating jobs but for those who work within a general practice with 'old school' partners finding it difficult to accept that RVNs can actually contribute to the revenue of the business aren't so lucky. My time pre and post qualification hasn't changed much at all. The only thing that I do after qualification is take blood samples, put in IV lines and remove stitches from wounds. Where as I know some nurses that have been able to perform minor surgical procedures & dentals. Some of my nurse friends also have dedicated life stage clinics and consult times.

Although I find general practice frustrating I wouldn't change my career path. On good days, it's really good and I feel valued and being qualified I would hope that I would never be out of work for long.

Starting salary once qualified ranges from around £14,000 and if you took a diploma in advanced medical or surgical nursing once qualified referal hospitals would pay around £18,000 for you.

The nursing profession is governed by the RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons) and all nurses qualified after 2004 are RVNs (Registered Vet Nurses) who are accountable to the RCVS for there actions - basically meaning that you could be sued for any serious wrong doing. Being part of the statuary register costs you £80 for the first year of registering and then £60 yearly. Without paying the retention fee you use your post nominals and the right to act as a VN.

Useful websites are:

http://www.rcvs.org.uk/

http://www.bvna.org.uk/

Summary: Wouldn't change my career path