RVNs: our highly valued allied professionals

I’ve spent a lot of my time in small animal practice, most recently in emergency work, and thinking about why our Registered Veterinary Nurses (RVNs) are important is like thinking about why having water or light is vital. Without RVNs we simply can’t do our jobs as veterinary surgeons well, and whole aspects of client and animal care are just not done. As vets we can (just about) cope and I’ve worked in lots of situations, in wildlife centres and doing small animal work overseas, where there are no RVNs and quickly teaching lay staff the basics has to be enough, but far from ideal.

What do RVNs do that is so amazing and indispensable? Predominantly they nurse, but they are also radiographers (and advanced imagers), laboratory technicians, clinicians, managers, leaders, educators, scientists, and so much more. They are also our best friends. This is not meant to sound flippant or overly emotional, but many a vet and vet practice would have crumbled without the support of our valued allied professionals.

When it comes to ‘caring’ for animals, of course there’s a bit of a spectrum in both professions, but overall RVNs seem to care in a different way. For your average vet, our role is increasingly to fix issues and communicate our fixing to clients. Of course, we love animals, but our job can sometimes feel a bit academic and technical. Whereas RVNs are more able to spend time with patients and their owners to ensure the pet is both comfortable and reassured, and that the owner understands the results of the consultation or necessary ongoing care.

Outside of our professions however, the role of RVNs is poorly understood. In my work with BVA, politicians are genuinely shocked when we explain, in the context of needing a new Veterinary Surgeons Act (VSA), that the term ‘veterinary nurse’ is not protected in law. They are even more shocked, rightly, when I say that this means that legally they, or indeed anyone, could call themselves a ‘veterinary nurse’.

We need to promote the qualifications, skills, and roles and sheer value of our RVN colleagues as much and as broadly as we can, which is why Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month is so important.

BVNA and BVA, alongside the RCVS and other bodies, continue to work for a new VSA. Only then will our favourite intertwined allied profession be truly recognised.