VetNurse Connect

RE: VetNurse Connect

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 31 May 2018 09:35:51 GMT

I think time for a sneaky-preview-beta-test for those who are interested, so with no further ado ...

drumroll ...

https://www.vetnurse.co.uk/user/connect.aspx

A few things ...

a) to enable, you MUST update your practice / address in account settings (https://www.vetnurse.co.uk/user/settings.aspx) if you haven't already, and you MUST press the button marked 'Share Your Location' on the VetNurse Connect page.

b) Thereafter we start matching you with other local colleagues with shared goals and interests. Don't expect many matches at this very early stage, because you'll be amongst the first to use it, but as more and more people start adding themselves, so it'll start to get interesting / useful ...

RE: VetNurse Connect

Emmacampbell — Tue, 22 May 2018 13:53:23 GMT

What about on the learning /cpd bit the addition of exotics?

RE: VetNurse Connect

Arlo Guthrie — Tue, 22 May 2018 08:57:34 GMT

Jo Mackenzie - Thanks Jo, I'll include that one.

RE: VetNurse Connect

Sal the 1st — Mon, 21 May 2018 19:19:32 GMT

[quote user="Jo Mackenzie"]

What about charity stuff? Volunteering trips, fundraising etc?

[/quote]

I think that is a good one - its good to know what else is already being done/available in an area and its also good for charities who can sometimes share resources to make the best use

RE: VetNurse Connect

Jo Mackenzie — Mon, 21 May 2018 13:52:48 GMT

What about charity stuff? Volunteering trips, fundraising etc?

RE: VetNurse Connect

Arlo Guthrie — Mon, 21 May 2018 10:06:42 GMT

Bumpety bump ..

Anyone else got any suggestions for things you might collaborate with other nurses in the local area on ...

Maybe I'm trying too hard here! Maybe the one thing we already have ... "Learning/CPD" is what this should really be all about ...

RE: VetNurse Connect

Alison Clare Hickman — Fri, 18 May 2018 07:34:21 GMT

ahhh. Light bulb goes off. #amatit Hahahah.

RE: VetNurse Connect

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 18 May 2018 07:15:47 GMT

[quote user="Alison Clare Hickman"]If there was a dedicated locum area[/quote]

Aha, I think shome shlight mishundershanding. VetNurse Connect doesn't create a different area. It is purely for connecting members with common interests / goals etc., primarily to collaborate, but also to do social things.

I can set up a forum specifically for locums. That's easy enough.

RE: VetNurse Connect

Alison Clare Hickman — Fri, 18 May 2018 07:07:03 GMT

Arlo Guthrie

agree with limitations... A locum colleague for me could be anyone from John O Groats to Lands End and anywhere in between... we travel.

I belong to various FB locum groups. It is good to have that 'in the same boat' connection. Although the forum can be helpful it is too vast an entity sometimes when you need an answer to something that is specific to your particular work query.

If there was a dedicated locum area I would visit it far more regularly than I do the forum (sorry!!) as it's my peculiar interest. I think other locums and nurses interested in locuming would do the same. My reasoning being, that if it wasn't the case, why are there so many dedicated locum FB groups?!

RE: VetNurse Connect

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 18 May 2018 06:50:20 GMT

[quote user="Alison Clare Hickman"]

Arlo Guthrie

recommendations for practices that allow u to bring your dog to work with you (would expand my travel expectations)

sharing work practices and the joys or lows (supportive)

sharing Umbrella company / recruiter tips and recommendations

talking about tax, claims, accounting, expenses

where to get good shoes, uniform, equipment (we have to pay for our own)

tips on CPD (we pay for our own)

and so on...

[/quote]

But those are all things you can do in the forum, and I am not sure the advantage in seeing someone on the map who is also a locum to share recommendations re bringing dog to work (and actually, you can see this already on the locum map!).

I thought maybe you meant collaborating as a locum to cover each other in case of illness or holiday, for example.

The point of VN Connect is really to connect particularly those people where it might benefit to meet up, and where it is useful to collaborate on stuff that you wouldn't do in a forum (so for example, organising shared CPD on a subject).

RE: VetNurse Connect

Alison Clare Hickman — Fri, 18 May 2018 06:38:50 GMT

Arlo Guthrie

recommendations for practices that allow u to bring your dog to work with you (would expand my travel expectations)

sharing work practices and the joys or lows (supportive)

sharing Umbrella company / recruiter tips and recommendations

talking about tax, claims, accounting, expenses

where to get good shoes, uniform, equipment (we have to pay for our own)

tips on CPD (we pay for our own)

and so on...

RE: VetNurse Connect

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 18 May 2018 06:10:29 GMT

[quote user="Alison Clare Hickman"]Arlo Guthrie interested in collaborating on LOCUM work [/quote]

How d'ja mean?

RE: VetNurse Connect

Alison Clare Hickman — Fri, 18 May 2018 04:36:45 GMT

Arlo Guthrie interested in collaborating on LOCUM work

RE: VetNurse Connect

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 17 May 2018 16:15:08 GMT

OK ... finally there.

Would be really grateful for help here.

To repeat, VetNurse Connect will show you a map of your local area, and the colleagues in that area who have a) shared their business location and b) have the same 'qualified at', 'interests' 'memberships' or 'interested in collaborating on' as you.

Before I announce this, could anyone (!) please visit your profile and look at the things you can enter for Interests, Memberships and 'Interested in Collaborating on' and make suggestions for anything else you would like to see listed in these sections (ie that you'd find it useful to know if there was someone else nearby who shared your interest or goal).

I think we have a reasonably good number of interests (they have to be social and easily accessible; the sort of things you would consider hooking up with another member of VetNurse to do)

Memberships is pretty straightforward too. There are quite a limited number of associations / groups for VNs that I can find. The question is whether i have missed any, or if any of the vet associations also welcome nurses which I have omitted.

The big question hangs over 'interested in collaborating on'. What else, if anything, would you like to see here.

I have split the collaborations into two categories. Learning and Business. Others? Other things which should be in those categories?

Thank you very much anyone who helps with this :)

RE: VetNurse Connect

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 17 May 2018 13:24:32 GMT

[quote user="James Colver Cert. Ed, RVN"]FISHING!!!! Arlo I see from your profile that you are a fellow fisherman! Sea or coarse??[/quote]

Sorry for slow reply, was first wondering where you saw that as i don't remember configuring it in my profile, then I saw I'd written it.

Anyway, the answer is I don't really get to fish much these days, but when I do, it's sea or fly!

Now I need to finish configuring collaborations, interests etc in VetNurse Connect, then we're off ...

[quote user="Alison Clare Hickman"]updated. Easy peasey lemon squeezy!! [/quote]

Thanks Alison Clare Hickman

RE: VetNurse Connect

James Colver Cert. Ed, RVN — Wed, 16 May 2018 20:11:04 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]

[quote user="Sal the 1st"]I like the shared leisure interests[/quote]

OK, so at the moment, in profiles, we have the following shared leisure interests:

Cycling
Fishing
Horse riding
Playing music/instrument
Running
Social eating and drinking
Swimming
Tennis
Theatre/Arts
Walking/Hiking

[/quote]

FISHING!!!! Arlo I see from your profile that you are a fellow fisherman! Sea or coarse??

RE: VetNurse Connect

Alison Clare Hickman — Wed, 16 May 2018 16:25:38 GMT

Yay!

updated. Easy peasey lemon squeezy!!

Arlo Guthrie

RE: VetNurse Connect

Arlo Guthrie — Wed, 16 May 2018 14:24:12 GMT

We have now deployed the latest version, so the next thing is that before you can use VetNurse Connect, you have to update your user details here: https://www.vetnurse.co.uk/user/settings.aspx

Especially the 'Practice, Employer, College' field. That gives you a location which our new system uses to connect you with other members.

Would be a great help if anyone who updates their details could just let me know if it went OK!

RE: VetNurse Connect

Arlo Guthrie — Tue, 15 May 2018 14:10:08 GMT

We really are nearly there now ... plan is to deploy the updated site this afternoon, then I can start setting it all up.

RE: VetNurse Connect

Arlo Guthrie — Wed, 25 Apr 2018 07:43:59 GMT

[quote user="Sal the 1st"]why do the regions have to be BVNA?[/quote]

Well, first thing to remember is that the maps already connect you with people in your area/region for a variety of other reasons (shared interests etc), so no need to connect purely by 'region'.

Second, I understood that like BVA and BSAVA, BVNA coordinates stuff (eg CPD) on a regional basis, so whilst I don't think it would be helpful to connect members purely by virtue of the fact that they are BVNA members (that's slightly 'so what', since so many people are members), I thought perhaps it might be helpful to connect them as belonging to the same regional group.

???

Am I wrong? Is that of no real practical help? And are there any other groups / organisations which it might be helpful to connect you by?

Otherwise I could just leave out the memberships/groups section on this site for the moment...

RE: VetNurse Connect

Sal the 1st — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 20:20:52 GMT

why do the regions have to be BVNA?

RE: VetNurse Connect

Arlo Guthrie — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 17:18:47 GMT

Just putting the finishing touches to vetnurse connect now. One of the categories we can connect you to each other by is memberships of other associations / groups.

First things first. It has been a while since I looked at other associations/groups etc for veterinary nurses (other than BVNA of course), and I was a bit surprised to find only one (Zoo and Exotics, below). Have I missed others??!

Alternatively, what other organisations are you members of?

Meantime, this is my list so far. A bit sparse at the moment!

By interest

Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors
Association of Zoo and Exotics Veterinary Nurses

By Region

BVNA Midlands
BVNA North
BVNA Northern Ireland
BVNA Scotland
BVNA South East
BVNA South West & Channel Islands
BVNA Wales

RE: VetNurse Connect

Arlo Guthrie — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 19:24:31 GMT

Well ... more discussion behind the scenes, and thinking that the new 'goals' section of your profiles will allow you to select from three categories:

Career/Business

Learning

Personal

Then we connect people who are working towards the same goals.

Career/Business could include practice ownership. I'm trying to think of others!

Learning will be various clinical subjects, so perhaps you can pool resources (and persuade companies to give you some CPD)

Ideas for the other sections welcome!

RE: VetNurse Connect

Alison Clare Hickman — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 07:42:34 GMT

car share

RE: VetNurse Connect

Sal the 1st — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 23:17:51 GMT

mine would be if I have a patient which is a bit out of the ordinary and there was somebody more used to nursing this kind of patient who could give me a few tips to make its stay as comfortable as possible - a skills exchange if you like