Vet nurse recruitment

RE: Vet nurse recruitment

Arlo Guthrie — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 08:42:31 GMT

[quote userid="26707" url="~/001/nonclinical/occupational/f/employment/32346/vet-nurse-recruitment/177895#177895"]It doesn't happen to vets or any other professional body. It doesn't happen in human hospital. [/quote]

Wildlife Nurse What, you mean lack of a protected title doesn't happen to vets or other professional bodies or in human hospitals?

It does!

https://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/protecting-the-nurse-title-is-protection-for-the-profession-01-09-2021/

https://www.nursinginpractice.com/latest-news/thousands-sign-petition-to-protect-nurse-title/

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/regulating-healthcare-professionals-protecting-the-public

RE: Vet nurse recruitment

Wildlife Nurse — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 08:25:01 GMT

I think this proves the point. If people aren't convinced it will make a difference, it won't. It's not just about the publics perception of the difference between, pca's, students and qualified nurses. If we have to be on a register, why shouldn't it be protected? It doesn't happen to vets or any other professional body. It doesn't happen in human hospital. What's the point in working hard to qualify, pay to be on a register just for it all to be dismissed?

But then to be fair, the other issues raised are far greater a reason for the profession being unable to retain nurses. In so many other professions you work hard, you get rewarded. Sadly nurses work hard and get offered peanuts and places rely on nurses compassion for patients for them to continue. I've already seen nurses leave when I am as they just can't afford the fuel to come to work on the salary given. I've seen excellent nurses leave to non clinical roles just a year after qualifying as the expectations and workload are unreasonable.

There is a time when the balances of impact of the expectations, lack of money and poor mental health will outweigh the love of helping animals. Not because you don't love helping them anymore but because noone can live like that, it's just not healthy.

RE: Vet nurse recruitment

Kirsty RVN — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 09:25:57 GMT

Yes I agree with what Arlo has said with regards to protecting title.

We have a board now in both are surgeries in reception of what an RVN is, responsibilities, our training, cpd after training, schedule three and what duties we carry out in our roles and also roles of VCAs, ANAs, SVN etc as clients can confuse all the different roles. Practices and vets and nurses need to start getting better at educating the public now!

I think protection of title will only help a small bit in terms of titles in practice for example I worked recently at a practice who employed RVNs, SVNs and had a large number of unqualified VCAs and the practice owner, vets repeatedly called them Veterinary nurses and would refer them to their clients as veterinary nurse and I had to point it out a few times to use the correct titles as it is misleading to the general public and annoying for us who worked hard for their RVN status! So I just think now we need to work on educating vets and public!

RE: Vet nurse recruitment

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 08:27:13 GMT

[quote userid="26707" url="~/001/nonclinical/occupational/f/employment/32346/vet-nurse-recruitment/177892#177892"]Sadly its a collection of things, not a single one[/quote]

As I think it always has been, but I suppose I thought that in general things had improved somewhat since I first set this site up twenty years ago (which, incidentally, was precisely to help vet nurses because they were underpaid, overworked and undervalued).

[quote userid="26707" url="~/001/nonclinical/occupational/f/employment/32346/vet-nurse-recruitment/177892#177892"]RVN not being a protected title so lack of understanding/knowledge in what we do from the public.[/quote]

I've never been convinced that protecting the title would in itself create a better understanding of what nurses do from the public. I think that can only really come about through a concerted, united effort by veterinary practices to educate their clientele.

I mean, imagine that tomorrow the title becomes protected. What will have changed? How will a client walking into the practice tomorrow think differently than they do today?

I don't think they'll feel any different unless a) they are told the title is protected, and b) the significance of that, and c) the role of the nurse is properly explained.

I suspect you'd be far better off just going straight to step c).

RE: Vet nurse recruitment

Wildlife Nurse — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 13:49:57 GMT

Sadly its a collection of things, not a single one. Workload, money is a massive one, expectations, RVN not being a protected title so lack of understanding/knowledge in what we do from the public. Not much progression, lack of respect/not valued, bullying and guilt tripping as a managerial tactic, money over welfare, mental health, issues raised being dismissed, the state of some animals due to appalling breeding ....Our conversation went on and on, the list was absolutely huge. We go into this role to help animals and make a difference, but noone can pay their bills on the love of animals, nor have a healthy lifestyle when their bodies and minds have been broken by their chosen career. The industry needs to evolve for the better if it is to retain nurses.

RE: Vet nurse recruitment

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 12:43:49 GMT

Hi Kirsty

Could you post those, together with the best bits of working on practice, in this thread: https://www.vetnurse.co.uk/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-veterinary-practice/32339/what-are-the-best-and-worst-bits-of-vet-practice-for-you, because I'm about to do some research to try and identify and quantify the best and worst (and promote some discussion about what can be done about mitigating the worst and celebrating the best)

PS I've been working on the periphery of the vet profession for over 20 years now, and what I think is very sad is that your list sounds very much like what I would have heard in 2000.

RE: Vet nurse recruitment

Kirsty RVN — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 12:41:08 GMT

I think it's the money, work load, lack of progression or utilising skills, not feeling valued or rewarded, not feeling listed too, constantly needing to prove our value and worth to the practice even in terms of our knowledge and skills, client perspective of what vet nursing is or do! Still get clients who don't know what vet nursing is!

It's obviously a combination of all the above, for me anyway.

RE: Vet nurse recruitment

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 10:44:50 GMT

[quote userid="26707" url="~/001/nonclinical/occupational/f/employment/32346/vet-nurse-recruitment/177888#177888"]When asked would you recommend this job to people interested in the field? Not a single person said yes. [/quote]

Gosh how depressing. What do you think is the single worst aspect of the job - is it the money or the workload?

Money-wise, things must be so much harder now, what with inflation, fuel bills and so on.

RE: Vet nurse recruitment

Wildlife Nurse — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 01:52:51 GMT

We were talking about this the the other day. When asked would you recommend this job to people interested in the field? Not a single person said yes.