Debbie Summers's Activities

Where do you source neuromuscular blocking agents?

Kerrie Oakley — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 12:07:24 GMT

Hi,

Does anyone use Atricarium and Neostigmine metilsulphate/Glycopyrronium bromide mix?

If so, where do you order from?

thanks

kerrie

Head Veterinary Nurse

Debbie Summers — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 16:22:44 GMT

No more Saturdays at work and the chance to take on a leadership role in referral practice.

Are you an experienced RVN with a passion to learn, who is looking for a leadership role? Then come and join our experienced team at Elham Valley Referrals, where you can develop your anaesthesia skills and knowledge in our dedicated referral ophthalmology clinic.

We are an independent practice situated near Canterbury in the beautiful Kent countryside, specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of ophthalmic conditions in animals. The clinic was opened in 2008 by lead vet Rebecca, who holds the RCVS Diploma in Veterinary Ophthalmology. The practice uses cutting-edge equipment and facilities for the diagnosis, treatment and management of eye disease and are committed to preserving vision wherever possible and promoting the quality of life for each patient.

As this is a head nurse role we are looking for an experienced RVN ideally with some leadership experience, however we also provide extensive in-house training when you start with us, as well as funding for any relevant clinical and non-clinical CPD, in particular the Improve International Nurses Certificate in Anaesthesia or similar, and all our nurses are members of the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists, which is funded by the clinic.

With this role there is no requirement for supervising student VN's, only supporting & encouraging the development of our nursing team. Previous experience with stock and rota management would be great, but not essential as full training will be provided.

Our current head nurse, Debbie, is staying with the team and moving into a practice management role. Debbie qualified in 1997 and has worked in a wide variety of referral and general practices before joining EVR in 2013, where she was able to pursue her interest in anaesthesia and gold standard patient care. Prior to joining EVR, Debbie worked as an assessor & IV for student veterinary nurses and has gained the RCVS Examiner qualification for the RVN practical exams and continues to focus on ways to improve the care we offer to our clients & patients.

The remainder of our team consists of vets Natalia & Bartek, who are both working towards their Certificates in Small Animal Ophthalmology, RVNs Lisa, Holly (currently on Maternity Leave) & Millie and our ANA team, Vy, Jasmin & Tara, who allow the RVNs to provide invaluable support which allows our RVNs to concentrate on nursing the patients, providing the best quality of care and effectively liaising with clients. We have an Admin Manager Becky who oversees the accounts & reception, and Sonia our receptionist. Last, but most definitely not least, we have cleaners every evening who ensure the clinic is in tip-top condition for the start of each day.

We have all singing, all dancing kit and monitoring equipment you would expect to find in a referral practice including multi-parameters, capnography and ventilator, which along with the use of a variety of anaesthesia techniques including muscle relaxants, enable us to perform the following ophthalmic procedures:

Phacoemulsification cataract surgery with prosthetic intraocular lens placement
Gonioscopy and tonometry
Electroretinography, ocular ultrasound, SARDS workups and investigation of blindness
Intraocular microsurgery
Corneal surgery including advanced corneal grafting procedures and collagen cross-linking techniques
Laser surgery for limbal melanomas & glaucoma
Corrective and reconstructive eyelid surgery
Electrolysis and cryosurgery
Clinical and genetic screening of dogs for inherited eye disease

Our opening hours are 8.00am to 6.30pm weekdays only, so there are no late nights and no routine weekend hours. We do have a 1:4 on-call rota for weekends only, which is equally shared within the team, but as this is for referred surgery cases only we are rarely called in. If you do have to attend the practice at the weekend, overtime is paid.

This is a full-time role, but we are flexible whether this is worked over a 4 or 5-day week.

We are always up open to ideas for social events and enjoyed a Halloween party at Debbie’s house before getting into the festive spirit at our practice Christmas party, where even the practice dogs received presents as our receptionist Sonia made them Christmas bandanas.

Kent is well known for its stunning countryside and is often referred to as the Garden of England, but you’ll also find beautiful beaches here. Canterbury is both a cathedral and university city and has a vibrant social scene and culture. We're less than an hour from London by train and within easy reach of the M2 that will get you to the Port of Dover (20mins), Gatwick Airport (70mins) and Heathrow (90mins) providing super-fast links to Europe and further afield.

We are offering:

A salary of £32,000 to £36,000, depending on experience
Enhanced holiday allowance of 24 days plus bank holidays after 2 years’ employment
Your birthday off
No set CPD budget, all requests are considered, and advanced courses or certificates are supported and funded
Professional fees for RCVS, Veterinary Defence Society and AVA paid for Relocation package of up to £1,000 available
Enhanced sick pay

If you would like to discover more, call Debbie for an informal chat on 01303 840499 or apply with CV & covering letter to Katherine@elhamvalley.com

https://jobs.vettimes.co.uk/job/117757/head-veterinary-nurse/?fbclid=IwAR2LVIqjVYLWcV3ERpMxr3ucpKfdrqNepfedKHVYC6DP1HLwN3g31kvUn_0#job-description

Registered Veterinary Nurse

Debbie Summers — Sun, 03 Apr 2022 08:50:22 GMT

Elham Valley Referrals, Kent, UK

Try your hand in Ophthalmology!

We need 2 more nurses for our busy team within our dedicated ophthalmology clinic in a beautiful part of the Kent countryside. We are equally happy to appoint a nearly / newly qualified RVN or a more experienced colleague. A keen interest in gold standard clinical care is essential. Experience of referral nursing could be useful but not essential as we offer extensive training – an enthusiasm to learn & contribute is much more useful to us!

Our clinical team is supported by a 2 FTE ANA roles, allowing the RVNs to concentrate on nursing our patients and effectively liaise with clients to provide the best quality of care.

Essential qualities: initiative, enthusiasm, commitment to achieving the best for patients & clients, and a desire to make a difference!

We would love to hear from applicants for a full-time role, part-time or job share - let us know what you are looking for!

There would be an on-call commitment of 1:4 weekends on-call for referred surgery cases only but no week nights on call!
We offer a generous salary package, statutory holiday allowance plus your birthday off each year
Funding for relevant CPD, in particular the Improve International Nurses Certificate in Anaesthesia or similar if not already held (after a qualifying period).
Our full-time annual salary for a newly qualified RVN starts at £25,000 and is upwardly negotiable for candidates that can offer relevant additional qualifications & experience, pro-rata for part time staff. We want the best & recognise the need to pay appropriately for your skills & knowledge.
Candidates that are about to qualify & register are encouraged to apply & salary would be negotiated accordingly.
Our nurses are members of the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists which is funded by the clinic, and RCVS annual fee is also covered.

How to apply

Head RVN Debbie on 01303 840499 – happy to answer any queries or you can email Debbie@elhamvalley.com .

If you share our commitment to clinical excellence and high-quality client care, we would love to hear from you. If you are interested in joining us, please forward your CV and covering letter explaining why you are interested in this role. Please send any applications to our Practice Manager, Katherine, via email: Katherine@elhamvalley.com

Registered Veterinary Nurse

Debbie Summers — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 19:09:06 GMT

Expanding ophthalmology referral clinic seeking RVN.

RVN required for a growing team within our busy ophthalmology clinic in a beautiful part of the Kent countryside. We are equally happy to appoint a newly qualified RVN or a more experienced colleague. A keen interest in gold standard clinical care is essential. The role is mainly anaesthesia / surgical nursing, and so a bias towards these aspects would be beneficial. Experience of referral nursing could be useful but not essential as we offer full training.

We are currently seeking an RVN for 40 hours per week; a working day of 8.30am – 5.30pm with a 30 minute lunch break. We welcome applicants for the full-time role or those who are interested in a part-time job share. There would be an on-call commitment. We offer a generous salary package, statutory holiday allowance and funding of relevant CPD. Our nurses are members of the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists funded by the clinic, and RCVS annual fee is also paid for.

Our clinical team is supported by an ANA role, allowing the RVNs to concentrate on nursing our patients and effectively liaise with clients to provide the best quality of care. We currently have 2 ophthalmologists, and a junior ophthalmology intern, and have a full reception and administrative team as well.

Essential qualities: initiative, enthusiasm, commit to learning and ongoing professional development, willingness to ‘go the extra mile’ for our clients & their patients, flexibility to assist with nurse holiday cover, ‘can-do’ attitude and a sense of humour.

How to apply

Working patterns will be discussed with applicants as there is some degree of flexibility available. Applicants are equally welcome from those seeking full-time or part-time employment. If you would like to ask any questions, and/or visit the practice, or have an informal chat regarding a move into this type of nursing, please call our Head RVN Debbie on 01303 840499 – we are happy to answer any queries and we welcome visitors. Debbie’s email is Debbie@elhamvalley.com .

If you share our commitment to clinical excellence and high quality client care, we would love to hear from you. If you are interested in joining us, please forward your CV and covering letter explaining why you are interested in this role. Please send any applications to Katherine via email Katherine@elhamvalley.com by Monday 25 February 2019. We hope to interview in the week beginning 4 March 2019.

Anaesthetic monitor recommendations needed please!

Debbie Summers — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 13:55:37 GMT

Hi everyone,

I am looking for recommendations for a new anaesthesia monitor, specifically one that monitors o2 & CO2, as well as volatile agents. We currently have a Surgivet monitor (which doesn't monitor gases etc.), which is ok but temperamental to say the least, and want to make the case for getting a newer & more informative unit when the end of year purchases are made.

Any personal experience of monitors that meet this criteria are very welcome - good or bad! I've had a quick look & seen one unit that may be of interest, but really could do with anyone's actual use of these machines!

Thanks for your input!

Debbie

Environmental testing

Debbie Summers — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 12:38:44 GMT

Hi everyone,

Can I ask if everyone does regular surgery screen testing ie. swabbing of clinical areas? We do ours annually & last year were pretty good, with minimal changes needed to get a clear screen. However, this year we have some major issues, but to my knowledge nothing has changed regarding our cleaning protocols & their implementation. We have diligent staff, and we've changed how we make up solutions to ensure correct dilution, etc......it's puzzling as to why we have a significant problem with bacterial growth in certain areas.

We've used Anistel as our main cleaning spray, as well as Bacillol wipes for surfaces, Swift for floors & we've even bought in Virkon as a back up. We also do monthly Airstel on calculated areas to ensure volume is correct for the size of spray.

Looking for some novel new suggestions / links to evidence-based cleaning protocols.

Can anyone help?! My boss is seriously unhappy!!!