What is the realistic next step for an RVN who feels underpaid?

Ben Jamieson — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 16:47:08 GMT

How many RVNs are feeling like this? I'm guessing, not many.

40 hours per week on minimum wage can currently get you around £26,500 per year.

Average RVN salaries are:
• Greater London: £32,963–£32,976
• North West: £31,051
• Wales: £30,168
• Scotland: £29,318

Head RVN positions:
• Nationally: £40,000.

For the average RVN, the pension position after a full career is likely to be modest at best. In many cases, retirement income will depend heavily on the State Pension, with workplace pension savings often limited unless contributions have gone well beyond the minimum.

You will have read loads of conversations around RVN pay, and for good reason. We have all heard the RCVS reports about pay and chronic stress were among the top reasons given for leaving the industry.

So what is the realistic next step for an RVN who feels underpaid, but still cares about the profession and doesn’t necessarily want to walk away from it altogether?

The obvious routes people tend to mention are things like becoming a head nurse, moving into referral, locuming, teaching, industry, practice management, or leaving clinical work entirely. Some of those may absolutely be the right fit for the right person, but I do wonder whether many RVNs still end up feeling as though they hit a ceiling too early in terms of both earnings and progression. The profession survey also pointed to weak perceptions around career progression and leadership development, which probably adds to that feeling for some people.

I’ve also seen first-hand that there can be other routes which are talked about less often. Setting up my wife Louise in a mobile RVN-led role worked really well for her, and it opened our eyes to the fact that there may be more possibilities for experienced nurses than the usual options people list. I’m not saying it is for everyone, and I’m not trying to turn this into a sales post, but it did make me wonder whether more flexible, community-based or self-employed models should be part of this conversation too. We are starting to explore that more seriously and would be genuinely interested in hearing from other RVNs who have considered something similar. Link for anyone interested.

Have you considered any of the usual routes, or gone down one of them already? Has it improved things financially, professionally, or both? And is there a route you think gets overlooked when people talk about RVN career progression?

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What is the realistic next step for an RVN who feels underpaid?