New VNs to be welcomed at virtual event

New VNs to be welcomed at virtual event

The RCVS is to hold a virtual evening later this month in order to welcome 70 newly qualified veterinary nurses to the profession.

The evening takes place at 7.30pm on November 12 and is hosted by the chair of VN Council, Matthew Rendle, and RCVS President, Mandisa Greene. The event will start with an address from Matthew who will then take all the veterinary nurses present through their professional declarations.

The names of all the new registrants, as well as 10 registered veterinary nurses who are collecting their Diplomas in Advanced Veterinary Nursing, will be read out with a corresponding slide and picture of each.

As well as the formal welcoming ceremony, two speeches will also be given on the evening from two previous recipients of the Veterinary Nursing Golden Jubilee Award, the highest honour that can be bestowed on a veterinary nurse by the College for those who have had a sustained and distinguished career and who can demonstrate a leadership role within the profession.

The first speaker is Jane Devaney who received the VN Golden Jubilee Award in 2019. Jane, is the Head Nurse at the Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital at the University of Liverpool’s School of Veterinary Medicine and was recognised for her contribution to veterinary education, particularly in terms of teaching and mentoring veterinary students. Her presentation will be about the development of her career in veterinary nursing and is titled ‘From graduation to Golden Jubilee: how a veterinary nursing career can lead to great things’.

The second speaker is Hayley Walters, recipient of the VN Golden Jubilee Award in 2014. Hayley currently works in practice at Carrick Vets in Derbyshire but has previously worked in China nursing bears rescued from the bear bile trade and in the anaesthesia and international animal welfare education teams at The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh and was awarded an MBE in 2018 for her contributions to animal welfare. Her presentation will be about her international work and is titled ‘From Bosnia to Vietnam: where a veterinary nursing career can take you’.

The event will be available to watch live on its dedicated webpage here and will also be recorded for those who aren’t able to attend on the evening itself. Those with any further questions should contact the RCVS events team on events@rcvs.org.uk