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ED I TOR I AL
What do all those letters mean?
My dream of working in the equine
veterinary field was ignited as I worked
alongside a vet collecting data for a paper
he was writing. Once graduated, I applied
to work in practice as a Veterinary Nurse.
Although you do not have to be qualified to
have a very rewarding job in a vet clinic,
you have to be supervised to carry out many
daily tasks. So I was very excited when
approached by my boss and asked to apply
for the veterinary nursing course.
There are many ways to achieve a
qualification in veterinary nursing; my chosen
method was attending college one day a
week for three years whilst working in
practice. This required lots of work outside of
college and work hours - a huge shock to
start with! Outside college I had to complete
many assignments, exams and a practical
log of work and skills. At work, a clinical
coach mentored me and signed off the many
skills I had to master. These varied massively
from handling and daily care of patients,
through to providing surgical assistance.
Along the way I started to get more
confident and the course really helped to
further my understanding and experience.
Now I am qualified there are many tasks I
can carry out alone and I am accountable
for my actions and decisions. I have a great
knowledge base to draw on to provide the
best possible care. I feel comfortable
advising clients and confident answering their
questions.
Veterinary nurse training
– Holly Buchan
BSc REVN
The veterinary professional now comes
littered with qualifications, but what do all
those letters after our names mean and of
what relevance are they to you, our clients
?
In preparation for this piece I spent some time
asking our clients whether they knew anything
about our qualifications, or even cared what
further qualifications we have. Opinions were
somewhat varied, ranging from those who
don’t care, to those who specifically search
online for vets with further specific
qualifications in the area in which they felt
they needed help. However, fundamentally,
everyone felt that a professional and caring
attitude was the biggest draw in finding
and keeping a chosen veterinary surgeon
and practice.
XLVets Equine veterinary practices are joined
in a similar belief - to strive for excellence in
practice - but how do we do that as
individuals
?
Many of us are constantly
striving to better our knowledge in the belief
that this will certainly help us deliver a higher
standard of care. While every qualified,
practising vet and nurse must prove they
continue their professional development,
XLVets Equine practices especially prioritise
supporting both personal and professional
development to achieve that excellence
in practice.
What is an SQP?
– Kassie Hill
FdSc RVN REVN E-SQP
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EQUINE MATTERS
Although already having qualified as both a
small animal and equine veterinary nurse, I
was unable to dispense medications directly
to clients. I found this limited me when
discussing worming programmes with clients
as I could not dispense the appropriate
treatment without the consent of a vet.
While continuing in full time work, I enrolled
in a distance learning course. Once I had
completed this, I sat both written and oral
exams to ensure my knowledge was up to
scratch.
Equine veterinary nurses are invaluable in
practice, and may run weight clinics,
worming workshops, first aid and
bandaging training, and are a good source
of advice for clients. The addition of having
SQP status means we can deliver an even
more cost effective service to our clients,
as not every situation requires a veterinary
surgeon. Popping in to pick up worming or
lice treatment is possible at clinics with SQPs
on-site, otherwise a vet is needed.