10 More Reasons Why Vet Nurses Are Awesome!
- They always have a pen
The mystery of where all the pens go is veterinary practice is one which will never be solved but there are at least two certainties.
A vet will never have one. A vet nurse always will.
It can be challenging to persuade them to give it up but if they want your signature on that form, they are going to have to! The sad fact is though, many will watch you scribble and then demand its return! Very unreasonable.
2) They are expert liars benders of the truth
Look, vets do love their clients really but sometimes we just aren’t quite up for speaking to you right this moment. It may be that we haven’t looked at your results yet, we are in the middle of lunch or that, for the occasional special individual, we have to prepare ourselves thoroughly, do some breathing exercises and clear a solid half and hour in our diaries before we pick up the phone.
Nurses learn quickly to be absolutely convincing when they say ‘Gosh, I’m sorry Mrs Smyth, they are just in theatre at the moment, can I get them to call you back’.
And quite frankly, it is one of the biggest reasons why we love them so much.
3) They never let go
Our nurses are expert animal handlers, that goes without saying, and while many of our patients are lovely and compliant, some are not.
We all strive to practice fear-free handling but sometimes, the job needs to get done and when that happens, all that stands between the veterinary surgeon and serious (human) blood shed is the veterinary nurse.
Many of us owe our scar-free appearances to our bottle-green braves!
4) They are better than the computers
This is mainly because you can’t input into the computer, ‘That lady client with the hairdo and two cats, you know, the one whose husband always forgets to pick up the meds’.
Ask a nurse however, and they will have the answer before you have even finished talking.
5) They are teachers
A huge amount of veterinary nurse training and assessment is done on the job and the ones who do that teaching, are the nurses themselves.
The process isn’t perfect (I have long believed that whoever is in charge of the veterinary nursing curriculum and portfolio doesn’t like nurses that much) but I can’t believe there are many other careers where so much peer-to-peer support and knowledge is given so freely and so expertly, while also doing their actual job as well!
6) They are animal advocates
There are few people as fiercely passionate about animals than a veterinary nurse. They don’t do this job for the money, they do it for the love of the animals.
When a vet nurse gives you advice about your pets, you had better listen!
7) They are gold-standard multi-taskers
If you see an RVN doing something, you can be damn sure they are also working on approximately five other things at the same time AND they won’t forget any of them AND they are probably also remembering to remind the vets to do their stuff as well!
I LOVE this picture by Louise Matthews RVN, it sums up perfectly what is going on in a Vet Nurses head!
8) They are diversifiers
You don’t just find Veterinary Nurses in clinics. They are also found in universities and colleges, training up the next generation. They are in industry as technical advisors, product reps and team leaders. They specialise as behaviourists, physiotherapists and even district nurses.
Some move out of the veterinary world completely and they are a great loss. If you aren’t in the profession and you have an RVN apply for a job, employ them. You won’t regret it.
9) They are ambitious
Gaining the Veterinary Nurse qualification is hard! It is at least two years of serious study combined with working in practice as well.
But they don’t stop there! The majority of nurses I know strive to continue their education and never stop adding strings to their bows.
10) They just are, OK?
Veterinary Nurses are some of the best people I know; kind, caring, knowledgeable, supportive, and intelligent.
They are also fierce, uncompromising, strong and passionate.
I am extremely fortunate to be able to call them my colleagues.
If you enjoyed this blog, read these next! 10 Reasons Why Vet Nurses Are Awesome and What Do Veterinary Nurses Do?
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