Previous editorials have referred to the importance of the global community of veterinary nurses. Exciting events in Europe currently are testimony to the globalization of society as a whole, including veterinary nurses. In the northern hemisphere, veterinary nurses are currently preparing for the holiday season and the changes in daily practice that come with it. What a holiday season it will be this year with the much awaited 2012 London Olympics. Many Australian veterinary nurses currently working in Europe, and those travelling over for the Games, combining work and leisure, will be fortunate enough to share in this experience. No doubt there are highly skilled veterinary nurses involved in caring for animals participating in the Games, too. Once the excitement of the Olympics fades away, let’s hope the collegiality and optimism generated by these Games are sustained in our global community, well into the future.
In this day and age, optimism is something that we can certainly have when treating and preventing flea infestations. Fleas and flea allergy, a prominent condition in dogs and cats in summer, are featured in this issue (p350–6). The effectiveness of the quality flea products and protocols now available are maximized by nurses adopting an evidence-based approach in educating clients. In informing clients, it is essential that veterinary nurses adopt a holistic approach based on knowledge of the flea life cycle, the mode of action of the flea products, their adverse effects, any contraindications and species-specific data. Additionally this information has to be communicated in language that is easy for the client to understand ensuring client compliance and, ultimately, the pet’s wellbeing. Veterinary nurses, globally, are indeed at the coalface of preventative health care which is a critical element of modern veterinary practice.
With the scope of veterinary practice expanding in our knowledge-based economy, it is not only dog and cat parasitology that is relevant to veterinary nurses. External and internal parasites can be a problem in all domesticated species, particularly in summer, and veterinary nurses require a broad knowledge base which includes birds. For example, in Australia raising chickens is becoming a much favoured pastime of the average household in these leaner times. The article on chicken husbandry in this issue (p360–5) is very timely and pertinent and indicative of the scope of veterinary nursing today whether in the southern or northern hemisphere. It highlights the diversity of the role of veterinary nurses in promoting and contributing to the health and husbandry of a multitude of species.
This diversity and expansion of the veterinary nurse’s role, both at home and abroad, and the increasing globalization of our professional community could lead us to ponder on the internationalization of veterinary nursing curricula and its value to the veterinary nursing profession of the future. As well as promoting awareness of cultural and social diversity, internationalization has also been described as a means of encouraging students to expand their vision of their profession beyond that of their own country (Grant and McKenna, 2003). This broadening of world view would be supported by a move, as in other more established professions, to consider mutual recognition of credentials internationally facilitating an even greater capacity for graduate mobility, research collaborations, and growth of our professional community. Some food for thought!
From a personal perspective and in conclusion, I believe that the importance of this journal in both growing the international community of veterinary nurses and in advancing its professionalization, cannot be underestimated. It is a privilege to be associated with its vision for the future of veterinary nursing and those who support this vision.