This third edition of The Veterinary Nurse is a double issue being both the last for 2010 and the first for 2011. Not only have we reached the end of the year but also the end of a decade, one in which much has been achieved to further the development of veterinary nursing as a profession both in the UK and internationally.
Next year will be a special year for veterinary nursing in the UK as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the veterinary nursing qualification. As we know the standard and scope of the veterinary nursing qualification has been developed and updated on a number of occasions since those first nurses qualified in the 1960s. Specific training for nurses in areas such as ethics and professionalism is now essential if veterinary nurses are to be equipped for professional practise. Some of you may have faced ethical or moral dilemmas during the course of your work, in this issue an article by Gemma Abbitt uses a scenario-based approach to discuss some of the legal, ethical and professional issues for veterinary nurses.
It is interesting also to note how the perception of the role of the veterinary nurse has altered during the last 50 years. Nursing care in the early years has been described by Pullen (2006) as being based on a ‘medical model of nursing care’, whereby the veterinary surgeon would carry out diagnostic tests (assisted by the nurse) in order to form a diagnosis. The veterinary surgeon would then direct the nurse to carry out tasks which would aid the patient's recovery. This approach to nursing focuses on curing the disease rather than caring for the patient's individual needs.
The qualified nurse of today, however, is afforded a greater level of autonomy in the provision of care and as a result is more inclined to adopt a patient-focused approach. Although legally the veterinary nurse must still act under the supervision of a veterinary surgeon, they are regarded as important members of the veterinary team whose contribution to patient care and welfare is respected by colleagues. Ideally nursing interventions should be selected on the basis of the evidence gained where methods have been validated by research. Evidenced-based practice in veterinary nursing is in its infancy as the body of validated knowledge specific to our profession is limited (but will hopefully develop over the course of the next few years). The subject of evidenced-based practice is explored further by Danielle Banks in her article on p136–139 of this issue.
I am sure that you will agree that having the opportunity to use your nursing knowledge and skills on a regular basis is very satisfying whatever your role. However, it is very easy to loose these skills if you don't perform a task on a regular basis. The ‘How to’ article by Frankie Blundell in this issue will help refresh your knowledge where orthopaedic radiography is concerned. Although many practices will now use digital radiography making it easier to overcome some of the errors that lead to poor diagnostic radiographs, I am sure her tips for good radiographic positioning will be invaluable.
Finally I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Mark Allen Healthcare who has worked so hard over the course of the last year to establish The Veterinary Nurse journal. I am sure they would like to join me in wishing you all a very happy Christmas and a successful and rewarding new year. I look forward to what the next year (and the next decade) may bring for our profession.