In recent months, veterinary nurses and technicians around the world have been celebrating awareness of our profession. Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month in the UK was July of this year, Veterinary Technician's Week in the USA was on 14–20 October and Veterinary Nurse Day was celebrated in Australia and New Zealand on 12 October. These days of celebration are important for our profession. By acknowledging our significant role in practice, we are better able to educate others about the value of veterinary nursing and in doing so, we pave the way for better wages and improved career sat isfaction. But, how is this career promotion influencing our future
It must be hundreds of times that I have answered the question: what does a veterinary nurse do? However, it is still challenging to explain the significance of what we do when the client may still not fully understand what monitoring anaesthesia means, or even fluid therapy, dental prophylaxis or debriding a wound. Clients can be our biggest advocates and some of my best memories from practice are the thank-you notes, hand-drawn pictures from children and the gift baskets during the holidays yet these people are a select few and while we are privileged to have earned their respect, we have a lot more work to do with regard to educating the public. So, how do we enlighten the public on the value of our position, and why is it important to do so?
There have been a number of research studies conducted on public perceptions of human nursing and overall it has been found that the profession is highly regarded and recommended by the general public. However, this esteem isn't translating to increased enrolments in nursing schools and as a result it doesn't secure the future of the profession (Donelan et al, 2008). While the veterinary and allied occupations are currently one of the most popular vocations, it is not a guarantee for the future of our profession. If we are to be future-focused and sustainable, we must persist in promoting our image and in doing so we can help ensure that we attract good leaders for our future colleagues.
As with many vocations, student debt, graduate wages and workplace conditions can be a concern in veterinary nursing. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the burn-out rate is high in veterinary para-professional fields and I personally have seen that as true with some of my past colleagues and current students choosing other professions when employment options were not favourable. Sometimes it is just a matter of discovering that the profession was not as expected, in which case pre-enrolment work experience may be an option to improve outcomes. In other cases, job satisfaction may not be ideal so driving qualified VNs to other professions. Either way, we must actively work to ensure that the best VNs remain in the field to ensure that we have educators for the future and can continue to thrive as a profession.
Promoting the veterinary nursing industry involves not just celebrations within our own practices and to our own clients, but also involves public outreach to both pet owners and non-pet owners alike. We individually need to make an effort to reach out and educate the community on what a veterinary nurse does, and why our role is so important in the health care provision for animals. This may involve simple things like delivering pet care tips for the local newspaper or radio station or it may involve billboard or TV advertisements featuring veterinary nurses. Have you seen an interesting case recently? Write a short piece and send it in to your local newspaper! Every little thing we can do will help ensure a strong future for our profession and this will help guarantee animals will receive the best health care. After all, safeguarding animal health and welfare is one of our key aims as veterinary nurses and we hold its future in our hands. We hope you enjoy this issue.