Welcome to all of the new readers seeing this issue at the BVNA Congress. We congratulate you on taking the time to continue your education and professional development. By joining your colleagues in this worthwhile event, you are making certain that the latest nursing, medical, and scientific advancements will benefit your workplaces, colleagues, clients, students, and patients. Your dedication will bring enthusiasm for the profession back to your local communities. The increased public awareness that results from your positive promotion of our expertise will foster respect and appreciation for the achievements of veterinary nursing and will encourage more people to join the field. It is you who are doing more than anyone else today to ensure that our profession continues to thrive, and you, who are making sure that the veterinary nursing profession has a bright future indeed.
I frequently like to remind my students that they are at the top of their game when they are studying toward their qualification. What they lack in experience, they make up for in currency so after graduation they need to work hard to stay up to date with progress in our field. In the decades since veterinary nursing first took hold as its own profession, we have advanced by leaps and bounds and now it is not uncommon to see the same type of care plans for animals as one would see for humans. We can truly be proud of the research that has gone into advancing veterinary nursing practice but more importantly, we should be delighted that we have been able to implement these advancements throughout our profession. From the largest teaching hospitals, to the smallest remote practices around the world, we are able to share new knowledge quickly and thoroughly. The reason for this success is simple; it is our dedication to continuing education.
Our commitment to continuing professional development has had a significant impact on the advancement of our profession. Especially today, even the smallest practices have abundant opportunities to advance their knowledge with online webinars, professional forums, online and face-to-face courses, journal clubs, and CPD offered in professional journals such as The Veterinary Nurse. These occasions give every VN the opportunity to make a difference. By regularly accessing these resources, a VN has a chance to take away at least one new point of new information which can subsequently be shared with her/his colleagues, implemented in her/his practice, and promoted to her/his local community.
Job satisfaction can affect our enthusiasm for furthering our education but it is important to note that educational opportunities also provide personal benefits by helping to rejuvenate and alleviate professional fatigue that may result from working long hours in a giving profession. Many of these opportunities also offer a chance to re-connect with our colleagues or to meet new friends. This social connectedness and community support can be vital to keep perspective and to find balance between work and home life. For that reason alone, continuing education is beneficial.
Perhaps as you are reading this, you can see an opportunity to share something you know. Maybe it is a journal club, writing a journal article, or having a nurse's meeting. Whatever it is, it will make a difference, and you can be proud that you are contributing to a thriving professional community.
We hope you enjoy this issue.