The human nursing profession has a long history of specialization whereby nurses seek formal recognition for their advanced skills and knowledge in specific areas of practice. Today there are over 60 nursing specialities in areas such as palliative care, intensive care and cardiac care nursing. For those nurses wanting to further their education after they qualify, this is an excellent opportunity to gain exposure to leaders in the field as well as to deepen their knowledge base in their chosen area of interest. This network of specialities undoubtedly serves to not only provide more job satisfaction for those nurses who may be seeking a challenge, but it also fosters greater recognition for nursing professionalism and enables nurses to expand their knowledge and skill base.
As veterinary nurses and technicians reach higher levels of professionalism, many of us are increasingly interested in becoming specialists in specific areas of veterinary nursing practice. However, the number of formal speciality organizations in veterinary nursing is much lower than in human nursing. Recently in the USA, the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) developed a Committee on Veterinary Technician Specialties (CVTS) which provides guidance and standardized criteria for societies who wish to attain status as an ‘academy’ of specialists. As a result, there are an increasing number of veterinary nursing and technology speciality academies in the USA including those in anaesthesia, nutrition, dentistry, behaviour, zoology and clinical practice, to name a few. There are several more societies currently working to gain academy status. These new areas of specialization are opening a whole new area for advancement of the veterinary nursing profession.
Gaining specialist qualification is not easy. Advanced education, experience, skills and testing are required to gain status as a veterinary nurse/technician specialist and only credentialed veterinary nurses and technicians may qualify. This is yet another reason why it is so important that veterinary nurses are encouraged to be properly qualified and registered.
Specialization is beneficial for the profession in so many ways. It opens up new doors for experienced VNs that have been in practice for many years. It promotes continuing education and it will help to provide more in-depth veterinary nursing knowledge which will arguably provide a solid basis for veterinary nursing clinical research. It will improve veterinary nursing education and provide long-term goals for students in degree programmes. Ultimately, it will help improve care for our patients.
More work is needed to promote awareness of veterinary nursing specialities but as more of us focus on our areas of expertise and gain these additional credentials, we are paving the way for a stronger future for the profession.
In this issue, there is an excellent comment piece on the newly published Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses. Several important areas have been changed as a result of industry consultation and feedback and this piece highlights these areas clearly and succinctly. It is a must-read!
Also in this issue is an interesting article on setting up vivariums for non-aquatic reptiles. Many of the reptile problems that we see in practice are a result of inadequate husbandry so this is a very important area that all veterinary nurses in exotic practices should be well versed in.
There are some other great articles on equine gait analysis, advanced life support and analgesia in neonates as well as an in-depth look at preventing peri-operative hypothermia by using forced air warmers. We hope you enjoy this issue!