Last month’s BSAVA Congress 2023 was a fantastic introduction to the veterinary nursing world on my first few days in the job. While it may have been slightly daunting to be thrown in at the deep end, I was soon put at ease. It was wonderful to meet so many friendly, engaged readers and authors. What really shone through for me was the passion for patient care in all the veterinary nurses I spoke to. Everyone there was so keen to learn, develop new skills and expand their knowledge.
Congress covered a huge range of topics - demonstrating the breadth of interest and engagement of veterinary nurses - with key themes including nursing exotic species, neurodiversity in the veterinary workforce, mental wellbeing and the nursing management of anaesthesia.
As exotic pet ownership continues to rise - up nearly 60% since 2020 - the nurse-focused exotics module was very popular. The lack of training in nursing exotics was discussed - there is little on the curriculum at many colleges and universities - something that seems ridiculous considering the statistic that rabbits are the third most popular pet in the UK behind cats and dogs. Rabbits also often have poor quality of life, with many owners unaware that there are no hutches for sale that meet the recommended minimum requirements for space - something that shocked me.
Neurodiversity is a key topic in society in general at present, and congress reflected this by featuring the first ever module on the subject, which aimed to raise awareness among veterinary professionals. Neurodivergence includes those with ADHD, autism, dyspraxia and dyslexia. The module highlighted the importance of veterinary staff being able to recognise and adapt to dealing with their neurodivergent clients, colleagues and students, which will be key in making the veterinary profession more inclusive for all.
The monitoring of anaesthesia and the important role the nurse plays in minimising and troubleshooting adverse events was another topic where the speakers provided lots of great practical tips, including how to use capnography to improve monitoring.
One thing I was particularly heartened to see was the wellbeing zone, which provided a series of workshops on topics such as mental first aid, grief and hormonal health. It is good to see mental wellbeing being taken seriously, something that is often overlooked in many professions.
The event highlighted the role of the nurse as a patient advocate in all areas of animal wellbeing, whether that is educating owners on the right amount of exercise for their animal’s specific circumstances, helping to manage weight or having difficult conservations discussing quality of life. Communication skills are clearly key for all veterinary nurses.
I left the event in Manchester feeling incredibly excited to work on such a well-respected journal, full of new ideas and raring to go, with huge admiration for the varied role that veterinary nurses play in improving their patients’ lives and their enthusiasm for their profession.