Communication in our profession

With a recent focus on travelling pets, we must also continue to consider the animals who do not travel outside of the UK. This time of year is especially significant with the warmer temperatures having finally arrived. We should now be striving to educate owners on the prevalence of ticks. VNs are ideally placed to do this, through nurse consultations, preparing materials for the practice waiting room and using social media. With approximately 2000 to 3000 new cases of Lyme disease being diagnosed annually in England and Wales according to the NHS, this is clearly an area of importance. We have the ability to have a positive impact on the health of both humans and their companion animals.

Aside from ticks, we look forward to April for the arrival of BSAVA Congress. This year was the 25th anniversary of one of the biggest events in our professional calendar. The first ever Congress was held in March 1958 with at least 150 attendees. Comparing this to the Congress we know today, we can see how much it has evolved in a relatively short time. Nowadays, it is particularly pleasing to see how many VNs present on their areas of specialism, a number of whom have also contributed to our journal. The Veterinary Nurse received a lot of interest at Congress which was fantastic to see.