The importance of veterinary nursing specialities

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.