The key to nursing advancement

Veterinary nurses are professionals. We are formally trained practitioners that are prevalent in just about every area of the industry. We carry a lot of responsibility and are responsible for our own clinical currency and continuing education. We have the capacity to lead, educate, and to give back to our field. We are registered, and accountable for our actions.

On a global scale, veterinary nursing is bursting at the seams to advance professionalism. As a community, we are discussing advanced specialities, post graduate qualifications, nurse practitioners, and research within our own field. We are more aware than ever before that nursing is a unique and essential skillset in the veterinary team. What is holding us back? Where is the career progression?

The history of advancing professionalism in human nursing gives us some insight into our own journey as there are remarkable parallels. There is extensive evidence in human nursing demonstrating the value of nursing professionalism, and how it benefits patients, the profession, and the industry itself. Professionalism helps the profession establish its own scientific body of knowledge. It supports clinical governance, and evidence-based practice, and it improves patient outcomes. Graduate and post graduate educational pathways contribute directly to advancing professionalism. They help create leaders, promote professional identity, increase public awareness, enhance value of the profession, improve the reputation of the profession, and support skills retention and recruitment. Advancing professionalism of veterinary nurses is an essential step toward a sustainable veterinary industry.