Royal College Day 2022: Address from Matthew Rendle, Chair of VN Council

First, on behalf of both myself and my colleagues on VN Council, I would like to once again thank the veterinary nursing profession for their amazing hard work during times that continue to be challenging.

While the worst of the pandemic may be over, its effects are lingering on, particularly in terms of pressures on the veterinary workforce, with VNs picking up a lot of additional work around the practice – all within the bounds of Schedule 3 of course.

The profile of the profession is improving, the public has a much better handle on who we are and what we do than they did 10 years ago and, in the long term, I am looking forward to an enhanced VN role in any future veterinary legislation.

All that being said, my one plea to veterinary employers would be around veterinary nursing pay – though it has increased over the years, we must ensure that this isn’t wiped out by our current inflation and cost-of-living crisis, and that it continues to be a long-term financially viable career that we are able to stay in.

I would also like to thank my colleagues Liz Cox and Jane Davidson who are coming off VN Council today.

Liz is someone that truly has a vision for our profession and is not content with just treading water but wants to take us to new shores. I will continue her work to ensure that we move our profession forward.

Although Jane can’t be here today, I wanted to say that, as a fellow inhabitant of Planet RVN, there is no finer promoter of our profession than Jane, and I look forward to seeing her continued enthusiasm for all we do.

I’d also like to welcome our two new VN Council members – Holly and Jessica. Joining VN Council can be a daunting experience, with lots of new things to learn. It may take some time, but you will find your feet, and I can also guarantee that your input and insight will make a difference to what we do.

Finally, I would like to ask members of the veterinary nursing profession to continue to stay engaged with the RCVS during this time of positive change – whether that is through responding to consultations on issues affecting VNs, standing for VN Council, or voting in elections.

I’ve been very gladdened by the positive engagement we’ve had via the VN Futures project, in particular the School Ambassadors Programme, and it will be great to see veterinary nurses doing that all-important public outreach work with youngsters.

On the subject of youngsters, over the next few months I will be doing one of my favourite things about this role – welcoming new veterinary nurses to the Register and celebrating the achievements of the profession, with dedicated VN Days in Manchester and Oxford.

If ever you’re feeling a bit jaded – spend 10 minutes soaking up the energy and excitement of someone who’s about to join your profession and it will set you right.

Thank you.