Golden Jubilee for veterinary nursing

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the veterinary nursing qualification, the foundation of veterinary nursing itself, and the RCVS intends to celebrate the Golden Jubilee in style.

Those who achieved the first qualification, back in 1961, became known as registered animal nursing auxiliaries (RANA). The term ‘veterinary nurse’ was not used until over twenty years later, in 1984.

Today, veterinary nursing is thriving. The RCVS List/Register of Veterinary Nurses includes 1,715 listed veterinary nurses, and 8,101 who have gone a step further to become registered veterinary nurses (RVNs), which means they agree to carry out continuing professional development, abide by the Guide to Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses, and, from 1 April this year, are prepared to account for their professional practice by means of a complaints and disciplinary mechanism.

“Still often referred to as a ‘young profession’ – perhaps because the average age of VNs is a youthful 31 – veterinary nursing has reached its half century and has achieved a great deal in a relatively short period. It is moving ever closer to recognition as a fully fledged profession,” says Liz Branscombe, RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council Chairman.

“We should be proud of what we have achieved, but it’s no time to be complacent: we plan not only to celebrate our history but also to consider what the next decades will hold for veterinary nursing,” adds Liz.

Plans for the year include, among other things:

• The ‘Step Forward’ campaign, which will be launched at the British Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress (31 March to 3 April) to encourage everyone in veterinary nursing to take a small step forward in their careers – meaning the profession as a whole will take a large step forward
• A symposium to be held in summer, which will be split into two parts: the focus of the morning will be reflection and celebration, and of the afternoon, action and ideas to take veterinary nursing forward
• A campaign to promote the role and potential of the veterinary nurse to animal owners and the veterinary profession at large
• A timeline to highlight milestones in the development of veterinary nursing

The RCVS invites any of the pioneering veterinary nurses who received their qualification in the 1960s to get in touch, so they can play a part in the celebrations. Contact Lizzie Lockett, Head of Communications, on [email protected].