New Leadership Story launched for Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month

This month, we're adding to our series of Leadership Stories with the release of a day in the life short film to mark Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month (VNAM). The film features Betsy Malamah-Thomas RVN, Nursing and Clinical Support Manager at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals based within the Royal Veterinary College.

The Leadership Stories initiative, which was launched back in October 2022 by our Advancement for the Professions Team, features the personal leadership stories of people from diverse and minority backgrounds. The aim of the initiative is to present different perspectives and experiences to ensure that those from under-represented and marginalised groups see themselves reflected in leadership roles within the professions.

RCVS Leadership and Inclusion Manager, Gurpreet Gill, said: “It was a really great experience working with Betsy and the team at the Royal Veterinary College to put this film together. It was a privilege to be able to film Betsy in her day-to-day role as Nursing and Clinical Support Manager and gain a greater understanding of what her role involves.

“We decided to release this video as part of Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month to show people exactly what a career in veterinary nursing can lead to. Betsy has achieved a huge amount in a relatively short space of time and is a great example of what can happen when you blend personal values, professional knowledge and excellent people skills to deliver effective leadership.”

“The theme for VNAM this year is ‘progression’, and we hope that this film will inspire members of the veterinary community, or those aspiring to become members, to find their own inner leaders. There are so many different opportunities working in the veterinary sector, but it’s often difficult to know what could be possible.

“We hope, that by sharing the leadership stories of people like Betsy, we can help demystify the landscape slightly and help to show people that there are many opportunities out there that they may not have previously considered or even be aware of.”

Betsy added: “It was a brilliant opportunity to work with the team at the RCVS on such an important project. As I’ve mentioned, whether it’s specialising, leadership, teaching or research, RVNs have so many transferable skills that can be used across the sector in many different roles.

"People need to be able to see themselves in these roles, to see that it is possible. We are making progress, but we still have a long way to go.”

“Coming from an ethnic minority background myself, it has been very clear that the profession isn’t very diverse and that we need to do more to proactively promote veterinary nursing and veterinary medicine as viable career options in schools from a younger age.

“When it comes to leadership, I think initiatives such as the RCVS Leadership Stories are great in terms of showcasing diverse leaders and career opportunities. People need to be able to see themselves in these roles, to see that it is possible. We are making progress, but we still have a long way to go.”

To access Betsy’s story, as well as previous Leadership stories, visit the Leadership stories playlist our YouTube channel.