VN Futures to run two sessions at upcoming BVNA Congress

VN Futures, a joint initiative from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA), will be running two sessions at the upcoming BVNA Congress in Telford this October.

The theme for BVNA Congress this year is ‘empowerment’, which promises to inspire and uplift delegates throughout the event and programme. The VN Futures sessions are also based around this theme, both designed to empower veterinary nurses to help themselves to get the most out of their careers.

The first session, entitled ‘VN Futures – RVN Starting out’ will be delivered by RCVS Academy Manager Jennifer Ayers RVN, supported by the RCVS and BVNA VN Futures board members. This session will focus on how the RCVS Academy, a free digital learning platform for the veterinary professions, can support nursing career journeys and help nurses to diversify. The Academy houses many courses that are all available on demand and have been designed for a range of career stages and interests. The RVN Starting out course is one of the newer courses which has been developed as part of the VN Futures project, designed to provide guidance to newly registered RVNs. However, the course is relevant to all, as is the BVNA Congress session. For more details about the RCVS Academy, log in to RCVS MyAccount to access the platform.

The second session, entitled ‘Flexible working option’, will be led by BVNA Council member, Lyndsay Hughes RVN. This session will focus on how to approach managers to ask for flexible working hours. Whilst managers are not legally obliged to provide flexible working arrangements, this session will provide the tools needed for effective negotiation and enable an understanding of the benefits of flexible working.

BVNA Congress, which marks its 50th year this year, will be taking place from Friday 6 – Sunday 8 October 2023 at the Telford International Centre, with the ‘VN Futures – RVN Starting out’ session taking place in the Hub on Friday 6 October from 15:30-16:30, and the ‘Flexible working option’ session taking place on Saturday 7 October from 10:00-11:00. For more information on BVNA Congress, visit the BVNA Congress website at https://bvna.org.uk/congress/.