Stuart Bobby Miller

RVN

Candidate 2 of 3

Proposers: Julie Louise Merrell, Sophie Louise Dennis

Contact details

M 07728 834436
E [email protected]

Candidate biography

Working with animals has been my dream from a young age; I finally achieved this dream in my late twenties following a career in sales and business development which took me all over the world. My first animal care role came working with Adam Henson's'  incredible team at a farm here in the Cotswolds; from there I trained as an ANA at a first opinion practice in Gloucestershire before gaining a role as an SVN at Chaseview Vets, a busy mixed first opinion practice in Herefordshire – it is during my time here that I gained my RVN Diploma.

After having my son, in order to optimise my work life balance, I decided to split my time between Locum Nursing and working as a sales representative for Inuvet UK. However, I maintain a strong passion for nursing and when he is older, it is my intention to return to this full time and further my career in complex clinical care.

Outside of work I keep chickens, fish a cat and I am determined to get another dog having lost my beloved Tibetan Terrier 18 months ago. I have a Pokemon card obsession and enjoy travelling the world to music festivals.

Candidate statement 

I’m standing for the VN council to further broaden my horizons within this incredible profession, and gain a deeper insight in the Veterinary Nursing community by working with other dedicated nurses committed to advancing the field of veterinary nursing.

Having previously worked in Business Development, I have a strong skillset of leadership, communication and negotiation. I would love to use my communication skills to help further empower nurses to find their confidence and voice in practice. The role of an RVN is such a varied and dynamic role with endless opportunities, and I believe all RVNs should feel confident in the scope of their abilities and the opportunities this gives them to further their career or get more out of their work life.

I have a keen passion for sustainability and helping showcase what everyone can do in practice to work towards a greener profession, a problem faced not just by the veterinary industry but by the wider medical profession as a whole. A sustainability commitment not only benefits the environment but also ensures a responsible veterinary healthcare system.

Personal experience has also impacted how strongly I advocate the importance of peoples'  mental health and wellbeing. It is important to acknowledge the demanding nature of the veterinary profession both physically and mentally and I am keen to support comprehensive mental health support programmes, stress management and resources to help RVNS and SVNS cope with the emotional challenges inherent in the profession.

Whilst I've not had previous council experience; everyone has to start somewhere and what better place to start than within a profession I feel so passionate about.

Candidate answers to questions from the profession

What can we do to encourage vets to utilise their veterinary nurses properly and therefore increase clinical output and job satisfaction?

To encourage vets to utilize veterinary nurses effectively, I truly believe fostering open communication and collaboration is key. Implementing regular team meetings to discuss roles, responsibilities, and potential improvements can enhance understanding where the strengths and weaknesses of the teams are. Providing training opportunities for nurses to expand their skills and delegating appropriate tasks can increase their involvement in clinical activities would obviously boost overall output, for instance, looking at areas of practice that could become more “nurse led” which follows closely what the medical profession does with its array of different nursing staff and advanced practitioners. I would say the overarching lack of job satisfaction from some nurses would stem from being underutilized increasing the scope for more areas of a nurse-led practice and constantly reminding nurses of what they can do within the industry to excel themselves in areas of nursing they most enjoy would be a big boost

What changes would you make to the work lifestyle of the veterinary nurse if you were given the authority to do so?

There are obviously numerous ways to increase work/life balance, which unfortunately might not be reasonably practicable for all practices, however changes such as, flexible scheduling for nurses, such as job shares, part-time options, longer shifts for and shorter weeks etc could massively help some nurses. Fair overtime policies to make sure overtime is appropriately compensated or offset with time off. I always advocate strong, clear and non-judgemental communication between colleagues to encourage nurses to feel they can express workload and stress levels and know when to seek support when needed. Introduce and promote more wellness initiatives, such as mental health support, stress management resources, and access to counselling services to address the unique challenges in the veterinary profession. It's also important for nurses to know what other options are available for working within the industry as well as maintaining the ability to work as an RVN, this is something that has worked incredibly well for my work life balance with having a young son, The ability to work as a locum RVN alongside being a rep in the veterinary industry has allowed me to stay within the industry I love as well doing the RVN work I love and gain a deeper appreciation of the overall industry.