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vet nursing

T

theprincessofpink

Young Bun
hi everyone

i'm unsure as to whether i have posted this in the right section but it doesn't really seem to fit anywhere!!

i'm looking for some advice,i know there are a few of you on here who are vet nurses and i wanted some advice on what you think of it as a job/career.

i have been interested in vet nursing for some time but never did anything about it as i had never had animals before and am quite squeamish when it comes to blood and operations and stuff.what stopped me from doing it was the fact that when animal hospital was on i had to watch the operation parts from behind my hands singing to myself!!! :oops: :oops:

was i right not to pursue it for this reason????having gotten flower and nursed her when she's been ill it's reawakened the idea,what do i do?

any advice you can give would be much appreciated
 
A large part of nursing is operations and blood, and diarrhoea that you have to clean up, and vomit, and being wee'd on. Or being bitten and scratched. And watching animals die and being very ill.

It's not a glamourous job. You CANNOT avoid being in theatre, you will have to assist with ops, and there are certain things you have to do as well, such as (removing) stitches, first aid (for example on a huge labrador who's just cut through all the major veins and muscles and tendons, etc in it's front leg and is bleeding all over your practice), small lump removals on the outside of patients' skin, minor dental procedures, etc. You can't monitor an anaesthetic and hide behind your hands, singing to yourself.

The best thing to do is to contact a local practice and ask if you can have a week or two of experience. Most courses and practices will ask you to do this prior to starting your training, anyway. So contact your local vet, and explain to them that you're interested in maybe becoming a vet nurse, and if you could see practice for one or two weeks. If they say no, ask someone else. Most practices are very good with letting people get experience!
 
Vet Nursing: blood, pus, vomit, diarrhoea, urine, long hours, low pay, stress! - but I wouldn't want to do anything else! :) Personally, I find watching operations on television very different to seeing the procedure in reality. However, you need to know if you actually have the qualifications to start training; for further information, have a look at the following websites.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons regulates Veterinary Nursing in Britain.
RCVS - Veterinary Nursing Careers:
http://www.rcvs.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=89965&int1stParentNodeID=89647
RCVS - Veterinary Nursing FAQ:
http://www.rcvs.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=89961&int1stParentNodeID=89647

The PDSA is Britain's biggest employer of Veterinary Nurses.
PDSA - Student Veterinary Nurse:
http://www.pdsa.org.uk/pages/page05_5_5.cfm
PDSA - Qualified Veterinary Nurse:
http://www.pdsa.org.uk/pages/page05_5_4.cfm
 
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