The VN Futures project aims to address some of the challenging issues in veterinary nursing, and identify and exploit opportunities to progress the profession. Clearly, ‘maximising nurses’ potential’, one of the six key ambitions of the VN Futures Report and Action Plan, is a hugely diverse topic, that covers many aspects of the veterinary nursing profession and also needs input and ‘buy-in’ from the wider veterinary team. This ambition encompasses and interlinks with the other ambitions and aims of the VN Futures project, for example, to provide ‘structured and rewarding career paths’ for veterinary nurses. The project has approached this ambition through many differing streams of work, and a selection of these are highlighted below (see ‘Our achievements’).
Advocating and supporting veterinary nurses to achieve their full potential in practice is a complex topic that incorporates many components. The work to meet this ambition is an ever-evolving task, and we envisage that we will continue to address this area in the next phase of the project. Examples of how we are meeting this ambition are:
- Enhancing career opportunities within the veterinary nursing profession
- Opportunity to obtain post-registration qualifications in specific areas
- The possibility of developing advanced nurse practitioner status
- Developing a clearer career structure for veterinary nurses
- Highlighting opportunities for nurses to develop skills, such as leadership, within everyday practice
- Understanding and appreciating the role of the veterinary nurse
- Within the veterinary team
- By the public
- Within other professions, such as human nursing and medicine
- Effective delegation
- Promoting more effective delegation of clinical tasks to veterinary nurses, including increased responsibilities in certain areas of clinical practice
- Understanding of Schedule 3 – by veterinary surgeons and nurses to increase awareness of what can be delegated and when
- Promotion of robust professional communication to enhance and support delegation
- Developing the VN Leadership role
- Creating and promoting veterinary nurse leadership roles in the profession, including through highlighting the work of VN Council
- Giving nurses the opportunities and tools to become confident, effective leaders
- Appreciating that all nurses are leaders in their own spheres, and nurturing this
- Encourage flexible working
- Ensuring nurses have the opportunity to achieve a career in veterinary nursing, alongside their other commitments
- Ensuring that flexible working guidelines are met by workplaces
