Veterinary Professionals

So you have finally qualified after all that hard work and those stressful exams. So after a few years of hard work as a Vet. Nurse what are your plans long-term? Can you see yourself in the same position in 10 years time? Most Vet Nurses are young from what I have noticed. Usually under 30 I would say – so where do they all go after a few years? Here are the options: Sales Rep. Yes, I admit it sounds tempting – an expensive company car to drive, office hours and a nice salary increase. Realistically though would you really want to learn all about nutrition, dental equipment, the latest antibiotic, fleas products which kill the egg, the larvae, the adult (the host) etc etc – with claims that it is a miraculous and harmless drug etc. etc Also most vets keep the reps waiting for as long as they can get away with and then proceed to ask awkward, irrelevant questions to aim to embarrass them by proving their lack of product knowledge. Plus it wouldn’t be good for the waistline, sitting around all day, driving all day and handing out cakes, greasy rolls etc as a bride for 15 minutes of the vet’s time. Anyway most companies use those with degrees nowadays – that the impression I get when asking reps how to become a rep. I wonder how many Vet Nurses are reps. Head Nurse. So you finally make it up the stepladder of success. Starting at the bottom and gradually working your way up to such dizzy heights. Yea right. Great so all the responsibility is yours. The buck stops with you – whenever anything goes wrong. You also have the pleasure of filling in to cover when people call in sick (or with hangovers) Also you have the right to discipline other nurses, or befriend favourites and let them get away with murder or just become bossy and self-righteous – (speaking from my observations you understand not from my personal experiences) Although I should not be too cynical some Vet. Nurses really enjoy being head nurse and generally the salary offered if quite good. Of course it can be rewarding training new nurses as well. So, a good career move for some. Becoming a Locum. Working in new surroundings regularly can be a real eye-opener. It can be good for increasing your confidence and will make you more experienced. You do get to work in some awful places though but the money is very good. I think locuming is good for the short-term. Long-term locuming ca be a bit soul destroying as you don’t belong anywhere, don’t have any colleagues, and get a bit fed up with being the new person all the time. You feel as if you spend much of the day looking for things. Although, I do know nurses who love the freedom of locuming. You do not have any ties and can work where and when it suits you. It is good if you are single and have no ties as you can travel with your work. Education. Some nurses choose to leap into the education sector – either training new nurses or students on an animal care course or working for a Veterinary School in some way. The pay is very good and it can be rewarding so definitely a good move. Tell Us. Could you vet nurses tell us about your experiences – what are you doing now? How has Veterinary Nursing taken you into different directions? Do you ever wish you had made a different career choice? Veterinary Nursing is generally little recognised, low paid, long hours, physically and emotionally hard work. It is also rewarding and enjoyable at times. It would be great for nurses to post their comments in the forums. If you have left the profession why? How long did you nurse before making changes? We look forward to hearing from you.


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