Veterinary Nursing – Those Were the
Days !
• Kathy Kissick VNC Vice Chair
• 1908 – 2016
• Not just 50 years of celebration
1844 RCVS Formed – Royal Charter
Veterinary Practice
Recognised as a
Profession
Coat of Arms granted
1908 Canine
Nurses
Institute
1913 Ruislip
Dog
Sanatorium
Canine Nurse Institute
•
•
•
•
•
Trained by VS on caring for dogs
Kept them and nursed them in their rooms
Salary 25 shillings per week
Plus room and board and travelling
Equates to £1.25
Florence Nightingale 1820-1910
Be careful of exclusion of
students
who will be excellent all round
nurses.
1938 - Mrs Florence Bell RVC Head
Nurse
Empathy and Advocacy for Animals
1961- ANA Nursing started
1962 – first ANA examinations in
September
1965 BVNA
inaugurated
Nurse Title Protected for human nurses
1966
BVNA
changed
Name to
BANAA
Protecting the Title 2016
Sewell & Cousins VS
• Veterinary surgeons beginning to take interest
in additional help in the surgeries
• Contacted the RCVS for formal recognition of
veterinary nurses
• RCVS rejected this initiative
Establishment of VNs
• Concerns raised by VS in Veterinary Record
• Getting above our station
• Wanted to be mini vets
• Mini vets ?
Judy comic 1969 & Debbie Comic 1982
Jean Turner RANA 1971
Nutrition
Antibiotics
Pharmaceutical
companies
Anaesthesia
Vaccinations
Analgesia
Pet Insurance
Bandaging
Analgesia
Preventative
Treatments
Me !!! 1983
Registered Animal Nursing Auxiliary
1984 BVNA renamed
Nursing title no longer protected for human nurses only
Veterinary Nurse Certificate 1984
Nursing in the 1980s
Nursing in the 1980s
TV Influences
CAW students – back in time
Most VNs started at an Early Age
Stereotyping
1977 male
human
centred
nurses
allowed
onto
register
Very few male
Veterinary
Nurses
Until 1990s
Demand led to College Training
Bicton
Berkshire
Myerscough 1975
Rodbaston
1 year in practice
before College
Day / blocks and
evening classes
Few Text books
Reliant on
textbooks
written by VS
Reliant on
teaching by
VS
Jones Animal Nursing
Guidance Booklets
•Preliminary and final
examinations – Credit if 75% in
all sections
•Examined by VS
•Long essay questions
•Short answer
•Practical vivas each year and
tasks
•Spotter test
•Then NVQ and MCQ
examinations
Examinations 1999
Past papers & Syllabus
BVNA over the Generations
Pre Veterinary Nursing late 1980s
BSAVA Started to Develop VN
Textbooks
Meeting the Needs of The VN
Larger Range of Textbooks
VN – RVN – Dip AVN
Equine Veterinary Nursing 1990s
1991 - onwards
• VSA 1966 amended to incorporate Schedule 3
Tasks
• Dip AVN 1980s with BVNA
• Graduate programmes in 1990s
• HE Dip – Dip AVN in 2000 +
• 2012 VN Declaration incorporated into
admissions along with new Code of Conduct
VN Council
• The RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council was
established in 2002 and replaced the
Veterinary Nurses Committee.
• It has overall responsibility for all matters
concerning veterinary nurse training, postqualification awards and the registration of
qualified veterinary nurses.
Educate our Clients
Educate our Prospective Students
Nurses are Nurses are Nurses!
Mini Vets ?
Or Maxi Nurses ?
Advocates for our Patients
BVNA Still Needs All Our Support
VNC Needs Your Support
• Six veterinary nurses are contesting two places in this year’s VN
Council elections, all of whom are new candidates. They are:
• Mrs Stacey Bullock RVN
• Miss Racheal Marshall RVN
• Mrs Wendy Nevins RVN
• Mr Matthew Rendle RVN
• Mrs Samantha Thompson RVN
• Miss Helen Tottey RVN
• Ballot papers and candidates’ details are due to be posted to all
veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses eligible to vote during
the week commencing 14 March, and all votes must be cast, either
online or by post, by 5pm on Friday, 29 April 2016.
Huge Opportunities for VNs
Always Important
Like to Think I
have Done
This
Me Now
My Home Now