Vets Now nurse in Bristol in full PPE kit examining a cat
13 RVNs Join 8-week Programme To Make The Transition To ECC
2 years ago 
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A team of vet nurses are set to take their first steps into emergency and critical care (ECC) next month when they embark on Vets Now’s Nursing Edge induction programme.
The eight-week programme will run twice a year, with intakes in March and September. It combines lectures, practical training and mentoring within Vets Now clinics to help qualified vet nurses make the transition from daytime practice.
Thirteen vet nurses have signed up to the programme, which relaunched last year following a three-year hiatus.
Rachael Bacon, Vets Now’s nursing development lead who oversees the Nursing Edge programme, says:
“The programme begins by introducing RVNs to our systems and providing the ECC knowledge they need to get started within clinic.
“Our lectures will cover triage, emergency diagnostics, analgesia, anaesthesia, understanding shock, fluid therapy and the monitoring of critically ill patients. The nurses will also receive training on all our internal systems.”
Vet nurses will spend the following six weeks at a Vets Now clinic, working mentored shifts alongside an experienced emergency vet nurse.
The final week involves another set of lectures, this time focusing on surgical emergencies, respiratory emergencies, wound management, neurological emergencies, operational conundrums and how to manage working nights.
Rachael says:
“We look at individual case studies and reflect on different real-life scenarios.
“We’ll also answer questions the nurses have from their time in clinic, helping them to build on their knowledge and gain further skills before heading back to their clinic as a full-time member of the team.
“After six months, the nurses will come together once more for a final reunion. This is a chance to support further professional growth, looking at what opportunities await them next.
“By completing Nursing Edge, nurses will gain valuable first-hand experience of life in ECC, and quickly build up a strong skillset whilst having the opportunity to meet and get to know their Vets Now team.
“It’s always wonderful to see the nurses’ confidence and passion grow. To know that they might not otherwise have taken that step into ECC really highlights why programmes like this are so important — not only to deliver, but to get right.”
Vet nurses will be able to ask questions, seek support and share their experiences throughout the programme, with full access to the Vets Now online community.
After developing their skills in an ECC setting, many Vets Now nurses move into senior nursing roles in clinic, specialist nursing positions within referral hospitals or clinic and district management roles.
Vets Now vet nurses enjoy an annual CPD allowance of £1125, plus support if they choose to undertake the CertVN ECC - an industry recognised City & Guilds qualification in small animal ECC nursing.
Vets Now’s online learning and development platform provides further opportunities and supports the sharing of knowledge among staff.
For more information about Nursing Edge, visit https://www.vets-now.com/nursing-edge
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