Bryony Gilder’s nursing focus is having a far-reaching positive impact.
Bryony's Focus On Nursing Having Positive Impact Beyond Cave
2 years ago 
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The head of nursing services at one of the south-west’s leading veterinary referral centres is using her passion for nursing to benefit colleagues where she works and further afield.
Bryony Gilder, who has been at Linnaeus-owned Cave Veterinary Specialists in Somerset for more than 10 years, is promoting the nursing agenda on a number of fronts.
This includes her co-founding and co-running of Cave’s monthly Nurse CPD Club. It was started pre-Covid-19 and available free for all local veterinary nurses to join once monthly at Cave’s site in Wellington.
Covid-19 meant the Nurse CPD Club went online and, beneficially, this has meant more nurses can join. It attracts as many as 120 nurses in a session, both from within Linnaeus and outside, all keen to develop their skills in a variety of areas.
Topics range from anaesthesia through to surgery through to being feline-friendly, with the most popular discussion so far being how to clip a patient for surgery.
Meanwhile, Bryony was recently appointed as head of nursing services at Cave, taking over from Helen Bye, who was promoted to a central nursing role within Linnaeus as referral nursing director.
Bryony said: “Helen showed me how to be a leader and while the new role has challenged me, I’m enjoying it. I also try and lead by example, I wouldn’t expect anyone in my team to do something I wouldn’t do myself.
“It really is a great group of people I work with. It has a real family feel at Cave and I’m very proud to be working here and leading the team.”
Bryony is also currently working towards a VTS in neurology, a discipline she cares passionately about, and she will be just one of a handful of UK veterinary nurses to hold the esteemed US status if she passes her exams next year.
Bryony added: “My passion for neurology started when I did a post-graduate certificate in small animal rehabilitation and was on placement at DWR Veterinary Specialists, also owned by Linnaeus, where I began having contact with neurology patients.
“When Cave introduced this discipline, I knew it’s what I wanted to do. I loved the patients, I loved nursing them – it was my lightbulb moment.”
Next in Bryony’s sights is to organise Cave Nurse CPD Club’s first congress where there will be a schedule of speakers covering a variety of topics and a chance to network with like minded people.
Cave offers comprehensive, specialist-led services in anaesthesia, cardiology, dermatology, internal medicine, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, orthopaedic surgery and soft tissue surgery.
For more information on Cave Veterinary Specialists, visit https://cave-vet-specialists.co.uk or search for Cave Veterinary Specialists on social media.
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