RVN Helen Stewart has been voted onto the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) Council in one of the proudest moments of her career. Now Helen, who works at Farnham Veterinary Hospital and Alfold Vets in Surrey, wants to use this exciting opportunity to empower fellow veterinary nurses and help them achieve their own career goals.
RVN Helen Stewart’s passion for veterinary nursing in small animal and referral practices shines through brightly. Even after almost a quarter of a century in the profession, her enthusiasm has never dimmed.
Having been voted onto the BVNA Council in the summer elections by her peers, she’s keen to hit the ground running and share her thoughts and ideas for shaping the future of veterinary nursing and creating new opportunities for colleagues, both in practices within VetPartners and outside the group.
Helen hopes to use her knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to promote the profession and help fellow vet nurses feel empowered.
As a newly elected member, she’ll begin her three-year term in October, when she will be officially welcomed to Council during the BVNA’s Congress.
Helen said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have been voted onto the council and I think it’s a very exciting time to represent my nursing colleagues. I’m also pleased that someone who has been in the profession for as long as I have, has been recognised.
“I wanted to do this to give my fellow veterinary nurses a voice and it’s my ambition to help them enjoy rewarding and fulfilling careers and be recognised for all the amazing things they do. I’ve always strived to advance myself professionally and academically and I’d like to help other nurses fulfil their potential and be the best they can be, which means they can give the best care possible to their patients.”
Career opportunities
Helen began her nursing career in 2001 and spent 17 years working in first opinion and referral practices, including three and a half years as head nurse at Anderson Abercromby Referrals.
She joined Alfold Vets, a small animal first opinion practice in Surrey, in 2018 and received funding from VetPartners to study for a Graduate Certificate in Advanced Nursing, with a focus on anaesthesia and analgesia, which she completed last October.
To enable her to put into practice the skills achieving the advanced nursing certificate has equipped her with, Helen has been given the opportunity to work at Farnham Veterinary Hospital two days a week.
She said: “I work with a great team at Alfold Vets and I love being able to share my knowledge with students as a clinical coach, but I felt I needed to consider moving to a bigger practice or hospital environment where I could use the new skills that I’d invested time in acquiring.
“Then, our business development director Julie Lawrence, came up with the perfect solution and arranged for me to divide my working week between Alfold and Farnham Veterinary Hospital. It means I get to enjoy the best of both worlds while using my full nursing skillset.
“I became part of the Farnham team in January, where I work Mondays and Fridays, and really enjoy my time there. I’m using my knowledge of anaesthesia in surgeries and getting to nurse critical patients, plus we see a huge variety of cases at Farnham and never know what’s coming in next. It’s a lovely working atmosphere, too, with a great team of people who have been so welcoming. I feel like I’ve slotted in well.
“I’m so grateful to Julie, the teams at both practices and VetPartners for creating this great opportunity for me.”
A passion for veterinary nursing
Recognising how keen Helen was to represent her profession and help make a difference, she was nominated for the BVNA Council by colleagues at Alfold Vets. Seven RVNs stood for election with Helen one of three successful candidates securing a seat. She’ll be volunteering her time to attend five meetings a year, alongside other commitments and duties.
Helen, who enjoys swimming, running and riding and owns a cat, hamster, four guinea pigs and a 15-year-old Border Terrier called Benny, added: “I’ve always felt I’ve had something to say about our profession and how it should change, and thought that now is a good time to come off the side-lines. If I want things to change and progress, I need to be part of the team helping the profession move forward.
“Until I officially join the committee this autumn, I don’t know exactly what my official duties will be, but something I feel strongly about is nurses getting more recognition so they feel valued and have job satisfaction. This would help improve job retention and create happier teams.
“I’m keen to see more nurses across the industry encouraged and supported to do additional training so they can improve their confidence in the areas that interest for them.
“I also think changes need to be made to recognise the capabilities and experience of veterinary nurses and, if people invest their time in taking advanced qualifications, I’d like this to take them somewhere. For example, for nurses who achieve an advanced clinical qualification, it would be great if a role could be created like Nurse Practitioners within the NHS, which would allow RVNs to work independently with more responsibility and less supervision. It’s not about taking work away from vets, but it would maximise people resources and free up vets’ time to deal with more critical cases and emergencies.
“Having worked in the industry for so long, I understand the challenges experienced by nurses and am relishing the opportunity to start representing them and championing the nursing profession.”
Article by Jo Browne, PR & Communications manager (South, email: jo.browne@vetpartners.co.uk