Day in the life of a Blue Cross veterinary nurse

It’s national veterinary nursing week and to mark the occasion, here’s a day in the life of one of The Blue Cross’s very own nurses, Samantha Cass…

The varied life of a veterinary nurse

As a qualified veterinary nurse at The Blue Cross animal hospital in Grimsby my job is never predictable and no two days are ever the same!

Blue Cross vet nurses need to have lots of different skills, be good at communicating with pet owners and work in all areas of the hospital.

The role isn’t just nine to five Monday to Friday, we also might work overnight and at weekends to look after pets who need 24 hour care or to cover emergency cases coming to the hospital.

From road traffic accidents to pets swallowing objects they shouldn’t have, we never know what to expect out-of-hours.

A usual day begins by admitting pets who are coming in for an operation. This often means reassuring their owners of what the procedure might entail and when their pet will be well enough to go back home.

Many of the pets we treat are owned by elderly or vulnerable people and their pet might be the only companion in their home, so you can imagine that it’s a very worrying time for them.

In the operating theatre

When the animals have been admitted it’s off to the operating theatre to set up the preparation area where pets will be given sedation and anaesthetic. We also help if the part of their body having surgery needs to be shaved.

During surgery, vet nurses are on hand to help the vet with the operation and make sure the animal is okay under the anaesthetic. Sometimes we help with the surgery and stitching up the skin afterwards too.

Animal aftercare

When surgery is over the animals are taken to the kennels to recover. They are closely monitored and cared for by the kennel nurses who provide skilled and supportive care for all of the sick and injured animals.

These include administering medication, assisted feeding, placing IV fluids, taking blood samples – the list is endless!

Veterinary nurses work in the clinics, supporting vets where needed and also with a special nurses clinic where we check the healing of surgical wounds, apply dressings, give vaccinations and triage animals to prioritise which are emergencies and which can wait to see the vet.

Advising pet owners

We also help pet owners whose animals have put on too much weight with a pet diet and exercise programme until they have reached their target.

A big part of our work at The Blue Cross is educating pet owners on preventative health care and meeting them during the clinic sessions is a good opportunity for us to make sure everything is okay.

Vet nurses will do other work behind the scenes, like dispense medication, check everything we might need is in stock and work in the laboratory testing blood samples and checking other samples under the microscope.

Job satisfaction

Working as a veterinary nurse is a truly rewarding job, especially for a charity like The Blue Cross where we know that without our help some pet owners may be forced to give up their beloved companion. We know that we’re providing a service not just to animals but for their owners too.

The Blue Cross currently has vacancies for veterinary nurses in London. If you’re interested, visit our work with us section.

For more information about veterinary nursing week contact the British Veterinary Nursing Association.