Veterinary Nurses Investigate

We close this series with Helen Silver-MacMahon, a veterinary nurse whose work spans far beyond the clinic floor. This conversation takes a thoughtful and sometimes challenging turn as we explore the role of human factors in veterinary practice and how evidence-based medicine doesn’t exist in a vacuum, but within real people, real teams, and real-world pressures. Helen brings clarity, humility, an...

This week, we’re joined by Krishna Mistry for a conversation that takes a different turn—placing communication at the centre of quality improvement. Krishna talks us through her audit on patient handovers, exploring the journey from initial questions to meaningful insights. Together, we unpack the communication skills involved, dig into what really constitutes a “good” handover and explore how che...

In this episode, we speak with Ana Costa about her drive to reduce carbon footprints in practice through the use of low-flow anaesthesia. The conversation explores a tangible, achievable way veterinary teams can lessen their environmental impact, without losing sight of patient safety or clinical standards. Alongside this, Ana reflects on the experience of studying and working in another country,...

Today, we’re joined by Michelle Farrow for a reflective conversation that bridges research and real-world practice. Michelle shares her experience of completing a Master of Research, walking us through the project that explored how pet owners use the internet before bringing their animals into practice. Together, we unpack what she discovered, why it matters for veterinary teams, and how online in...

Today, we shift the focus slightly as we’re joined by Susan Holt to explore research and how it can naturally build on audit experience. Drawing on the themes covered so far in the series, Susan helps bridge the gap between audit and research, offering real-world advice on how to take those next steps with confidence. She shares practical skills, honest insights, and thoughtful guidance for anyone...

This episode is double the fun as we welcome Alice Bell and Abi Redfearn from Rosemullion Veterinary Hospital to explore the audit process. They share their individual auditing journeys, talking through the wide range of audits they’ve taken on and how each experience shaped their confidence and approach to quality improvement. With plenty of real-world insight (and reassurance), Alice and Ab...

In this episode, we’re joined by Sam McGaw, an ECC nurse and educator, for a grounded and practical conversation rooted in real clinical experience. Sam walks us through her nutrition audit, sharing what worked, what surprised her, and the lessons learned along the way. With honesty and clarity, she breaks down the audit process into something approachable and achievable, offering practical tips t...

We’re kicking off Season 2 with the one and only Lou Northway, opening the door to a conversation that sets the tone for everything that follows. Together, we explore Quality Improvement and Evidence-Based Veterinary Nursing (EBVN), unpacking what these concepts really look like in practice—not just in theory. Lou shares honest insights from her own career journey, including the lessons learned, c...

Are you as frustrated at the lack of evidence as we are? Veterinary nurses are in a prime position to fill this gap and therefore we need to publish! In the final episode of series one, we speak to the incredibly inspirational Jennifer Hamilin, educator, learner (studying for a PhD), RVN, technician and editor extraordinaire. We discuss how to submit articles, the editorial process, and peer revie...

Your audit is complete, you know that your results should be used to inform practice, but how do you encourage others engage with your research outcomes? Alison Young, Clinical Operations Manager at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals recounts her experiences of creating change in practice, focussing on the transition to alcohol-based hand preparations. [First published on RVC website 25 July 20...

How do you feel admitting to someone that you are a novice? How will you describe yourself if you can't or don’t want to practice anymore if that’s what you have done for most of your life? What are your personal values? [First published on RVC website 15 June 2023] To cite this podcast as: Sarah Batt-Williams and Lyndsay Wade RVC Veterinary Nurses Investigates 5 Professional identity with Rachel...

"It's about empowering all team members, getting them to work together. I have always wanted to make a difference and I am really proud of my audit". [First published on RVC website 9 May 2023] To cite this podcast as: Sarah Batt-Williams and Lyndsay Wade RVC Veterinary Nurses Investigates 4 Auditing in practice with Megan Conroy Mar 6 2026 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati...

"Ask yourself a question... How can we do this better? You can always enthuse others about your ideas". [First published on the RVC website Dec 12 2022.] To cite this podcast as: Sarah Batt-Williams and Lyndsay Wade RVC Veterinary Nurses Investigates 3 Critiquing literature with Perdi Welsh & Hilary Orpet Feb 27 2026 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amanda worked in the Equine industry for more than 20 years breaking and training horses and teaching riders but realised that the body was weaker than the spirit, and chose to take the teaching into the classroom - as a secondary science teacher. This led to teaching equine students at Writtle college and managing the FE Equine department there. At this time, through distance learning, she achiev...

In episode one of the first series of VN’s investigate we discuss all things Evidence Base with the truly inspirational Dr Dan O’Neill. What is the role of the veterinary nurse in research? What are the questions that we should be asking? How can we optimise the care we provide for our patients and their family members? And what do we say that is music to Dan’s soul?! All this and so much more in...

An idea created pre pandemic, completed in lockdown and edited during the maternity leave of both Sarah and Lyndsay! In series one, we will be exploring evidence based veterinary nursing, following the structure in which you would complete a research or audit project. We will be following this with future series with examples of research and audits from the veterinary nursing community, champ...