VN Times Podcast

VN Happy Hour returned in September with the theme of “Brachycephalic breeds – the best approach”. This month saw the return of RVN and brachycephalic campaigner Lacey Pitcher in our lead interview slot to answer delegates’ questions on how to support clients with brachycelphalic pets and more. Our panel discussion saw Lacey joined by blogger, vlogger and former Peke owner Jane Davidson (JaneRVN),...

August’s VN Happy Hour – sponsored by Bought By Many – was all about behaviour, and how VNs can support owners of pets with behavioural problems and the importance of “fear free” methods for handling pets in a clinical setting. Whether you weren’t able to join us on the 26 August or simply want to listen to our fantastic guest speakers again, we have you covered. This month we were joined by RVNs...

Sustainability has been the theme of Jo Oakden’s year as president of the BVNA – and this increasingly important topic dominates the agenda for BVNA Congress, which returns to Telford International Centre from 2 to 4 October following its hiatus last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. In this special episode of the VN Times Podcast, Jo explains why she chose sustainability as her theme, how the...

A two-month campaign by the BVNA is aiming to create a better environment for – and a better understanding of – the challenges faced by veterinary nurses who suffer from a chronic illness or condition. The campaign is being led by BVNA junior vice-president Alex Taylor, who joined the VN Times Podcast to discuss its objectives – chief of which is the creation of a digital toolkit to support VNs, a...

If you haven’t attended one of our VN Happy Hour virtual events yet, you’re missing out. It’s a “power hour” packed with fun, laughter, top tips, prizes, and talks with fantastic and talented panellists. This month we were joined by RVNs Claire Harrison, Claire Bloor and Nicola Lakeman, each of whom expertly answered a number of dentistry-related questions submitted by delegates.

Where can your veterinary nursing skills take you? In this month’s VN Happy Hour, the team will be exploring all the angles and showcasing the diverse range of careers and lifestyles on offer to the UK’s “green army” of veterinary nursing professionals. In this episode we hear Belinda Andrews-Jones, Luke Frewin and Fraje Watson answering questions posed by the people that matter – you and your pee...

VN Times editor Rachael Buzzel is joined by RVN and manager of the Linnaeus Veterinary Nursing Post Registration Programme, Sophie Venables. The programme launched in early 2020, but Linnaeus had to think fast and adapt as COVID hit and the nation was thrust into its first national lockdown. Sophie talks us through the first year of the programme and how, though it was not what they expected, they...

VN Times editor Rachael Buzzel sits down with RVN and university lecturer Amanda Curtis to discuss wound care, management and the VN’s role in this complicated process. There are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to wound care and it is important vet nurses understand what can go wrong when caring for these injuries. Amanda Curtis talks us through the process and, in particular, how to ke...

On 27 May 2021, VN Happy Hour 5 – sponsored by AnimalCare – focused on the topic of senior pets. Hosted, as usual, by Vet Times editor James Westgate and VN Times editor Rachael Buzzel, the evening featured a lead interview with RVN Kirsty Cavill and an expert panel comprising Nicola Lakeman and Emma Gerrard.

This month VN Times editor Rachael Buzzel is joined by locum RVN Molly Fiander to chat about life as a locum, coping through COVID-19, and her love for helping VNs find/rediscover their passion and get the most out of their qualification. Molly qualified as a vet nurse in 2017, but has had a huge passion for animal welfare since she was a little girl. In 2018 she “fell” into locum life, but hasn’t...

VN Happy Hour 4.0 saw vet nurse, writer, educator and leading blogger Jane Davidson feature in our main interview to discuss her perspective on physical and mental well-being, before joining our expert panel for a broader debate on some of the big issues in the veterinary nursing profession. RVN panellists Aoife Smith, Elle Payne, Jane Davidson, Zara Livingstone and veterinary nurse-turned persona...

Following on from the monster success of our first two events, we were delighted to lift the winter blues and blow away the cobwebs by hosting Vet Nurse Happy Hour version 3 on 28 January. January’s online event saw Lacey Pitcher in the lead interview slot, followed by a panel discussion with a team of expert speakers (Kirsty Cavill, Gisela Luckhurst and Helen Manning), hand picked to offer the la...

Following the monster success of our first VN Happy Hour event, we decided to do it all over again – and our second event took place on 26 November 2020. For those that missed the event, however, this podcast includes “Exotic encounters: fFrom lizards to llamas” – our big interview with VN Council chair and leading exotics nurse, Matt Rendle. Also, contained is “Owning your future”, our panel disc...

VN Times editor Rachael Buzzel is joined by RVN and veterinary manager at Pet Blood Bank UK (PBBUK) Caroline Peacock. Caroline tells us all about her work with the UK charity set up to support vets by providing a blood service for pets, and the vital role of the VN in its work. To find out more about how you can get involved with the charity, read “Pet Blood Bank: how VNs can help” in the November...

VN Times sits down with Linnaeus chief nursing officer Andrea Jeffery to talk Schedule Three and what it means for the future of the veterinary nursing profession. Andrea discusses how proposed legislative changes could have the biggest impact on this crucial role in decades.

A huge advocate for the VN role, Helen speaks to VN Times about how her nursing team has helped take the drama out of the corona crisis. – Helen Manning is an RVN with more than 20 years experience in a variety of different roles and practices settings. She has worked in industry as well as independent and corporate practices and is now both manager and a partner at Swaffham Vets in Norfolk.

This month, RVN John Redbond joins VN Times editor Rachael Buzzel to discuss dermatology, what piqued his interest in this speciality, and how VNs who share this passion can get involved. – John qualified in 2004 and worked at Castle Vets in Reading for 17 years. From 2011 he also ran a dermatology clinic at the practice and completed the BSAVA Merit Award in Dermatology. He has had several articl...

Following fantastic social media feedback about her article “Charging for VN consults: will owners pay for services?”, RVN Helen Tottey joins VN Times editor Rachael Buzzel for a chat about what inspired her to tackle this important topic and to offer advice to VN colleagues who may be considering broaching the subject with their practice. Helen qualified in 1996 and quickly realised clinical nurs...

2020 looks set to be another exciting year for RVN, blogger, author and lecturer Jane Davidson. In the latest VN Times podcast, former editor Holly Kernot catches up with Jane, who chats about her career journey so far, becoming an author and embarking on a PhD looking at the history of the veterinary profession. She also discusses getting lost in The British Library, a desire to feature on the Th...

This month, former VN Times editor Holly Kernot speaks to Flick Caldwell, who, in the August 2019 issue of the magazine, shared her experience of working as an RVN, despite suffering with a condition that causes chronic pain. Here, Flick talks more about her condition and the symptoms that affect her everyday life, and how she copes, as well as how she hopes to help and support other VNs suffering...

Almost 90% of BVA members think vets should play a more active role in the sustainable agriculture agenda, so this year’s BVA Congress – being hosted by London Vet Show – will open by discussing ways to “green the profession”. Ahead of the show, Ellie West of Davies Veterinary Specialists – who will be taking part in the session – discusses why sustainability is critical to global health care and...

More than two-thirds of people experience the impostor phenomenon at some point in their lives – so how can they overcome this oft-debilitating emotional experience? Step forward Kate Atkin – who will explore the concept in her keynote lecture at BVNA Congress and offer tips on how to manage it. Ahead of congress, Kate discusses how she discovered the phenomenon while studying for a master’s in ap...

As a boy with an interest in animals, Matt Rendle was given two options by his careers advisor: be a farmer, or work in an abattoir. Not quite what he had in mind (but those were the 1980s for you). Thankfully, he didn’t heed the advice and went his own way. Listen in to hear how he forged a career as an RVN, worked in one of the UK’s most iconic zoos, developed an interest in wildlife and exotics...