Over the years I have worked with many different vet nurses. I know how important a good nurse is to achieving positive clinical outcomes for my patients. My clinical team are the best I have ever worked with. We couldn’t care for your animals without them.

I hope my nursing staff understand just how much we appreciate their hard work, their dedication, and their skill.

Vet Nurse Day is also an opportunity for you — our clients and friends — to let them know that you appreciate them too.

It doesn’t take much — leave a message on our Facebook page, send a thank-you card or, if you want to drop in and thank our nurses personally I know the girls would really appreciate that.

What is a Vet Nurse?

Not too many people really understand just what it is a veterinary nurse does. To some, they’re little more than ‘kennel hands.’ Nothing could be further from the truth. A vet nurse is an integral part of any good veterinary hospital, and they play an absolutely critical role in patient care. They train for years, continually updating their skills and qualifications. They assist in complex surgeries, carefully monitoring the vital signs of your pet while they’re in theatre. They’re trained in critical care and emergency triage, and in a myriad of other roles that provide vital assistance to the veterinary surgeon. A veterinary nurse is the provider of aftercare for your convalescing pet, maintaining a watchful eye on their condition.

They also do all the dirty jobs. They get bitten, clawed and scratched on a daily basis. When your pet is sick, vomiting, and perhaps has lost control of its bowels, it’s the vet nurse who generally gets covered in the resultant mess. It’s the vet nurse who cleans it up. And it’s the vet nurse who comforts and calms your frightened and bewildered pet.

It’s a tough job. A very tough job. The hours are long and physically tiring. It’s demanding and very stressful. Yet every good vet nurse does it day after day, and does it cheerfully, with grace and humour while, somehow, still managing to retain that all important empathy and compassion for the animals they deal with.

Surveys show that the nurses who care for people when they’re in hospital are the most respected and admired of any profession. That’s as it should be. But, while we can never compare the importance of the role of a nurse who cares for sick children or the elderly with those who care for animals, we should recognise that our vet nurses bring the same dedication and commitment to the care of animals.

Vet nurses don’t ask for recognition. They do what they do because they love animals and they love their job. But everybody appreciates being told that their work is valued. We hope that this Friday, you will remember the vital role they play in keeping your furry families healthy and happy. Make it a day to say … thank you, nurse.

Dr Bek