SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½

In this guest blog, we caught up with Grace who told us about her experience studying MSc Veterinary Nursing at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½. 

“Hi, I’m Grace! I’m from Derbyshire and I’m currently studying towards a master's in Advanced Veterinary Nursing, with a focus on pain management and analgesia, and anaesthesia, at Harper Adam’s University. 

 
I chose to study at Harper Adams due to its amazing reputation amongst other veterinary nurses, in addition to it being one of the few places currently offering an RCVS accredited course for registered veterinary nurses.  
 
So far, I’ve loved every minute of my time studying at Harper Adams. I’ve already deepened my knowledge so much with the help of all of the amazing lecturers.  
 
My studies have driven me to recently make the decision to move to a busy university hospital environment where I have even more opportunity to learn, apply my new knowledge and share my knowledge with the next generation of vets!  
 
My favourite part of my studies, so far, has been the two day skills camp that I was lucky enough to attend on both days.  

Being able to apply my theory knowledge in a practical setting has been invaluable to my confidence and skills as an RVN.  

It has also allowed me to bring back additional suggestions to my practice of how we can further improve pain management, anaesthetic trouble shooting and welfare for our patients.  
 
I’m currently working full time as an RVN alongside my studies. I currently spend my shifts either as a consulting nurse, inpatient nurse or procedures nurse.  

From clinics with patients struggling with chronic pain to discussing peri-operative pain management and anaesthetic strategies, alongside my veterinary surgeon, my studies allow me to contribute to improved patient welfare and outcomes daily.  

I absolutely love working in a hospital setting, being able to watch hospitalised patients progress over multiple days, and contribute towards this change, is incredibly rewarding.” 

Grace’s piece of advice?: “My only advice would be to do it! Although the course can be demanding alongside a full-time job, with careful time management, it is so incredibly rewarding.” 

Veterinary nurses are capable of so much more than many people believe, and by continuing to further our knowledge and improve our confidence we can promote the recognition of RVN’s as invaluable professionals in our own right.”