One of the recommendations of the Vet Futures Report was to ‘encourage veterinary nurse leaders to develop a report and recommendations which are directly relevant to veterinary nurses and their future, and complementary to the Vet Futures report’.
Following a joint meeting between the RCVS VN Council and the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA), in October 2015, it was decided that a ‘VN Futures’ project would provide the relevant leadership and engagement to achieve this.
An initial meeting with a broad range of stakeholders took place at the RCVS on 7 January 2016, and, following this, a VN Futures Action Group has been established to take the project forward, with the aim of delivering an action plan at the Vet Futures Summit in the summer.
The timeframe under consideration for Vet Futures is until 2030. However, it was considered that a five-year timeline may be more appropriate for veterinary nursing, given that it’s a younger profession, the retention rate is lower, and the training cycle is shorter.
Get involved
The first meeting of the VN Futures Action Group will take place at the University of Bristol on Monday 14 March. This will be followed by an evening meeting to which all members of the veterinary nursing profession, and those employers and veterinary colleagues with an interest in the profession, are welcome.
The second meeting of the VN Futures Action Group will take place at The College of Animal Welfare in Leeds on Monday 18 April. Again, this will be followed by an evening meeting to broaden discussion.
The third meeting of the VN Futures Action Group will take place at Edinburgh Napier University on Wednesday 11 April, again with an evening meeting where all members of the practice team are invited to discuss the issues.
In addition there will be VN Futures discussion streams at two forthcoming RCVS Regional Question Time meetings, in Nottingham on the evening of 17 May, and in Cardiff on the evening of 31 May. These meetings will also provide the opportunity to ask questions about other RCVS activities.
Meeting dates
- 14 March, VN Futures roadshow evening meeting, University of Bristol, Langford campus
- 18 April, VN Futures roadshow evening meeting, College of Animal Welfare, Leeds
- 11 May, VN Futures roadshow evening meeting, Edinburgh Napier University
- 17 May, RCVS Regional Question Time at the Nottingham Belfry Hotel, including a VN Futures discussion stream
- 31 May, RCVS Regional Question Time at the SSE SWALEC Stadium, Cardiff, including a VN Futures discussion stream
