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VN Futures to host fringe event at BVNA Congress

4 October 2019

The VN Futures initiative is running a fringe event at next week’s British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) Congress which will ask members of the profession for their thoughts on the project and its aims.

The talk, entitled 'VN Futures – what does it mean to you?’, is being held from 10am to 11am on Saturday 12 October in the Beckbury Suite at Telford, Shropshire, and will be chaired by Veterinary Nurses (VN) Council Chair Racheal Marshall and BVNA President Wendy Nevins.

The fringe event is an opportunity to keep VNs up-to-date with the work of the VN Futures project, which aims to help address many of the key challenges faced by the VN profession, and also identify opportunities that could be harnessed to benefit the profession.

The crux of the one-hour session will be  updates from three of the VN Futures working group Chairs, offering an overview of the various strands of work that is planned for the project over the next few months, with an opportunity for questions and discussion following the updates.

The first update will be from the Career Progression Group Chair, Renay Rickard, and will focus on how to maximise the value of veterinary nurses, particularly with regards to empowering VNs to be utilised in a way that befits their experience, training and skills. Renay will also cover the importance of supporting both VNs and other veterinary professionals to understand how veterinary nurses add value to veterinary practice.

Following this, the Sustainable Workforce Working Group Chair, Stuart Ford-Fennnah, will provide an update on the VN Futures School Ambassador Pilot, covering: how the pilot has been set up; what the pilot hopes to achieve; and the future vision for School Ambassadors in Veterinary Nursing. More information about the pilot will be published in due course.

Finally, the One Health Group Chair, Becky Jones, will provide an update on the role of veterinary nurses in One Health and the ties that are being forged with other healthcare professions. This will focus on the ongoing work in developing the Community Nurse role, and the role that VNs can play in smoking cessation, along with medical professionals. The event will end with allotted time for discussion and questions.

Picture of Racheal Marshall, Chair of VN Council “This event provides a great forum for BVNA Congress delegates to engage in the VN Futures initiative and get up to speed on some of the key areas of work we are undertaking,” says Racheal Marshall, Chair of VN Council (pictured right). 

“Over recent months lots of VN Futures-related work has been going on behind the scenes and so this is a key opportunity to talk about the progress we are making in this public forum. We also look forward to receiving feedback from veterinary nurses about how we are doing, as well as hear their ideas about how we can raise awareness around of the project and its work.”

For more information about the VN Futures project – including information about its various working groups – visit the VN Futures website

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