Matthew Edwin Rendle

RVN

Candidate 4 of 5

Proposers: Chloe-Marie Peirce, Rosie Caitlin Ward

Address and contact details

9 Elm Tree Walk, Tring, Herts HP23 5EB

M 07947 812630

E matthewrendlervn@hotmail.co.uk

Candidate biography

Matt started his veterinary nursing career at The Park Veterinary Centre, Watford in September 1989, a busy mixed and exotics 13-vet practice, where he completed his veterinary nursing qualification and was made Senior Theatre Nurse in 1994.

He left in 2003 to pursue his interest in zoo and wildlife nursing at the Zoological Society of London. Matthew left the Zoo in April 2017 to look for new challenges within exotic and wildlife nursing.

Matt has experience in the nursing care for many species from ants to elephants (and most things in-between) and has been fortunate to travel extensively across the world as part of his roles.

He lectures to veterinary nurses and veterinary surgeons extensively throughout Europe, Asia and America on topics such as animal welfare, anaesthesia, nutrition, diagnostic imagining, in a wild range of zoo, exotics and wildlife species.

Matt has completed a three-year term on the British Veterinary Nursing Association Council and is in his sixth year of being on RCVS VN council and currently holds the position of Chair.

Matt is the Chair of AZEVN which he helped found in 2016 to provide CPD for nurses working with zoo, exotics, and wildlife species.

Candidate statement 

It has been a pleasure to be on VN council for the past six years and Chair for the last three, the role has been challenging but incredibly rewarding and I am very proud of what has been achieved. I am especially honoured to be the first male nurse to hold this position too.

Staff welfare is an area that I would like the opportunity to continue to work on as a member of VN council, it’s something I am very passionate about. Assessing areas such as the welfare of the veterinary team by creating more bespoke support for students and encouraging openly communicating about our mental health (I have had my own battles with anxiety and depression), I believe this is fundamental in trying to remove this taboo from our profession.

As veterinary nurses are we are the frontline champions for animal welfare, and I want to continue create more opportunities for us to highlight the expertise and the work we do, such as publishing practical research as well as empowering nurses to have a voice and to talk openly about the animal welfare of all species we nurse.

Working as a veterinary nurse in practice and being a clinical coach/supervisor allows me to see first-hand the challenges our profession faces. Our profession is going through a period of incredible unprecedented positive change; but we all need to do our bit to get the changes that we want and need. I have always embraced every opportunity to highlight the amazing work veterinary nurses do and to do my bit to make veterinary nursing a healthy and sustainable profession for future generations, I would like your support to allow me to continue to do this essential work as part of the VN council working alongside the incredibly dedicated RCVS team.

Questions from the profession and the candidate's answers

• The campaign to get legal protection of the Veterinary Nurse title is something I feel very passionate about. Will you be contributing to the campaign and how will you help voice the concerns of SVNs and RVNs across the profession?

I am passionate and completely supportive of all efforts being made to highlight the need to protect the title of the veterinary nurse. The proposed changes to the legislation are going to have a very positive impact on veterinary nursing generally and I am confident this work will also include us finally being able to protect our title. I have always and will continue to engage with SVNs and RVNs at every opportunity, by attending conferences, doing webinars, and answering communications – supporting their concerns. Please reach out.

I have two veterinary nursing students currently and always talk openly about the challenges I have faced in my career. The challenge students face now are very different from mine previously, but their voice is extremely important, they are the future of our profession. Their engagement is paramount, and I raise their concerns with RCVS as this is something I think is essential.

• What can we do in terms of promoting and supporting nurses in terms of Schedule 3 procedures and delegation?

In my time on VN council, I have highlighted and worked on improving the lack of clarity around delegation and how we should use Schedule 3 optimally. Getting this right requires everyone to do their bit, sharing their clinical skills and knowledge more formally with the vets we work with to promote a more synergistic relationship. We cannot exist without the other.

I take this matter very seriously and I will continue to highlight this issue at every opportunity, as well as providing practical support and guidance by create case studies and how to open professional conversations on this matter. I am committed to resolving this issue as getting the delegation communication right will improve job satisfaction, career progression and animal welfare and ensure we have a sustainable profession for future generations of veterinary nurses.