For today’s Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month blog, we’re hearing from our fantastic medicine nurses, who tell us why they love their careers as RVNs.
Katie Leyman
“I started working at Cave in 2015 where I rotated through all departments before moving to predominantly work in medicine. I took a two-year break from referral nursing after having my second child and came back to Cave earlier this year.
“After a short stint back in general practice I really missed the critical and intensive medical nursing I am able to provide at Cave and find it a very interesting and rewarding job. Although we get some very sick animals come into our care it is amazing to see them recover and see their spark return. I am very proud to be part of such an amazing team!”
Leigh-Ann Beart
“I started working at Cave in June 2012. I began as a rotational nurse with a much smaller team. Two babies and two maternity leaves later and I am taking a break from anaesthesia. This leaves me taking care of the patients who come to us for the day.
“It is the role of the day wards nurse to settle the patients in and get them ready for whatever diagnostic procedure they are going to have, be it an ultrasound, X-ray, CT or MRI scan.
“We take a detailed handover from the vet, fill out all important paperwork, take relevant blood samples, place IV catheters and work out the correct diet for that patient for when they have recovered. I enjoy working in this part of the hospital as I get the know the patients a little better, and I prefer being in a smaller team of people including our amazing ACAs!”
Kate Edgecock
“I started at Cave back in 2013 when I was offered a job while locuming here. After about four-and-a-half years I went off to pursue a course in a completely different area. I continued locuming while exploring other avenues for about 18 months and then Covid-19 arrived!
“I had already come back as a bank nurse and after all my locum work was cancelled I was fortunately kept on at Cave. This is not an easy job and it’s important to acknowledge that, having a great team makes it so much easier on the rough days.
“For me, it’s about the simple things. When I arrive in the morning, I usually make a beeline for the cat ward to see who may be in need of snuggles. Not only is it enriching for our feline patients to be given some fuss like they would be at home, I find their company good for my soul!”
Amy Gardiner
“I have been at Cave for eight years now and have been solely working in medicine since 2017 when I became senior medicine nurse. I really enjoy nursing intensive medical cases. Some days it can be like being a detective, piecing all the bits of the puzzle together to find out what the problem is.
“It is incredibly rewarding seeing an animal come in so poorly and walk out the door again happy and comfortable after treating and nursing them so closely. I also enjoy the management side of being senior medicine nurse, learning from writing and updating protocols and being involved in the management, decision making and training of our team here at Cave.”
Leonie McColl
“I started working at Cave in 2016 after a year in first opinion following qualifying as a veterinary nurse. Since then, I have developed a keen interest in inpatient care, medicine and imaging. I enjoy the diverse and complicated nature of the cases that present at Cave as well as the satisfaction when these sick patients go home after being nursed back to health.
“Usually, the first thing I do is go and say hello to all of the patients, especially if the ones I’ve nursed stay in on my non-rota wards days. Even though the job is more stressful, the fast-paced, challenging and dynamic environment is what keeps my brain engaged as I am constantly learning.
“Nursing the sicker intensive care patients is what drove me to achieving my VN Cert qualification in emergency and critical care. Another big interest for me is imaging and I have been trained in the running of the MRI and CT scanners, although these days I much prefer computed tomography (CT) and radiography. I love trying to establish potential abnormalities on imaging. Overall, I love the diverse and rewarding nature of my job and not knowing what may happen each day is very exciting as no day is ever the same.”
