Author Archives: Alison Young

The Army are now Recruiting Registered Veterinary Nurses

Are you a Registered Veterinary Nurse? Are you looking for a new challenge away from a veterinary practice? Well this may be the ideal opportunity as the army are now recruiting RVNs between the age of 17 1/2 to 32 years 11 months.

The role is to look after sick and injured animals, primarily dogs and horses as well as supporting veterinary officers in the treatment of animals in peace and on military operations.

To find out more information there is a recruitment event being held on 31 January 2013, where the Director of the RAVC, Colonel Neil Smith BVetMed MSc MDA MA MRCVS Late RAVC QHVS will give a presentation.

With a competitive salary and excellent prospects, this is the ideal role for someone looking for a challenge.

What: Recruiting event to get the most current information regarding this role.
When: 31 January 2013
Time: 1-3pm
Where: Former Army Staff College, HQ AMD, Slim Road, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 4NP

Interested? Call Captain Mark Gibbs on 01276 412668 or e-mail mark.gibbs818@mod.uk

Veterinary Nursing Student, Madeleine Armstrong, Shares her Tips for Balancing your Placement with your College Work

My placement is at an emergency care hospital and receives a lot of patients on a 24 hour basis, which proves to be a fast paced and exciting environment to work in. I have found the course so far thoroughly interesting and feel that it pushes me to do my best and research things for myself to get a better underpinning knowledge.

I find that being organised and creating a timetable to manage my workload helps me to achieve my personal goals. Whilst on placement, I take my reflection log with me to do in my lunch break and I make a separate spreadsheet for my nursing progress log to enable me to reference specific cases. I also do my own reading and research about the cases that come in as well as any additional research that my clinical coach or colleague suggest. I have found this useful, as subjects will often overlap and so this helps when learning something completely new.

I re-write and condense tutors notes and presentations on to revision cards so that they are easy to take with me wherever I go. To learn any new terminology I aim to remember at least one a week and apply it to a clinical case to help me understand what it means, which makes it easier to remember.

I also find talking to different people about a subject gives it more depth, especially if it is a family member who does not know about the topic as it shows how much you know and gives you confidence. By doing these things and reflecting I feel it has helped to develop my clinical and analytical thinking which will help to enhance my skills and prepare me for the workplace.

Fellow feline helps save sick cat’s life

When black and white cat Mischief, from Dunstable in Bedfordshire, was in life-threatening trouble with severe anaemia, courageous local fellow feline Little Al, from Luton, came to her rescue. His donated blood, together with the expertise of staff at Davies Veterinary Specialists (DVS) saved Mischief’s life.

Mischief was referred to DVS, a private small animal referral centre based in Higham Gobion, Hertfordshire, as an emergency, suffering from severe anaemia. This is a life-threatening condition where reduced numbers of red blood cells can result in a lack of oxygen to the vital organs. Mischief had so few red blood cells she needed an urgent transfusion to save her life.

Luckily, courageous cat Little Al, who belongs to DVS Radiographer Sue Whitfield, was on hand to help out. 50ml of Little Al’s donated blood stabilised Mischief’s critical condition. This gave the Veterinary Specialists the time they needed to identify and treat the cause of Mischief’s anaemia.

It is clear to see that Mischief was one lucky cat, but unfortunately cat blood is a very precious resource with DVS welcoming more people to sign up to the donor register.

If you feel your cat may be able to help another feline friend by becoming a blood donor, please contact Helen Gibbison at Davies Veterinary Specialists on 01582 883950.

RCVS Register of Members 2012 Now Available to Buy

Copies of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Register of Members 2012 are now available to purchase.

For the first time, printed copies of the Register of Members and List/Register of Veterinary Nurses are no longer being posted free of charge to all veterinary surgeons and VNs respectively.

Veterinary practices and the public can use the free ‘Check the Registers’ feature on the RCVS website to check who is registered as a veterinary surgeon or is a listed or registered veterinary nurse. This information is updated daily.

The Register of Members no longer includes telephone numbers. For more details or to purchase a copy, visit the RCVS website (see ‘Publications’). Members need to log into the members’ area of the website to purchase the Register for £25.

RCVS Publications

Veterinary nurse’s drive for innovation wins RCVS Charitable Trust competition

Registered veterinary nurse Sarah Hancill has won the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Charitable Trust’s (the Trust) ‘Driving Practice Innovation’ competition, with her idea for a peripheral venous catheter care checklist.

“The peripheral venous catheter care checklist is intended to increase patient safety. It consists of 14 quality indicators, repeated every 24 hours over a 72 hour period. This timing allows for objective assessment of clinical performance for insertion and management of the peripheral intravenous catheters” says Sarah.

Sarah has a BSc (Hons) in Veterinary Nursing from the Royal Veterinary College where she gained her foundation degree in veterinary nursing before becoming an RVN in 2011.

Her prize was £100 in shopping vouchers which she intends to spend on a pair of netball shoes. Her love of the sport helps to deal with the everyday stresses of being a veterinary nurse.

Working Together Towards First-Rate Regulation: Have Your Say

Members of the veterinary profession are being given a unique opportunity to help improve the way the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) regulates their professions, as part of its First-Rate Regulator initiative.

Members of the veterinary team are being asked about their recent interactions with the RCVS, what they think the organisation does well, and what can be improved upon, through a confidential online survey.

It is one of several activities underway as part of the First-Rate Regulator initiative. Others include a survey amongst those who have made complaints; research amongst RCVS staff and Council / VN Council members; in-depth phone interviews with veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and practice managers; and, questionnaires aimed at stakeholder organisations that work regularly with the College.

Desk-based research is also being carried out, to see how the RCVS shapes up when compared to other similar regulators, both in the UK and overseas.

Following this evidence-gathering stage, an assessment will be made about where gaps exist between how the College performs and what it ought to be achieving, together with recommendations for change.

The deadline is 4 January 2013.

All veterinary members can complete the survey here.

All other individuals who have views about how the College could improve are invited to contact Nick Stace on nick@rcvs.org.uk.

The RCVS Want Your Comments for the Practice Standards Scheme

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has called for comments on a Concept Note, which considers how the Practice Standards Scheme might develop in the future.

The Scheme is administered by the RCVS and the detailed Standards are decided in consultation with the Practice Standards Group (PSG), which includes representatives from all of the key veterinary organisations.

The PSG is considering the future direction of the Scheme as part of the second five-year review that has been undertaken – the first resulted in a new Manual and Standards in 2010.

The proposal this time is to move to a more modular approach, with greater flexibility and an increased focus on behaviours. The proposals also aim to address some of the perceived shortcomings of the Scheme, for example, that it is a ‘box-ticking’ exercise; that the Scheme puts too much emphasis on paperwork requirements; and, that it is inflexible, particularly at Hospital level, meaning that to qualify, practices would have to purchase expensive equipment that they would never use.

“Although the fundamental aim of the Scheme remains to raise and maintain high standards, the PSG recognises that it’s important to address criticisms that may be acting as barriers to new members joining,” says PSG Chairman, Peter Jinman.

“It is hoped that changes can also be made that will provide a pathway for existing members to attain higher, more meaningful standards, which are directly relevant to animal care,” he adds.

The Concept Note is available here and feedback should be sent to Practice Standards Scheme Manager Eleanor Ferguson, on e.ferguson@rcvs.org.uk, or to a Practice Standards Group member (as outlined in the Concept Note), by 20 December 2012.

This feedback will inform the development of more detailed proposals, which will be put out to full consultation in due course.

Old English Sheepdog Faces Extinction

The Kennel Club have revealed that only 316 Old English Sheepdog puppies have been registered this year.

The breed will be considered at a vulnerable level if less than 300 puppies are registered. Bill Lambert, manager of the Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme, said: “The decline of the old English sheepdog… can be partly explained by lifestyle changes as it needs a lot of grooming and exercise and so is not suitable for the fast-paced urban lifestyles of many people.”

Despite these dogs having a good temperament and can make fantastic family pets, it seems that there are more fashionable breeds that are proving to be more popular. These include Chihuahuas, Pugs and Labradors, the UK’s most popular dog breed.

Whilst it can be seen that there are certain trends for dogs, it is essential for owners to research the breed of dog thoroughly in order to assess whether they can cope with the needs and demands the dog will require.

Other breeds which are also on the “At Watch” list include the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier.

Let’s hope that The Kennel Club have highlighted this problem early enough to save the beloved pups which have been used in advertisements for Dulux for more than 50 years!

Black and Gold Labrador

An unusual looking Labrador retriever from France has both a gold and black coat.

According to The Retriever, Dog and Wildlife Blog, the unusual looking coat appears to be a somatic black spot mutation that appears in both types of Labradors on occasion.

This is not inherited, but the cells where the black spots are located do not have the e/e mutation that causes the yellow to red coat. Instead, this somatic mutation makes the cells E/e, which gets expressed as black or liver. These dogs are sometimes called mosaics.

http://retrieverman.net/2012/06/25/labrador-pictus/

Another theory for the distinctive coat is a chimera, which happens when two zygotes combine. This dog could be made up of two distinct fertilized eggs– one that would become a black dog and one that would become yellow.

Whatever the cause, it certainly makes for one unusual looking dog!

Dog Saved After 16 Days in a Gorge

Mountain rescuers have saved a dog from a gorge more than a fortnight after it was reported missing.

The mischievous pup, Sparky, ran loose after chasing a group of goats at the Grey Mare’s Tail near Moffat. Steve McLachlan, from near Selkirk, searched for him for several hours before returning home. Concerned for Sparky’s safety, McLachlan put up posters in an attempt to find his beloved dog, which thankfully led to someone spotting Sparky and his red collar.

The mountain rescuers were called who had to cross the burn and abseil down almost into the gorge to rescue the dog.

Scottish SPCA Inspector Janet Proudlock said, “His owners were very sensible to distribute posters in the area with their contact details as this is ultimately how they were able to find him. There is no doubt that Sparky is an incredibly lucky dog”.

Sparky sure is one lucky dog who must have been wagging his tail when he was reunited with his owners!

[Source: BBC News]