Q: Have you always been interested in animals?

'Yes! As a child I always had pets - guinea pigs, rabbits, fish, budgies, and tortoises - you name it. Animals are my life and always have been, and all of my childhood memories are strongest when animals are involved. I remember my mum telling me how shocked she was one day at the age of 3 or 4, to see me pushing a toy pram, when I had never played with dolls. She snuck up on me to take a picture and inside the pram instead of a doll there was a plastic crocodile. So I think I knew, even at that age!'

 

Q: How did you become a veterinary nurse?

'I looked into what qualifications I would need to start my nursing training and froze in horror. I needed 5 GCSEs, which I didn’t think would be a particular problem, as I was always prepared to work hard - but then I realised I needed maths. I had never been able to pass maths and I knew I needed a C or above to become a VN (Veterinary Nurse). 

 

'I went to speak with my maths teacher and explain my dilemma. He was superb and he helped me look into other options, one of which was to do extra coursework, so that my exam would be less important to my final mark. I ended up doing SO much extra work, but it was worth it: I ended up with 9 GCSEs, and in the one I was most afraid of, maths, I had finally managed to get a C! That meant I could start my training to become a qualified vet nurse.'

 

Q: When did you know this was what you wanted to do?

'From a very young age that I always looked after sick and injured animals I found, even snails and bumblebees. My parents never needed to moan at me to take care of my pets properly! I watched every TV programme about animals, and even my toys were animal related – Care Bears and My Little Ponies. I arranged my school work experience at the age of 13 to be at a vet surgery and it was there that I saw the role of the vet nurse - well that was it, I was hooked and I immediately put all of my work and all of my soul into becoming a VN.'

 

 Q: What exactly does a veterinary nurse do?

'Registered Veterinary Nurses (RVNs) work alongside vets in order to provide a high standard of care for animals. We normally work at a veterinary surgery or veterinary hospital, but we can also work in many other areas, like specialist referral centres, or charities. We provide skilled supportive care for sick animals as well as undertaking minor surgery, monitoring during anaesthesia, medical treatments and diagnostic tests under veterinary supervision. We also play an important role in the education of owners on good standards of animal care.'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q: What is the difference between a veterinary nurse and a vet?

'A veterinary nurse studies for 2 to 3 years at college to become a qualified nurse. A vet needs 3 A-levels and to do a 5 year degree course too. This is because vets have an awful lot more responsibility than nurses do. As a nurse we are not allowed to diagnose or operate, these are jobs for the vets. Nurses can stitch wounds and do very minor surgery, but our biggest job is to be the carer for the animals. That means we are a lot more ‘hands on’ than vets are, and get to do a lot more of the good stuff!'

 

Q: How did you come to your present job?

'After working eight or more hours a day in an ordinary veterinary practice, even after 20 years, I still watched every animal or veterinary related television programme I could on TV in my free time. One day while watching TV I saw that a new series of the wildlife programme I always watched on Animal Planet had already started, 'Wildlife SOS', based at Wildlife Aid in Leatherhead.

 

'So I looked on their website to see how many episodes I'd missed and saw that they were actually advertising for a Veterinary Nurse. I felt physically sick as I got my CV and letter ready, as I wanted this particular job so very badly!  I applied, and a few weeks later I was lucky enough to get the job. To work in a wildlife hospital had been my lifelong dream, but I never thought it would ever actually happen. At the most I imagined maybe doing it part time when I retired one day!'  

 

Q: What does a typical day consist of?

'My average day consists of giving medications to all the patients currently in our care, supervising the 300 volunteers as they care for the hundreds of animals we have staying with us, answering emails from the public about our TV series or queries about wildlife in their local area or gardens, assisting our voluntary vet with operations, and admitting and providing first aid and care to the multitude of wildlife admissions we get every day. In the whole time I have worked at Wildlife Aid, no two days have ever been the same - and there are not many jobs you can say that about!'

 

 Q: Which animals do you most (and least) like working with?

'I am lucky in that there are very few animals I dislike - and there has certainly never been a patient I disliked! The only thing I hate, and they scare me silly, are 'flat flies'. These parasites hide on the feathers of birds in the summertime and pop out when you least expect it. They fly right at you and land on you and go down into your clothes and tickle as they run about. They don’t bite, but I still really hate them! 

 

My favourite animal in the world are squirrels. They are the cutest babies and I love absolutely everything about them. I spend a fortune feeding the squirrels in my garden lots and lots of nuts!'

 

Q: What is the most unusual creature you've ever dealt with? 

'I would say the most unusual animal I have worked with is a bird called a 'red throated diver'. Leatherhead is not near the sea, so none of us at the centre had ever seen this bird species before. He had funny little legs and wasn’t very good at walking, so initially we were worried about him as he seemed so unsteady. But as soon as he got into the pond at Wildlife Aid he was off like a rocket, twisting and turning under the water like crazy. He was amazing to watch! It was a privilege to get to work with him, as we never get these types of birds in Surrey normally. 

 

Another strong memory for me was working with a cuckoo. Cuckoos are a red-listed species and their numbers are declining at a dangerous rate. I had never seen one up close before, only ever hearing them as a child. This particular cuckoo was very special too as she was part of the BTO Cuckoo Tracking program, so she had a gps pack attached to her feathers! Her name was Idemili. It took us 2 months to nurse her back to health, so she could be released, but by the time she was ready to go, she had missed the time that cuckoos migrate, and it was too late for her to fly from the UK. She would have struggled to find food and never made the journey to Africa. So we spoke to British Airways and they let her, AND ME fly to Italy to release her! I will never forget that emotional journey and my time with such a special little bird.'

 

Q: What other animals would you love to work with?

'My dream is to see dolphins in the wild. I have tried visiting my mum in Cornwall every year since she moved there and every year I don’t get to see them. Hopefully I might be lucky this year! I would love to ride along in a boat as they jump in the water beside me, it would be amazing to see.'

 

Q: What do you do when you’re not working with animals?

'I am a bit of an internet nerd - in fact I am a total geek really and I love to play computer games. I am an online gamer and have played a great many games over the years, but my current favourites are Star Wars online and a zombie survival game based on Minecraft – it’s a lot of fun, and much better than watching TV!' 

 

Q: How could I become a veterinary nurse?

'The best thing to do is to visit www.bvna.org.uk/smartweb/careers/careers

This website has everything you need to know, from what qualifications you need right down to finding a training practice. It also has helpful links and videos to help you decide if this is the job for you!

It’s now been 24 years since I got my first Saturday job at a vet surgery – and I don’t regret my decision one bit! It was the best choice I ever made!'