Meet Judith:
My career in veterinary nursing began on Monday, 1st December 1980, when I secured a job as a trainee “animal nurse” at a Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) hospital in London, UK. The RSPCA are the oldest and largest animal welfare charity in the UK with many hospitals and clinics dotted around the country.
I had to move away from home, as this job wasn’t within commutable distance, so I took up residency in the “nurse’s house.”
I recall feeling very anxious watching mum and dad drive away, after dropping me off there the evening before I was due to start work. However, I had wanted to become a veterinary nurse for as long as I can remember, so this was a childhood dream fulfilled.
The UK prime minister was Margaret Thatcher and Abba were at number one with “Super Trouper.” A week later, sadly, John Lennon was murdered, and so his songs would resonate for a very long time.
I remember my first day well. I was excruciatingly shy and extremely nervous, but mercifully, my new colleagues were most welcoming.
The nursing sister handed me some oversized green dresses and I was told to alter them, there and then. Fortunately, I possessed a sewing kit and was a reasonably skilled seamstress, so I hemmed them in my bedroom before returning to the hospital.
I was placed under the wing of a very experienced nurse, on the dog ward shift. I was in awe of her. She was a “green belt” and this coloured belt indicated that she was a qualified nurse. I was sporting a black one, meaning I was a first-year trainee, with grey belts representing second-year trainees (having passed their first-year exams).
This particular nurse went on to become a veterinary surgeon and is now an eye specialist.
I had zero experience and so everything I observed and assisted with was completely new to me. This was both terrifying and amazing in equal measure.
The vets wore white coats, the majority of them were male and many were referred to by their surname. “Lady vets” were rare and as such greeted with intrigue.
Compared to nowadays, there seemed to be a huge professional gulf between vets and nurses, but despite this, there was much mutual respect, and I found it a healthy environment in which to work. Everyone knew their role!
I loved my job there, it was an incredible place to work, and I learned a great deal in a very short period. The pace was rapid and the caseload very high. It was a world I never knew existed, and as my confidence grew, I began to thrive.
There was no day release for tuition, we had to travel after work, exhausted, to evening lectures. However, I was conscientious and went on to pass my 1st and 2nd-year exams, finally being awarded my green belt and pewter badge, which I wore with immense pride! There were 1st and 2nd-year assessments; written exams first, followed by oral and practical exams. These were sat at the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and the University of Liverpool. I qualified as a Registered Animal Nursing Auxiliary (more affectionally known as RANA) on August 9th 1983.
During my time at the RSPCA, I appeared in two national newspapers, the Daily Mirror and the Evening Standard. This was due to a canine casualty being brought into the hospital following the bombing of Harrods by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in 1983, and an arctic fox found wandering the streets of London respectively.
I also worked with Tim Key, of Key-Gaskell fame. This was a syndrome that every other cat seemed to be affected by at the time and carried a grave prognosis. Miraculously, the disease seems to have disappeared, with most young vets nowadays never having heard of it.
I firmly believe that this wildly busy, productive and somewhat formal environment shaped me into the nurse I am today.
After four years working at the RSPCA, I decided that I would like to make a change and moved to a private practice in a very salubrious area of London.
In the same year, the title Registered Animal Nursing Auxiliary became the more aptly named “Veterinary Nurse,” and now, of course, we are Registered Veterinary Nurses.
This practice was in stark contrast to the RSPCA. Most clients were stars of television, film and music, and this is where I met Freddie Mercury’s cat Oscar, and Freddie’s companion, Mary, who brought him into us on many occasions.
There I remained for two years, before moving around various private practices in London and Surrey.
During the 1990s and beyond, I noticed a different culture emerge within the veterinary profession. Most vets were now female, which was completely different to when I started, the formality was evaporating, with not a white coat in sight and everyone was referred to by their first names. Friendships were forged across the disciplines and there was a more holistic approach to animal care.
However, the drop-out rate for nurses is still high (average age 35) compared to vets, and I believe this is due to the status of the veterinary nurse sadly, remaining unchanged, or possibly even deteriorating over the years.
Whilst appearing to have been elevated (due to emerging opportunities to further our knowledge via extra qualifications), I think there is a long way to go before we earn the respect of our human counterparts.
I believe we receive very little support of our own, due in part to our stoicism and poorly defined disciplines across the profession.
I often wonder if the profession may be missing the formality it once had.
In 2007 I returned to working for a charitable organisation, remaining there for ten years, before moving to my current (private) practice in the North West.
In 2020 I was recognised by the RCVS for my longstanding contribution to the veterinary nursing profession on their annual awards night. Due to the restrictions of Covid-19, this was an event that was held remotely. I was very moved by this and most grateful to a colleague who nominated me.
I often ponder a profession that has been both mentally and physically very challenging, sometimes with little reward … then I remember as a child, excitedly accompanying my Dad with our dog on visits to the vet.
On the very first visit, I knew immediately that I wanted to become a veterinary nurse so that I could help animals.
This feeling was further driven by the original TV series of All Creatures Great and Small, which first aired in 1978.
I believe I’m still working as a veterinary nurse for several reasons: loyalty, apathy, and fear of change (though I did consider re-training into another profession in my thirties), but I’d like to think it is mainly due to my desire to make a positive difference to those most vulnerable – the voiceless.
I’m guessing, therefore, that the highs must have outweighed the lows and a little bit of that excitement has stood the test of time.
40 years and counting, is the profession stuck with me?
You can connect with me through my nursing accounts on IG and FB.
Hi, I’m Sophie!
I had the pleasure of working with Judith at one of PDSA’s hospitals in Merseyside and I class her as a good friend.
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