Gabi qualified as a vet from the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland in 2015. She has since worked in permanent and locum positions in small animal practices across the UK. In 2019, Gabi stepped into the world of medical education and worked as an online medical tutor for four years. She is currently studying for her master’s in Medical Education and her main goal is to work at the university as a lecturer or curriculum manager. Meet Gabi: My decision to apply for a pet insurance claims handler position at Agria PetInsure, Ireland, stemmed from my previous involvement with insurance ..read more

Emily qualified as an RVN in 2017 after completing her honours degree in veterinary nursing at the University of Coventry. She has worked in small animal practices in her homeland of Derbyshire where she now resides on the edge of the Cotswolds. In 2018 she joined a multidisciplinary referral centre and from there she began the journey to create content online. Emily now runs her own business, EmPowering Media Services, working with veterinary professionals to help them take charge of their social media. Meet Emily: Never in my wildest dreams as a student or as a qualified nurse, did I think ..read more

Liz graduated from Bristol University in 2005 and worked as a small-animal assistant. She then became a “career-locum” – who liked her clients and did good CPD. She spent six weeks photographing the feet of donkeys in Japan, married a climber and had a couple of babies, walked for weeks on end across the Alps and the Pyrenees and spent two years as a dedicated emergency vet. After a decade or so thus enjoying herself, Liz sustained a brain injury, caused by not eating cake. This has allowed her to spend a lot more time writing. She is working on the obligatory novel, answers agony-aunt style q ..read more

The veterinary world is certainly a competitive one. As well as having the required qualifications, some veterinary employees look for applicants with animal experience. Looking after your own pet may not be enough! It is actually a university requirement that you do have a certain amount of documented hours of voluntary animal experience. I was extremely lucky to secure a trainee veterinary nurse position at a veterinary practice with zero animal experience. But I do remember wishing I had something to show on my CV or to discuss at my interviews to boost my chances. Volunteering with animals ..read more

Meet Sophie: Day three into locum life as a vet nurse, after being out of work due to travelling for one and a half years, a female cat strikes! She sinks both her canines into the palmar aspect of my left index finger as I attempt to position her legs forward and tilt her chin up for a jugular blood sample. Safe to say I release my grip to grab my hand as I scream out shit whilst fighting back tears. My finger starts to swell as I run cold tap water over it. I quickly discover two small puncture wounds are oozing blood. I give it a good wash with hibiscrub as I think this looks bad. I confess ..read more

Blushing is the most peculiar and most human of all expressions Charles Darwin Meet Sophie: This will be by far the most stripped back story I will personally publish on this blog. And to be fair, the most in-depth account I will ever share. Social media has made me brave enough to write this. Plus, today marks #worldmentalhealthday. I hope by sharing my story I may give strength to someone who is experiencing similar feelings or thoughts. I am a chronic blusher. For the past 15 years, I’ve dealt with this and mainly silently. Fear, shame and embarrassment are the main emotions I experience ..read more

Pet Blood Bank is a UK charity that provides vets with a blood service for their patients. Meet Lydia: Let me start by saying how amazing this position is! Not only do you get to cuddle, fuss over and give unlimited treats to some of the sweetest, most well-behaved lifesavers, but you also get to work in a very relaxed and fun atmosphere with the most incredible team members and dog owners! I am a Pet Blood Bank regional phlebotomist. Our donation sessions are spread across the region which means I could be in Carlisle one session and Ellesmere port the next. No two sessions are ever the same ..read more

There are only two ways to train as a student veterinary nurse in the UK. This is done either via further education or higher education by organisations accredited by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). Click for the list of RCVS accredited organisations for further education and higher education. Both routes involve: Completing a nursing progress log (NPL) – a competency skill list to be carried out in practice. Sitting theory exams – a mixture of multiple-choice and word-answer papers. Performing objective structured clinical examination (OSCEs) – 12 practical tasks to be c ..read more

Pet Blood Bank is a UK charity that provides vets with a blood service for their patients. Caroline qualified as a veterinary nurse in 2002 having studied at Bicton College whilst working for the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA). Since qualifying she has worked in both charity and private practice, leaving full-time clinical nursing to return to the charity sector within a role at Guide Dogs. Caroline then joined Pet Blood Bank in 2019 as their veterinary manager. Outside of work she leads a busy family life with two daughters and a stepdaughter, a growing collection of chickens and ..read more

Whilst travelling in different places, I often stumble across veterinary practices. One day I may be cheeky enough to ask to go inside! I will continue to update the page as I travel around. Mysore, India Dublin, Republic of Ireland Ohrid, North MacedoniaTbilisi, GeorgiaBatumi, GeorgiaSarnakunk, ArmeniaHayravank, ArmeniaAnkawa, Iraqi Kurdistan Slemani, Iraqi Kurdistan Adana, TurkeyAnkara, TurkeyChalkida, Greece Mexico City, Mexico Orizaba, Mexico Pochutla, Mexico San Isidro del Palmar, Mexico Zipolite, Mexico Tapachula, Mexico San Pedro, Guatemala Antigua, Guatemala ..read more