The RCVS has launched a series of events and activities to celebrate 60 years of veterinary nursing, including webinars, podcasts, an eBook looking at the history of veterinary nursing and an online Diamond Jubilee activities area.

As well as marking the 60th anniversary of the first RCVS-accredited Animal Nursing Auxiliary training scheme, the profession has also recently reached another milestone: 20,000 veterinary nurses on the Veterinary Nurses Register.

The Diamond Jubilee events include a series of webinars covering the past, present and future of the profession, with presentations from eminent veterinary nurses, including:

• ‘Creating diamonds: A decade of progress’ – A webinar exploring the highlights of the last ten years of veterinary nursing, hosted by VN Council Member, Jane Davidson RVN.
• ’60 years on and still shining’ – Hosted by Liz Cox RVN, former Chair of VN Council, this webinar will look at what career development opportunities have been made available for veterinary nurses and what has been put in place to attract the next generation of VNs.
• ‘Creating diamonds of the future’ – Hosted by practicing veterinary nurse, Carla Husband RVN, who will be looking at the future of the profession including how VNs will engage with the recently adopted proposals of the Legislative Working Party (LWP), how they can work towards the recently established Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Nursing and what the future of the profession could look like.

The RCVS will also be running a series of podcasts with prominent members of the profession. Each podcast episode will have a different host, reflecting on an area of veterinary nursing that they are passionate about.

The first webinar and podcast episode are available to watch and listen to on the Diamond Jubilee webpage www.rcvs.org.uk/VNdiamonds.

Matthew Rendle RVN, Chair of the Veterinary Nurses Council, said: “The veterinary nursing Diamond Jubilee celebrations are a fitting way of paying tribute to veterinary nursing – a profession that does so much for animal health and welfare. The celebrations will look back on all that has been achieved by the profession and give us an opportunity to engage with RVNs to come up with ideas for how we can continue to advance and develop our amazing profession.

“I am particularly happy about the fact that, earlier this month, I was informed that we have reached the milestone of 20,000 veterinary nurses on the Register which is an amazing achievement. When the VN Register was launched in 2007 there were just over 7,000 members of our profession – the fact we have almost trebled in number since then shows just how far we have come in a short space of time as invaluable members of the veterinary team providing professional care for the nation’s animals.”

Anyone wishing to take part in the celebrations can share their memories or pictures of veterinary nursing on social media, using the hashtag #VNDiamonds

PS: Whilst you're here, take a moment to see our latest job opportunities for vet nurses.