New 'Think Tank' series for vet nurses announced
The new series of veterinary nurse Think Tank events kicks off on 21 July.
A new series of veterinary nurse 'Think Tank' events has been announced, focusing on areas such as leadership, innovation and the importance of a just culture.
A collaboration between the RCVS Mind Matters Initiative and skills provider, VetLed, the ongoing series aims to tackle incivility in the workplace and facilitate working environments that prioritise wellbeing.
To date, the collaboration has included six fully-funded civility training sessions, a free psychophysical safety workshop and the first of four veterinary nurse Think Tanks. The new sessions, sponsored by the RCVS MMI, will focus on the following:
- Everyday leadership – Thursday 21 July 2022
- Innovation and problem solving - Thursday 20 October 2022
- When things go wrong: The importance of a just culture – Thursday 19 January 2023.
“Veterinary nurses carry out vital work and are an essential part of the practice team. It’s therefore of utmost importance that they feel empowered and safe to have their voices heard, and supported to drive sustainable, positive change.”
Helen Silver-MacMahon, research and development director at VetLed, said: “The next Think Tank will focus on everyday leadership, where we will be exploring some of the potential challenges facing aspiring and current veterinary nurse leaders, and the ways in which these challenges can be approached. The session is interactive, so we actively encourage people to share their experiences, to allow us all to learn from and support each other.”
The Think Tanks were launched in 2021 to offer veterinary nurses a safe space in which to explore veterinary 'human factors' – an established discipline drawing on scientific knowledge about the human body, mind and behaviour to understand human capabilities and limitations.
A 2021 survey of student veterinary nurses, graduates and clinical coaches, conducted by MMI, found that 96 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that bullying and incivility was a serious problem in the profession.
These findings we backed by a recent VetLed poll of veterinary reams, which reveals 97 per cent had been on the receiving end of incivility in practice.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
