The definition comes amid moves to better regulate veterinary nurses.

The RCVS VN Council has approved a new definition of veterinary nursing to help provide more clarity to the public and professionals about the role.

The move comes at a time when the role of veterinary nurses has been in the spotlight owing to the BVNA’s campaign for the title ‘veterinary nurse’ to be given legal protection.

A recent survey on behalf of the ‘Protect the Title’ campaign found widespread support for changing the law, as well as highlighting that over 90 per cent of the public already assume that all veterinary nurses are fully qualified and regulated by a professional body. The RCVS Council has recommended the Government introduce protections for the title as part of wider reforms to the 1966 Veterinary Surgeons Act.

Agreed at the February 2023 meeting of the RCVS VN Council, the new definition reads:

“Veterinary nursing aims to ease the suffering and pain of animals, and to improve their health and welfare.

“This includes providing any medical treatment or any minor surgery (not involving entry into a body cavity) to animals under the direction of a veterinary surgeon who has that animal under their care.

“Veterinary nursing can be either proactive or reactive, and autonomous or collaborative. It is carried out in a wide variety of settings, for animals at all life stages, and considers the background and needs of the animal’s owner or keeper.”

The chair of the VN Council, Matthew Rendle RVN, said: “Although it is just a few short lines, this definition of veterinary nursing has been in the pipeline for some time. While we as veterinary nurses have always been able to define ourselves by the type of tasks we carry out, or our relation to veterinary surgeons in terms of delegation, there hasn’t necessarily been a clear statement articulating the art and science of veterinary nursing.

“With the RCVS looking to expand its regulatory remit to include other veterinary paraprofessionals over the long term, we thought it was particularly important that we set out the stall for veterinary nursing and we hope that this clear statement will, in particular, aid the public in understanding the role of a veterinary nurse.”

Image (C) RCVS