BVNA NI Vet Nurse of the Year 2010
Pictured left to right: Tina Mackey, Jenny Beggs, Donna Lewis, Susie Turner and Bridget Davidson.
The BVNA awards are now in their third year and designed to celebrate the very special efforts made by veterinary nurses (VNs) and animal nursing assistants (ANAs) working in veterinary practices, both in terms of the role they carry out at work and the effort they put into looking after pets and pet owners in their local communities. There are three awards: NI Student Vet Nurse of the Year, NI Animal Nursing Assistant of the Year and NI Vet Nurse of the Year and they are judged based on nominations by members of the public and colleagues who believe the nominees achievements should be recognised.
The winners are detailed below:
NI Vet Nurse of the Year: Jenny Beggs, Rathgael Veterinary Clinic, Bangor
The top award of the evening went to Jenny Begg VN. Clients at Jenny’s practice gave some very touching tributes to her work and as well as all her hard work there, Jenny also fosters dogs, takes part in sponsored walks, mountain climbing (having already tackled Ireland’s Six Peaks) and dog bathing to raise money for charity. She now uses her very successful weight clinics at the practice to raise money for the Assisi Animal Sanctuary and Ulster Cancer Foundation. Her aim is to raise £6000 by also climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in June.
NI Student Veterinary Nurse of the Year: Tina Mackey, Glenn Veterinary Clinic, Bangor
Tina Mackey may still be a trainee but she received more nominations than any other candidate for the awards and the judges were very impressed by the amount of praise clients gave her. Tina also gives up her own time to help out at the Assisi Animal Sanctuary, walking dogs, making pet owners aware of the work of the charity and delivering medicines out of hours. The sanctuary say that her support is invaluable, “Many a needy furry is mentioned quietly to just the right person.”
NI Animal Nursing Assistant of the Year: Bridget Davidson, Rathgael Veterinary Clinic, Bangor
Bridget Davidson began working as a kennel assistant but when the opportunity came to train as a Animal Nursing Assistant (ANA) she grabbed it with both hands, battling dyslexia to gain her GSCEs and then going on to not only pass her ANA qualification but also to enroll with Liverpool University for an intensive course on Animal Behaviour.
Her colleagues had this to say, “Bridget will spend time with animals that are hospitalized for a long time, giving them massage and eventually getting them on their feet. Her clients feel at ease to come in for a chat at any time and you can sense the trust and respect that they have for her.”
Two independent vets have launched a podcast to help owners strengthen their bond with pets. Dr Maggie Roberts and Dr Vanessa Howie, who have worked in both veterinary practice and major charities, are keen to use their experience to enable people to give pets a better life.
