The findings will support the association with its ongoing work.

The British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) has marked the beginning of Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month (VNAM) with the launch of a new profession-wide survey.

The VN Profession Survey invites student veterinary nurses (SVNs) and registered veterinary nurses (RVNs), and others in similar roles, to record their experiences and thoughts of the profession.

It will aim to record information on how veterinary nurses currently feel about the profession, such as current issues, trends, and how they think it should progress in the future. The data will inform key stakeholders to the profession, including the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).

BVNA believes that the findings will show stakeholders the value which veterinary nurses offer the profession, and how they contribute to teams and animal welfare.

The response will influence BVNA’s work, the resources it provides to its members and the profession, and its campaigns – including lobbying for a legislative change to protect the ‘veterinary nurse’ title.

The survey will be sent directly to BVNA members, but can also be accessed online.

The launch of the survey coincides with VNAM 2024, which this year has the theme of ‘progression’. The BVNA hopes VNAM will raise awareness for the important work that veterinary nurses do everyday, and their vital role in supporting animal welfare.

It also aims to highlight the diverse career paths of veterinary nurses, both in and out of clinical practice, and the importance of protecting the ‘veterinary nurse’ title in law.

VNAM 2024 marks 20 years of BVNA's veterinary nursing awareness campaign, which first launched in 2004 as Veterinary Nursing Awareness Day. In 2012, it became a full month event.

Lyndsay Hughes, BVNA president, said: “BVNA’s annual VNAM campaign provides the perfect platform to celebrate a profession we are all rightly so proud to be a part of.”

She added: “This year’s VNAM provides the perfect platform for everyone to contribute – by celebrating the impact of veterinary nurses in your workplace, and by completing our VN Profession Survey. We hope to see as many people as possible joining us to champion veterinary nurses everywhere.”

Image © BVNA