RCVS publishes first veterinary nurse survey

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), has published its first-ever survey of veterinary nurses, which relates to the training periods they undergo.

It found that the average registered veterinary nurse (RVN) undergoes more than the minimal amount of training required for them to practise in the UK.

The poll discovered that respondents completed an average of 23 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) in 2007, a figure which rose to 28 hours in 2008.

A random ten per cent portion of the 509 RVNs qualified for three years or more were asked to submit their CPD card for examination. Of these, 460 – or 96 per cent – responded to the request.

“It is particularly encouraging to see that in the first two years of obligatory CPD, the average RVN appears to be doing considerably more than the minimum,” commented Libby Earle, head of veterinary nursing at the RCVS.

The RCVS was established in 1844 after being granted its coat of arms.