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Tag: Students

RCVS VN council election manifesto: Wendy Nevins RVN

WENDY NEVINS RVN

Operations manager, The Webinar Vet

T: 07809 702074

E: wendy@wendynevins.com

Wendy began her VN career in 1991 as a trainee at a small animal practice in Surrey. On qualifying, she moved to Yorkshire and started work in mixed practice, and after becoming head nurse, left to relocate to Germany with her forces husband.

Back in the UK in 2000, Wendy moved to Devon and spent two years at a two-branch, small animal practice as a nurse, VN assessor and eventually, practice manager.

Moving to the north-west in 2002, she worked as a nurse in a small animal practice before becoming the Veterinary Nursing Approved Centre coordinator at Myerscough College. After four years there, she returned to practice part-time, where she started working for Anthony Chadwick at his Skin Vet practice. During this time, Anthony launched The Webinar Vet, and, once established, sold up. Wendy stayed behind as operations manager and is often known as “Webinar Wendy”.

In her role, Wendy organises CPD for vets, nurses and SQPs. She also deals with dermatology referral clients and spends at least one day a month working in practice.

Why is she standing?

Wendy says she is “extremely proud” to be a veterinary nurse and wants to take an “active part” in ensuring the profession moves forward.

“I feel I have gained valuable experience throughout my different career roles, which will benefit the role requirements of an elected member and our cause as a whole,” she said. “I have a very good understanding of the varying levels of our profession and I am in a privileged position of having contact with members daily, ranging from students to the most experienced VNs.”

On education, Wendy says she feels “passionately”, and has a “wide exposure”, thanks to her time at Myerscough and The Webinar Vet.

“I believe I will also add value… establishing and reviewing schemes for post-qualification and CPD for VNs. This also includes recommending to the council amendments to the rules relating to the registration, conduct and discipline of veterinary nurses, if required. I am widely accessible to nurses due to my current role, so I can offer effective communication between VNs and the council. On future challenges and issues? You tell me. I aim to be an effective voice for the nurse in practice – an effective voice for you.”

Hustings highlights

Wendy tackled lack of VN engagement in the RCVS in her passionate video, citing poor voting turnout figures and calling the electorate to action. “I want to help increase engagement, hopefully by… carrying on communicating with nurses via social media and within my role at The Webinar Vet,” she said. “Voting in an election is important.

Can you get other VNs to vote? Do you know nurses who don’t vote? If everyone who votes gets one more VN voting, we can increase that [2015 turnout] 11 per cent to 20 per cent.

“It would be great if you voted for me to represent you on VN council, but more importantly though – please, please vote.”

March 24, 2016
RCVS VN council election manifesto: Stacey Bullock RVN

STACEY BULLOCK RVN

VN team manager at Northumberland College

T: 07702 064124

E: staceybullock@vetnurse.co.uk

Stacey started her career with an animal care course in 2000. However, she soon saw a local advert for a student VN position and got the job.

She registered as an RVN in 2004 and by 2006 was a head nurse. After dabbling in practice management, Stacey secured TP status in 2010, after which she gained her assessor qualification, completed examiner training and her diploma in teaching. In 2012, she saw a chance to teach full-time, which she “leapt at”. She now works at Northumberland College, her third teaching institution.

Why is she standing?

Stacey says her main reason for standing for council is its opportunities for VN training.

“I missed out on the green book days, but I took pride in the building of my portfolio, flourishing from year one to year two of the NVQ,” she said. “I witness many students with nursing potential simply strike or burn out from the demands of the diploma as it stands. Worse still, I have strong candidates slip through my hands embarking on animal management courses as they have no experience to secure a TP placement.

“I believe there is a course design to cater for all gifted individuals destined to be RVNs, one that will fill the deficit in qualified workers that I believe should be a necessity in every practice, big or small.”

Stacey wants to “address the bigger picture”, with training centres and TPs working together to make data such as work experience opportunities and predicted number of placements available.

“I want to see a standardised approach for delivering core syllabus in all TPs and centres with better support and guidance available to all involved in training,” she said.

Hustings highlights

Stacey says she stands for “education and unison”, and thinks a lack of VN engagement with the RCVS could be helped with the use of regional coordinators, similar to that of the BVNA. She also believes a review of Schedule 3 could “put away the grey areas and get rid of the fear factor for all involved”.

March 24, 2016
RCVS council election manifesto: Thomas Lonsdale

THOMAS LONSDALE

BVetMed, MRCVS

PO Box 6096, Windsor Delivery Centre, NSW 2756, Australia.

T +61 2 4577 7061

M +61 437 2928 00

E tom@rawmeatybones.com

PROPOSERS: Roger Meacock, Andrew Stephens

1980s – woke from vet-school induced stupor to realisation junk pet-food industry relies on bogus science and negligent vet “profession”.

1991 – Blew whistle on junk pet food cult.

1993 – Preventive dentistry PGCVS.

1994 – Feeding versus nutrition, Aust Vet Practice.

1994 – Cybernetic hypothesis, J Vet Dent (postulates ecological theory of health and disease as extension of Gaia Hypothesis).

1994-7 – Junk pet food cult brought four disciplinary actions before New South Wales vet board.

1995 – Periodontal disease and leucopaenia, JSAP.

2001 – Raw Meaty Bones: Promote Health published.

2004 – Nominated for ACVSc award.

2014 – Most supportive vet award; FOI research: junk pet food grease in seven Australian vet schools.

2015 – Science death experiment.

Manifesto

Pompous, arrogant, mouthing incantations, the vet high priests worship at the altar of bogus science. Founded on fallacy, they oversee the junk food poisoning of pets, betrayal of consumers and brainwashing of vet students.

They must be stopped.

Morgan Spurlock embarked on a risky experiment. For 30 days he ate junk food at every meal. He gained 11kg, his liver turned to fat, cholesterol shot up and he doubled his risk of heart failure. Fortunately for Spurlock, he escaped addiction to junk food, followed his doctor’s orders and stopped the experiment.

The medical profession tells us carbohydrate-laden junk food injures health; that periodontal inflammation and obesity are precursors of systemic disease and early death. By contrast, the junk pet food industry controls the veterinary agenda. Vet schools deliver industry-funded propaganda on diabetes, periodontal disease and obesity – while simultaneously ensuring pious mumbo-jumbo obscures the despicable, lamentable truth.

Vet “experts” jet about the world spruiking the latest concoctions; extolling the alleged benefits of elaborate treatments instead of declaring that junk food contaminates all aspects of vet science, teaching and practice. According to them, natural food, as determined by evolution, is dangerous while their paymaster’s industrial junk represents the pinnacle of excellence.

For 20 consecutive RCVS elections, I’ve called for our “self-regulating” profession to act with integrity and honour. Alas, the high priests refuse even to consider. Time, then, for the courts to decide. I recommend legal proceedings against the RCVS, junk food companies, veterinary schools and individuals in respect to animal cruelty, breach of contract, theft and fraud.

Please vote in support; instruct your lawyers and brief the media. Pets, pet owners and the wider community need our help. Thank you.

March 24, 2016
RCVS council election manifesto: Christopher Barker

CHRISTOPHER BARKER

BVSc, MLitt, CertVR, MRCVS

Ashlea Veterinary Centre, Unit 2b, Port Road Business Park, Carlisle CA2 7AF.

T 01228 549177

M 07703 753758

E ctbarker@supanet.com

PROPOSERS: Anne French, Iain Richards

Since qualifying from Bristol in 1980, I have worked in a wide range of first-opinion practices (mixed, pure equine and pure small animal) and, for seven years, was involved in the tuition of final year veterinary students while working for the former Glasgow University Practice in Lanark. I achieved the CertVR from practice in 1991 and obtained an MLitt for archaeological research in 1989.

Since 1994, I have run a small animal practice in Carlisle with my wife Kirsty, which has grown to employ five veterinary surgeons and four RVNs, and accepts student VNs from three different colleges. The practice achieved the Investors in People Award on three occasions. I take primary responsibility for cardiology, imaging and orthopaedic work.

Beyond work, my interests include skiing, cycling and DIY, keeping my English setter fully exercised and watching cricket.

Before offering myself for election to the RCVS, I spent two years on SPVS Council; I was elected to RCVS Council for the first time in 2012.

Manifesto

I have been fortunate to be a member of the standards committee throughout my first term on council. Currently its vice-chairman, I have sought to ensure demands made of practitioners are both reasonable and deliverable.

I was part of the post-Chikosi 24/7 review, which, we hope, has more clearly defined the responsibilities of both owners and veterinary surgeons. Another review may prove unavoidable as consumer choice leads to the fragmentation of veterinary service provision, with resultant confusion as to who exactly carries responsibility for the emergency care of those animals “registered” with more than one supplier.

A recent survey, part of the Vet Futures initiative, has revealed worrying levels of disillusionment among younger members of the profession. Further analysis will, I hope, help us to understand the reasons for this. While dedicated emergency services have improved work-life balance for many, as 10-hour days become common have we simply changed the nature of work-related stress? I find it sad fewer graduates now express an interest in running their own practice; while it is undoubtedly challenging to run your own business, you can at least take control of your professional life. If this trend continues then the number of genuinely independent practices will inexorably decline.

Next year should see the conclusion of the current review of RCVS governance, a review likely to lead to a significant shrinkage in the size of council. Elected members will remain in the majority, but their numbers will be reduced. It will be important council retains members with relevant and recent experience of first-opinion practice. In this regard, I believe I can continue to make a worthwhile contribution and would ask for your support in this election.

March 24, 2016
Mega dairies: intensive farming? Or just efficient?

Delegates who participated in the farm stream at the 2016 Association of Veterinary Students (AVS) Congress in Liverpool (myself included) had a visit to a so-called “mega dairy”.

So-called “mega dairies” often receive bad press for their size.

The herd we visited had around 1,000 milkers, which seems large when compared to the UK dairy herd average of 123 (according to AHDB Dairy). Yet, in the grand scheme of things – when considering the real dairy giants in places such as the US with herds ranging up to 30,000 and the proposed 100,000 cow dairy in China – it’s questionable as to whether this farm could really even be considered “mega.”

Putting numbers aside, the real reason we were taken to the farm was to see how these large-scale, high-intensity dairy production units function.

Preconceptions versus reality

The public shudders at the words “intensive farming” and, as a vet student, I like to think I have a slightly more informed view on what that means. Saying that, I hadn’t been to a dairy farm on such a scale as this before and was pleasantly surprised by the forward-thinking approach to every aspect of dairying.

The concept behind many of the methods used on this farm is based on maximising production by reducing stress levels in the dairy cow, thereby minimising any health implications and reduction in yield. This is done by time budgeting by accounting for time she wants to spend feeding, lying down, eating, drinking and socialising. The “leftover” time is used for milking, with management tasks fitted around – i.e. pregnancy diagnosing during her time at the feed face.

Regulation and reduction

Milking is fitted around the cows’ “social” time.

Interestingly, the zero-grazing system allows for the cow to regulate her own feed intake depending on her stage of lactation. The straw-based total mixed ration fed is the same for every cow, and differences in energy requirements rely on the reduction of rumen size during late pregnancy to sufficiently reduce intake. This minimises fat cows during late lactation and drying off.

Digital motility assessing scales are used to pick up any load imbalances, which can then be addressed immediately, opposed to 2-3 weeks later, when the cow would begin to show clinical lameness. There is also emphasis on the milking parlour being a stress-free environment so the cattle can enjoy being there without the need for food bribery.

Efficiency effects

Maximising efficiency is key, not only in terms of the cow, but the unit as a whole. Water used on the farm is recycled five times by using it for drinking water, washing and filtering bedding sand from slurry. This process also allows the sand to be cleaned, dried out and reused for bedding. Large solar panels on the roofs of the open-sided housing sheds provide more than enough electricity for the whole unit, with the surplus being shipped out to the surrounding area.

Research has shown the optimum environmental temperature for a cow is much lower than perceived – this is accounted for by the huge open-sided housing buildings and ventilation system. Each detail seems to have been meticulously considered, with continual monitoring and data analysis taking place to ensure production efficiency is maximal. In the efforts to reduce antimicrobial use within the veterinary profession, the farm’s claim to have halved its use, and any veterinary involvement in the last few years, can only be applauded.

Time for change?

Efficiency measures on the farm include water recycling and solar panels (file image).

With its huge open sheds, cows bedded on a calculated depth for maximal comfort with access to feed at any time and constant monitoring for early signs of stress or ill health, while not the idealistic picture of a cow moseying around a field at her leisure, was not far off, and certainly not the grim jumped-to conclusion when it comes to intensive farming.

Public perception is always going to be a huge hurdle for farming, but perhaps we can change that through the right sort of publicity, starting with abandoning the phrase ‘intensive farming’ and all associated misconceptions, and replacing it with something like ‘efficient’ or ‘environmentally friendly’ farming, because that is exactly what it is.

March 9, 2016
Work hard, play hard

At the end of January I travelled down to Nottingham for the third annual Student Equine Veterinary Association (SEVA) symposium.

Image: Roman Milert / Fotolia.

The weekend was crammed with lectures, practicals and seminars relevant to horses in particular, for equine enthusiasts from all UK vet schools – and even some from further afield.

Auspicious start

Any congregation of vet students is eventful, and the weekend kicked off with us accidentally setting the toaster on fire before making our way to campus for the first set of lectures.

It’s always interesting to see other vet schools in their settings: the short journey through the Midlands countryside was quite different from our commute in the West End of Glasgow.

Sarcoid legend

Big names in the equine vet world were present to deliver talks on a range of subjects from the emergency colic, orthopaedics, the racing vet and reproduction.

The British weather was against some of the guest speakers and, after battling the snow to make his plane, Prof Derek Knottenbelt arrived a little later than planned to deliver his lecture on oncology – a highly amusing and informative presentation that proved the renowned sarcoid legend was worth the wait.

Jonathon Pycock, as well as delivering a talk on reproduction, ran a seminar on the Veterinary Defence Society (VDS) and through the medium of hilarious anecdotes, encouraged students to make use of the VDS in the future should they ever get into a sticky legal situation.

Practicals covered a wide range of subjects, but I had chosen cardiology and farriery.

Matters of the heart

The cardiology practical covered auscultation of the normal horse and localisation of a heart murmur in the abnormal horse, followed by ultrasound scanning of the heart; something I’d never done before.

We were able to use electronic stethoscopes during the session – the difference they made was incredible (shame I haven’t got a spare £400 to upgrade from the manual one). We then had a related seminar on diagnosing and interpreting heart murmurs from auscultation recordings and ultrasound videos, which was very helpful in trying to distinguish heart sounds more clearly.

Veterinary students taking part in the cardiology practical.

Local Army Farriers ran a session on farriery, allowing us to practice removing a shoe, putting a shoe on and the approach to an abscess in the foot. We later discussed the use of different remedial shoes for various conditions and urged us to communicate effectively with farriers in order to work together to achieve the best solution to problems of the foot.

Party on

Saturday evening played host to a black tie ball, with great food and wine and a live string band, before continuing the party with many of the speakers also dancing among the students until the early hours.

As with all vet events, I had a fantastic time and would urge other students to go to at least one of these symposiums or congress during their time at vet school.

Even if it’s revision, I find learning something you think you might know reasonably well in a different format will highlight areas you need to work on and help consolidate things better. While the focus is primarily academic, I think these weekends are still always true to the vet school mantra of “work hard, play hard”, and I always have a fab time.

February 17, 2016
Barking up the right tree – with Trusty Paws
Originally a charity set up by veterinary students for the homeless hounds of Glasgow in October 2014, Trusty Paws has become incredibly successful and has received a huge amount of public support.

This success has allowed the charity to run monthly clinics at the Simon Community Scotland drop-in centre, providing free health checks, vaccinations, microchipping, and flea and worming treatment for the pets of the homeless.

Essential supplies, such as food, coats and harnesses for the dogs, are also given out at these clinics for those in need.

Branching out

The success of the Glasgow clinics has led to a branch of the charity opening in London, with the first clinic taking place in November 2015.

Run by fourth year RVC students, the clinics take place at the West London Day Centre in Marylebone, which also provides other services for the homeless.

The expansion of the charity is excellent news for the pets of the homeless, for whom we can continue to provide the veterinary care they deserve.

In at the deep end

Poor Bruno has been diagnosed with Cushings Disease. @DogsTrust @SaveABulls @SimonCommScot pic.twitter.com/GwwaJ0Iruj

— Trusty Paws Clinic (@Trusty_Paws) January 15, 2016

The Glasgow clinics are organised by the student committee, but health checks are conducted by other fourth year student volunteers. Last week I had the chance to get involved and, under the supervision of a volunteer vet, conducted my first full consultation that didn’t involve actors in a communication skills class.

My patient, Bruno, wasn’t particularly well. The owner said he was not himself (he certainly looked depressed), had lost a significant amount of weight since his last visit and had a slow heart rate, in addition to some evident skin issues.

The vet suspected Cushing’s disease, so we referred him to the local Pets’n’Vets branch that undertakes any secondary veterinary care Trusty Paws patients require. They have conducted blood tests, paid for by the charity, and have confirmed the diagnosis.

Offering support

While a little daunting to be thrown straight into a full consultation, I thoroughly enjoyed helping out at the clinic and would certainly encourage other students (whether in Glasgow or London) to do so in the future.

The clients are extremely appreciative and evidently love their pets dearly, so it’s easy to see the benefits of such a charity to everyone involved.
- If you can’t get directly involved, but wish to offer financial support, donations can be made via PayPal.
- Alternatively, the charity has two Amazon wishlists (one for Glasgow, one for London), enabling supporters to purchase specific products that each clinic requires.
January 15, 2016
Finding the words
I’m a bit of a grammar Nazi, so getting involved in editing has been a lot of fun.

I enjoy writing about my experiences, but I also enjoy reading about others. I’m also a bit (or a lot) of a grammar Nazi, so getting involved in editing over the past couple of years at university has been a lot of fun.

I started by subediting the University of Glasgow’s student newspaper and proofreading emails/letters for fellow students on the organising committee for a charity event, before taking on the role of editor for the student vet magazine (JAVS), which goes out to all UK veterinary schools.

This is something I love doing, but it does have its downsides – and it sometimes feels like trying to draw blood from a stone. The past few editions of JAVS have seen a serious deficiency of contributors, but each one has been saved by my persistent chasing of articles, rallying people I know have an interesting story to tell, and reassuring those who’ve been asked to write but lack confidence in their ability.

Now this begs the question: why do veterinary students not want to write?
- Are they too busy and see it as pointless extra work that won’t be recognised or count towards their degree?
- Are they worried about not producing an item good enough to publish?
- Do they lack confidence in their linguistic abilities?
While the vet degree is insanely busy and students will count every precious moment of free time they have, there are considerable advantages to having a piece of writing published – be that in print or on the internet.

Getting your name out there

“Writing for a student publication is a great start in order to get into the swing of things without strict word counts or other constraints.”

It’s surprising how far an article or blog post can reach. People with seemingly nothing to do with the veterinary profession or, alternatively, those higher up in the profession may see them.

Social media provides a particularly excellent platform for getting your work out there – many of the student written articles published on the AVS (Association of Veterinary Students) Facebook page have received “likes” or comments from BVA and RCVS presidents.

For those looking to publish in the future, whether through research or journalism, writing for a student publication is a great start in order to get into the swing of things without strict word counts or other constraints.

Even if you have no interest in writing as part of your career, having your name on an article can have other advantages. Who knows, maybe in a few years your future employer may have been intrigued by something you’d had published – which could make the difference between being asked to interview or not.

Spread the word

Sharing ideas with other students allows writers the opportunity to pass on information that could benefit other parties as well. For example, if someone undertakes EMS with a charity he or she feels is a particularly worthwhile cause and needs extra help, writing an article to raise awareness could give the organisation a huge boost. It will also make fellow students aware so they could go and have the same great experience as others before them.

Even sharing hints and tips for other things vet related might help other students avoid common mistakes or guide them more smoothly through the maze of the veterinary degree.

Don’t be scared

“Don’t be scared. Bite the bullet. Put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and just go for it,” says Jordan.

It has been suggested many veterinary students don’t want to write because they don’t think they have anything interesting to say, or worry their finished piece won’t be good enough for publication – and I appreciate writing doesn’t come naturally to everyone, but that’s where I come in.

I can’t magic up the entire content for a whole magazine, but if students give me some ideas to work with – regardless of how scrambled they may be – they can be edited into fully formed articles.

It may be that self confidence is the issue, but don’t worry, everyone has to start somewhere. Your first attempt wont necessarily be the next Harry Potter phenomenon, but I guarantee that most veterinary students do have interesting experiences or ideas to talk about – so don’t be scared. Bite the bullet. Put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and just go for it.

Getting published can open a lot of doors you didn’t even know were there, so I would encourage every veterinary student to try to get their names out there. After all, the veterinary world is smaller than you think, and you never know who might be reading.
October 30, 2015
My first job – hopes and expectations

They are key to the future of the profession, but what are the next generation of veterinary surgeons looking for from their first job?

To find out, The Veterinary Business Journal headed up to SPVS’ “Your First Job” graduate seminar in Lancaster.

   FACTFILE

NAME: Zara Chowdhury

AGE: 22

COLLEGE: RVC

FIRST SALARY EXPECTATION: £25,000 a year

MY FIRST JOB: “I want to move into mixed practice where I will get the experience I want, but also the day-one support I need.

“There are lots of fears of course, and that is natural. Apart from the various clinical concerns, I am not looking forward to the financial side of things, pricing things up wrong and things like that.

“We have not done any business extramural studies. We have had a few business lectures, but it is something I would have liked more of – particularly earlier on in my course, so it would be good to get some kind of induction in the business side of things.”

WORK/LIFE BALANCE: “This is important to me, but I know I have to be flexible to get on.”

WHAT DID YOU GET FROM THIS EVENT? “It has helped a lot to see the various options laid out in such an accessible way.”

   FACTFILE

NAME: Fiona Laurie

AGE: 21

COLLEGE: University of Glasgow

FIRST SALARY EXPECTATION: £20,000 a year

MY FIRST JOB: “I grew up on a farm, so I have always wanted to move into mixed practice.

“Hopefully that job will provide broad experience on the clinical side, but it will be very important to me to see that I will be supported in the right way.

“Coming from a farming background, I have grown up knowing the importance of getting it right from a business perspective, but I would like to be shown the protocols and the pricing structures and have the computer systems all explained to me properly.”

WORK/LIFE BALANCE: “If the rota was really bad I would look elsewhere, as having balance is important to this generation, but we are all coming into this job with our eyes open and I am not scared of hard work.”

WHAT DID YOU GET FROM THIS EVENT? “Free wine and a lot of ideas about the diversity of career options open to those getting a veterinary degree.”

   FACTFILE

NAME: Alexander Kilgore

AGE: 27

COLLEGE: RVC

FIRST SALARY EXPECTATION: US$60,000 to US$70,000 (£35,000 to £41,000) a year

MY FIRST JOB: “I want to move straight into first opinion, small animal practice back in the United States, where the money is better.

“Ideally, in a supportive environment with a mentor to help me grow and develop as a vet and as a business professional.

“For me, there isn’t enough emphasis on the business management side of things, but I think there is more that students could do to make themselves more business-savvy.”

WORK/LIFE BALANCE: “This is a big deal, I have no problem doing out-of-hours, but I certainly don’t want to be working on a crappy rota for crappy pay.”

WHAT DID YOU GET FROM THIS EVENT? “It has shown me there are plenty of other career options in this field – particularly in industry and the military.”

   FACTFILE

NAME: Alice Griffiths

AGE: 25

COLLEGE: University of Cambridge

FIRST SALARY EXPECTATION: £25,000 a year

MY FIRST JOB: “Will be working with small animals for a boss sympathetic to the fact I still have a lot of learning to do. I want some responsibility, but at the same time I will want guidance when needed.

“We have had a few talks about the financial side at university, so I feel I know what will be expected in that direction, but some sort of written guidelines on the business side of things would be great.”

WORK/LIFE BALANCE: “The more hours asked of me, the more important it would be for me to get some flexibility in those hours – I still need to have a life.”

WHAT DID YOU GET FROM THIS EVENT? “It’s a great chance to meet my peers from other universities and to pick up some really good ideas from the speakers here. I am just surprised by how few people decided to come.”

February 23, 2015