Inspiring
the next generation of veterinary nurses
Veterinary nurse Katie Norris shares her experience of raising awareness of the veterinary nursing profession through a school outreach project .
In 2024 , I embarked on a secondary school outreach project , visiting four secondary schools in the UK to raise awareness of the role of the veterinary nurse ( VN ). Here , I share my story with the aim of encouraging other VNs to consider reaching out to the young people in their community .
I ' m a VN working at Langford Small Animal Referral Hospital in Bristol , having graduated from the University of Bristol with a first-class BSc in veterinary nursing and companion animal behaviour in 2023 .
Alongside being a VN , I ' m also a STEM Ambassador , which is why I became involved in the outreach project . STEM Ambassadors inspire young people to pursue careers in science , technology , engineering and mathematics ( STEM ). One of the ways we achieve this is by providing engaging real-life examples of industry careers through school visits , to bridge the gap between education and future vocations .
I wanted to get involved after talking to other VNs about the lack of awareness of our profession among secondary school students . My intention was to raise awareness and to increase enrolment in the field of veterinary nursing .
I selected four secondary schools to visit from the University of Bristol ' s list of aspiring schools . These schools have a lower-than-average progression to higher education and , as I went to one of these
10 Veterinary Nursing Journal