Lucy Emson, BSc( Hons), RVN, tells VNJ editor Nikki Ruedisueli about her experience of helping her practice achieve Dog Friendly Clinic Scheme certification

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your early career.

I started as a veterinary care assistant in a busy general practice, where I stayed to do my veterinary nurse( VN) training, and I loved it there. I ' d been interested in doing some travelling after I qualified in 2017. New Zealand stood out as an amazing place to explore, so I got myself a working holiday visa and took off.

I found out I ' d secured an interview while in Thailand, on the way over, so that was a relief! I ended up working as an emergency and critical care nurse at a relatively new referral centre and had the best time. The team were incredibly friendly, and being a newly qualified VN, I learned so much. I ' d recommend New Zealand to anyone thinking of travelling.

I came back to the UK just as Covid-19 hit. After spending a bit of time at my old practice, I moved north and continued referral nursing, initially as a rotating nurse. I then discovered a passion for internal medicine in 2021.

What made you want to establish a dog-friendly clinic at your practice?

The head nurse was putting together some nurse-led teams within the hospital and I ' ve always had an interest in behaviour, so I stepped up to become the lead nurse for the canine-friendly group. As a practice, we already had the ISFM Cat Friendly Clinic Gold status, so it made sense to achieve a canine-friendly certification too.

How did you come up with dog-friendly ideas for the clinic?

We tried to meet as a group on a quarterly basis to discuss things that needed improving and ways we could make changes. A mix of vets, VNs and receptionists meant ideas could be spread throughout the different teams. It was important to include our front-of-house team, as they are often the clients ' first point of contact and can help create a positive experience from the start, by offering advice over the phone and helping nervous dogs when they arrive.

10 Veterinary Nursing Journal