Nikki Ruedisueli , RVN | nicola @ bvna . co . uk

VNJ Editor , Head of Learning and Development at BVNA

It ' s great to hear you ' re still enjoying the new look of the journal . Already , over 2,000 of you have opted to just receive the digital version , which helps towards environmental sustainability .

We have been teasing you with our Protect the Title campaign and I am pleased to say that , as a first step , we launched two surveys on 26 September 2022 . Our President , Alex Taylor , comments : “ Statutory protection of the title ‘ veterinary nurse ’ is long overdue . The aim of the BVNA survey is to really dig deep and find out what this means to veterinary nurses , the wider profession and the public .”

To that end , we have created surveys for both the veterinary profession and the public , to gather information on people ' s awareness of the role of the veterinary nurse , and the effect of protecting the title of ' veterinary nurse ' on our daily lives . This is your chance to be involved with changing attitudes to the veterinary nurse role and to raise awareness among the public about the extent of our training and dedication .

Alex adds : “ Although change can take time , it is happening , but we need to produce evidence that will further support this change – filling in this survey will do just that . While safeguarding animal and public health are good enough reasons to undertake the role , for many veterinary nurses , protecting the title helps us feel more valued as professionals , which is vital if we want a sustainable workforce .”

The surveys are open until Wednesday 26 November 2022 , so you don ’ t have long to complete them . We would also ask you to share the public survey with as many people as you can , including your practice clients , if possible . The survey only takes 5 minutes to complete and can add real value to our campaign . The more information we have , the stronger our voices will be when putting our case forward to DEFRA .

The Protect the Title surveys are available via the links below , or by scanning the accompanying QR codes :

For the profession :

www . surveymonkey . co . uk / r / BVNAProtectTheTitle

For the public :

www . surveymonkey . co . uk / r / BVNAProtectTheTitlePublic

It was great to see so many of you at BVNA Congress and there were some wild cat costumes at the dinner dance ! ( Look out for the photos in the December issue !) We love Congress as it gives us a chance to speak to you ; there was a real buzz in the Exhibition Hall and a fabulous atmosphere . We are already planning Congress 2023 , so if there is something you would love to see next year , let us know by emailing bvna @ bvna . co . uk with your suggestions . Remember this is your Congress and we want to provide top-quality CPD as well as opportunities for socialising .

And finally , a huge ‘ thank you ’ to those who have sent manuscripts to be published in the VNJ . We really couldn ’ t produce this journal without you and it ' s great to see new authors creating interesting and informative articles . If there is something you ' d like to write about , whether it is clinical practice or personal experience , please get in touch via vnj @ bvna . co . uk and we ' ll help you through the submission process .

So , pop the kettle on , put your feet up and enjoy your November issue of the VNJ .

Scan the QR code to access the digital version of VNJ with hyperlinked websites and references ( where available ).

Volume 37 ( 5 ) • November 2022

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