January 2025

Waiting for exam results can be a horrible time not knowing exactly when that email will land in your inbox. 

Sometimes, I was caught off guard - I was convinced I'd failed my radiography & laboratory exam (VN02) and my results came through when I was sat in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium exactly when the match kicked off. Another exam result came through when I was in the middle of ringing church bells. I've been in some interesting places for results......... In all honesty, whenever I could (majority of the time), I'd plonk myself on the toilet waiting for the clock to strike 8pm and I wouldn't move until it ticked to 8:01pm as it was a definite those results weren't coming for at least another 24 hours 😂 it was such a common thing that I'd laugh and tell people "I'll be on the toilet when I find out I've qualified as a veterinary nurse".

Students are often told that OSCE results are released exactly 15 working days after exam completion. I counted the days, marked it on my calendar and prepared myself. I'd just started a new job within a new practice. It was day 2 with my new team. I was stood in theatre and the vet asked if I'd had any results yet. I said no and explained. We finished up the surgery and I said I was just going to the toilet before we started the next procedure. I went to the loo and guess what? Something told me to look at my phone. So I did. And there it was. SEVEN working days after I did my OSCEs. Just like I'd spent many moments joking about.... The most iconic moment of my life happened whilst I was sat on the toilet with no prior warning whatsoever....

Now the transition from SVN to RVN was truly starting....... Many have asked "how did it feel?". To be completely honest, I started my new job as an "RVN". My new practice expected an RVN of me so it was time to step up and do just that. It was a scary move to make but, looking back, I think it was the best thing I could have done for myself. I had to push myself into having full confidence, trusting my gut, believing in myself. As of the end of January 2025, I've been qualified for 3 months and although I'm still learning every day, I think I can 100% say that I would not be in the midst of setting up my very first business had I not taken that leap. It turned nursing around for me. And I would recommend doing it. Just like people have recommending locuming but I don't think I'm brave enough for that just yet! Although I am eagerly awaiting to be qualified long enough to go and work out of hours for the odd shift just to scratch this major itch I have with it.

It wasn't my idea to start a little side business, it was actually my fiancé's, Chris (aka 'Bag Carrier' - a name given by a lady within one of the nearby villages). I'd originally said "no" to the idea because I didn't feel going into peoples homes as a lone female was a very good idea. A few weeks later, he mentioned it again and my response was a sigh along with the words "Chris (Bag Carrier), the only way I'll ever do something like that would be if you were with me. All the time". He said "yeah, okay". So I decided to give it a go. I had nothing to lose. The goal was to help the local community to include disabled people, elderly, people who couldn't easily get to their vets during the week due to working hours and to help reduce the stress that animals feel when in practice all whilst keeping costs low to help those out who have been experiencing financial difficulties over the last couple of years.

I'll take this moment to say how fantastic Bag Carrier has been with his animal handling. He's learnt so much whilst being out and about with me and he's been great living up to his name - he carries bags really well, he hasn't yet left it (or himself) behind. We have two completely different jobs but I keep telling him I'm going to get a contract written up for him with the job title "Chief Animal Handler". He doesn't agree as he enjoys his real job but it's a work in progress 🤪

At the time of writing this blog it's been two weeks since starting out with our little nail clips and other bits & pieces. And it's really just to say that if I can act on something beyond my dreams, you can too. If you want to specialise in anaesthesia, you can. If you want to work in referrals, you can. If you want to be strictly a consulting nurse, you can. If you want to open your own practice.....guess what? YOU CAN! It all starts with a dream.... Then you have to believe in yourself, trust yourself, shoot for the moon and land among the stars!

Qualifying as a nurse opens up so many doors. So many doors that does feel overwhelming but take it one step at a time. There's nothing stopping you going through one door, coming back and going through another. The world becomes your oyster. The main thing is that you're happy in your practice, you're appreciated, you're supported and look out for each other. Everything else comes with time ♥️