January 2025
First day as an SVN:
It’s a daunting experience stepping into your green stripes for the first time (or any colour your practice has that shows you are now a student veterinary nurse). As exciting as it is, it’s a scary moment that sometimes leaves people thinking “am I really doing this?”. But it’s okay to have a little panic, it’s all natural. As tough as it may sound to do, just try and enjoy the experience.
Over the next few years, SVNs are expected to work full time in practice (completing a certain amount of working hours in practice including off the job hours), complete multiple exams and assignments, attend college one day a week as well as completing their nursing progress log – which, wow, that NPL is an experience in itself! Once all of those are completed, two more exams are ahead. Professional discussion and OSCEs!
One thing I remember very clearly was waiting to be taken upstairs to do my very first exam. There was a lady sat opposite me and she said “I’m doing my VN06 exam today”. I thought “wow, she must be so clever to be doing her anaesthesia exam. Glad I haven’t got to think about that for another year”. But, that year FLEW by. And before I knew it, it was me waiting to do that exact same exam she was talking about.
I often wonder what happened between doing my VN01 exam and doing OSCEs. Time went quickly so my advice is to just enjoy your journey as a student nurse. Yes, it seems like a lot, it feel like OSCEs are a lifetime away and I know you so desperately want to qualify, but it goes by so fast that you’ll wonder where the time went and before you know it, you’re a fully-fledged veterinary nurse who is dancing and celebrating in your full greens because you’ve just qualified. IT WILL HAPPEN.
Making time for YOU amongst all the stress of exams:
One thing I remember people telling me was how overwhelming the course is, how they don’t have any time for themselves and the stress involved. It is very important to find a good balance early on in the course. You don’t need to be revising all night and during your weekends off work – over-revising IS a thing. And it can sometimes be your worst enemy too. Stress? Yes, there’s stress. But none of us started this as a “just because”, did we? We’ve come into this with a dream, a passion, a NEED. So yes, it will be stressful and you will cry, you may even end up arguing with loved ones. But remember, they care too and also want you to do well!
Six weeks into becoming an SVN, my Nan very suddenly passed away from a brief illness. Completely unexpected, I’d never known her to be unwell before this point. I was very close to my Nan, to the point I was always calling her my best friend and partner in crime. I wanted to devote all of my time into my nursing but at the same time, I knew I needed to allow myself time and space to grieve and help provide my family with support. I very quickly realised that I needed to find a good balance for my studies, my family and, most of all, myself.
Whilst an SVN, I was still going away for family holidays, weekends away, days out to theme parks and attending back to back concerts because, after my Nan passed away, I realised how quickly life can change. Just because I’m a student, it doesn’t mean I should stop living my life and making memories with those I love.
I made sure I was well aware of deadlines for exams and assignments and I stuck to them to make sure I wasn’t at risk of falling behind. I had revision nights and if I felt like I wasn’t taking anything in, I’d stop.
I am a firm believer that you can over-revise and you can be typing an assignment for too long. Sitting at a computer or looking at a textbook for hours on end doesn’t help you because eventually, your brain switches itself off and says “I don’t want to learn any more today” – and that’s okay, our brains deserve to rest.
I also wouldn’t revise the night before any exam. I would get home from work, have dinner, have a shower, watch a little bit of TV and then head into my exam the next morning. I had the attitude that I knew what I knew and trying to cram in more information the night before I needed my brain to work with me, wasn’t a risk I was prepared to take.
I felt this worked well for me. Between starting the course and getting to my end point assessment, I failed one exam ONCE – I admit, I revised the night before. It was my anaesthesia exam and I was terrified.
I revised the night before the exam, I failed it. I'd never done that before, so I never did it again! And, thankfully, that worked well for me.
Exam failure:
Although, as mentioned above, I failed VN06, it didn’t stop the tears. I remember where I was when I got those results, I remember where I was going. I remember crying into my chicken tikka masala in Wetherspoons – absolutely SOBBING. I was heartbroken. Ohhhh, it was like the world was ending!!!! Looking back, I must have looked like I’d witnessed a traumatic event. But let’s remember, an exam has been failed and we are simply human beings trying to achieve what is a lifelong dream for some. It's okay to be upset, it’s okay to cry.
Wise words from my Dad: “if it was easy, everyone would be doing it”. And my Dad was, and still is, right in what he said. I’ve recently used my Dad’s words on my friend actually – because they are so true.
It’s harsh seeing “fail” against an exam you so desperately want to pass because you have no choice but to pass it in order to gain your qualification. But passing it will happen at some point. Have a look at your revision techniques and see whether there’s something that needs changing or whether there’s some revision aids available to help you on your weaker topics. The college should provide you with a breakdown of the areas you didn’t pass so you are able to have a look at those and work on improving your knowledge.
Just don’t push yourself into revising constantly and more importantly, don’t beat yourself up over it. You will pass the exam. And you will be smiling when you do.
REMEMBER: You are NOT expected to know everything. No one does, even when you're qualified!