My journey into veterinary nursing is a little different from what you might expect. My mum began her own journey into veterinary nursing when she was just 13, and I actually grew up with her working at Burch Tree Vets. In many ways, I feel like I’ve been part of the Burch Tree family for my whole life.
Ironically, despite growing up around veterinary life, I never thought I would work in the veterinary industry myself! I always imagined that I would go on to do something completely different. I was 14 when I started working at Burch Tree Vets as a Saturday girl, initially simply as a part-time job to earn some extra money.
However, the more time I spent in practice, the more I realised just how much I loved it. When I finished high school and started thinking seriously about what I wanted to do with my future, it became clear that veterinary was what I loved. I began my journey into veterinary nursing at 16, and I haven’t looked back since.
I think what makes my story particularly special is that I didn’t always know this was the career for me. A lot of veterinary professionals, including my mum, knew from a very young age that they wanted to work with animals. For me, it took actually experiencing the profession, getting involved and being persistent to discover where I was meant to be.
Sometimes you don’t necessarily find your passion straight away, you find it by giving something a chance. For me, that little Saturday job at Burch Tree Vets turned into a career that I genuinely love, and I feel incredibly lucky that I found my place here.
Life as a Student Veterinary Nurse has been much harder than I ever imagined. It has given me an even greater respect for the people I work alongside, because veterinary is a challenging career. Balancing long working hours, studying, coursework, exams and the responsibilities of a full time job, while still trying to have a life outside of work, can definitely be a lot at times!
However, it is also one of the most rewarding careers I could have chosen, and that is ultimately what makes all of the hard work worth it. I’m SO lucky to work alongside such an amazing team. Their dedication and determination inspires me every day, and over the years we have always been much more than colleagues, we really are like a little family. I’ve made some of my best friends through working at Burch Tree Vets.
One of my favourite parts of my training has been the relationships you build with both the patients and their owners. We have some amazing clients, and it is so special getting to know them and their pets over time. Seeing the same patients coming back into the practice and watching those relationships develop is one of the things that I cherish.
As most of the Burch Tree team would probably agree, I can TALK and I do it a lot! So naturally, nurse consultations and spending time chatting with our clients are a favourite part of my job. I love being able to offer advice, answer questions and hopefully make owners feel comfortable and supported, while of course having a little chat with their pets too!
Something else that makes my experience particularly special is being able to share this career with my mum. She has worked in the veterinary industry since she was 13, so she completely understands the highs, the challenges and everything in between. Having someone who understands exactly what the job is like, while also getting to experience for myself what first made her fall in love with veterinary nursing, is amazing.
Although the training has certainly tested me, it has also taught me so much, not just about veterinary nursing, but about resilience, teamwork and the importance of having people around you who support and inspire you. I’m proud of how far I’ve come so far, and I’m excited to see where the rest of my journey takes me.
No two days are ever the same— and I think that’s one of the things I love most about veterinary nursing! We rotate through different roles, including nurse consultations, theatre, recovery, X-rays and sometimes reception.
Whatever role we are working in, teamwork is vital. Whether we are admitting patients, preparing for theatre, recovering patients after anaesthesia, taking X-rays or discharging patients to go home, there is constant communication between the whole team. Our vets, nurses and receptionists all rely on each other, and I think having respect for every person in the practice is important. We genuinely couldn’t do what we do without one another.
When working as the consulting nurse, the diary is usually packed with all sorts of appointments. This can include Pet Health Club checks, laser therapy, nail clips, anal gland expressions and so much more. Anything within the nurses’ scope of practice that we can do to help, we absolutely will!
Outside of nursing, I also proudly look after the social media for Burch Tree Vets, which is something I really enjoy. I love coming up with new ideas, capturing photos and videos (always with consent) and sharing the happy faces we see in practice every day. It’s a lovely way of showing our clients and the wider community what happens behind the scenes.
Of course, working in veterinary practice also means that not every day is a happy one. We experience some of the highest highs and the lowest lows. One minute you might be meeting a brand new puppy and celebrating the beginning of their life, and the next you could be supporting a family as they say goodbye to a much loved member of their family.
Those moments can be incredibly difficult, but they are also a reminder of why we do what we do. Being trusted to care for someone’s beloved pet throughout their life is a privilege, and knowing that we can make even a small difference to both the patient and their family makes the difficult days worthwhile.
What helps us through those days is the incredible support we have from one another. We laugh together, we learn together, we celebrate the good days and we support each other through the difficult ones. That sense of teamwork and family is a huge part of what makes working at Burch Tree Vets so special to me.
The idea for our charity Open Day actually came about during one of my regular one to one check-ins with my Head Nurse, Paige. She always asks if there is anything we would like to achieve or introduce into practice, and we had just recently done our ‘Paws of Joy’ campaign.
Paws of Joy involved putting up a Christmas tree filled with the dogs at Wolfwood Dog and Wildlife Rescue who were looking for their forever homes. Our clients and members of the public could choose one of the dogs from the tree and buy them a Christmas present. It was such a rewarding experience, knowing that these dogs would still have something special to open at Christmas, and it really made me want to do more.
We had already built such a lovely relationship with the team at Wolfwood, who do so much throughout the year to help animals in need (and us!) and it felt right that we should find a way to give something back. We’re able and willing to do more, so why not? That was really where the idea of an Open Day began.
The plan was to bring our clients, local community and businesses together for a fun day at the practice, while raising as much money as possible for Wolfwood. As always, most of our team were immediately on board, and what followed was months of planning, organising and hard work from everyone involved.
It was incredible to see how many people wanted to get involved. Local businesses were incredibly generous with donations and raffle prizes, our clients were so supportive, and the whole team put so much time and effort into making the day special. After months of preparation, seeing everything come together was such a proud moment, and we were absolutely thrilled to raise over £1,600 for Wolfwood!
I also really enjoyed being able to bring my social media role into the project. I love coming up with creative ideas for Burch Tree Vets’ social media, so being able to promote the Open Day, encourage people to get involved and help raise donations online was something I really enjoyed.
More than anything, the Open Day showed me just how special the veterinary community can be. It was lovely seeing our whole team come together for something outside of our everyday roles, and even more amazing to see the generosity of our clients and the wider local community. It reminded me that when everyone pulls together for something they care about, you can achieve something really special.
I absolutely LOVE being able to help where I can. I think it can be easy to forget how fortunate we are to be in a position where we can sometimes make a difference to people, animals or charities who may be struggling and don’t have the resources to help themselves.
I always try to look for opportunities where we can do something positive, and I feel incredibly lucky to work at a practice that is genuinely so supportive of these ideas. Having a team who are always willing to get involved and a Head Nurse who encourages me to bring new ideas forward makes such a difference.
One example was when I became aware that IVC offers a Community Grant. I had seen that a local charity, Animal Care, was struggling with funding, so I mentioned it to my Head Nurse, Paige. She was very supportive and helped arrange for the entire grant to be donated to Animal Care. We were then lucky enough to visit the charity and see the amazing work they do first hand. Being able to see exactly where that support was going and meet the people behind the charity made it even more special.
I think working in veterinary nursing naturally gives you a huge amount of empathy for animals, and I definitely know I’m my mum’s daughter in that respect! If I could rescue and take home every animal that needed help, I would. While that isn’t possible, supporting charities and finding other ways to help is something that makes me feel like I’m able to make a difference.
Our practice was also incredibly proud to be involved in the Moonlight Walk in aid of St John’s Hospice. We were able to make a donation and sponsor part of the walk, and once again the team were so willing to get involved and support such an important cause. It was particularly meaningful because it is a charity that is very close to our hearts.
For me, supporting charities isn’t about doing something because we have to, it’s about doing something because we can. Whether that’s raising money, donating, sharing their work or simply giving our time, I think even the smallest contribution can make a difference. Being able to combine our love for helping others with our passion for animals is something I feel very lucky to be able to do.
Being nominated for a Brilliant People Award was honestly quite overwhelming. I’m always very happy to get involved with anything happening in practice and, although I’m secretly quite competitive and always want to win, I never really expected to be recognised on a bigger scale!
I’ve worked at the practice for seven years now, so I’ve had the opportunity to grow alongside the team and experience so many different aspects of veterinary practice. Being recognised for the things I’ve worked hard to achieve over those years was incredibly special, but I was particularly grateful to receive the award while still on my student journey.
I think I had naively assumed that these sorts of awards might be more focused on people who had been qualified for many years, so being recognised as a student felt special. I also hope it shows other students across IVC that Brilliant People Awards are for everyone. You don’t have to be qualified or have decades of experience to make a difference. Students bring so much enthusiasm and passion to practice, and it was lovely to feel that this is recognised and valued.
What made it even more special was knowing that the recognition came from the people around me. I genuinely think I work alongside some of the most amazing people, so to know that they see those qualities in me too was incredibly rewarding. We spend so much of our time supporting, encouraging and celebrating each other, and to have that support reflected back at me was something I’m so grateful for.
For me, the award wasn’t just about winning, although I’m definitely not going to pretend I wasn’t very happy about that! It was a lovely reminder that the little things you do every day have an impact, even when you don’t necessarily realise that anyone is noticing.
DO IT!
It hasn’t been the easiest journey for me, but if I could go back and make the decision all over again, I would choose veterinary nursing every time. If your heart is truly in it, I genuinely believe you can do it.
It’s not an easy career. There are long days, difficult cases, exams, coursework and moments that challenge you, alongside the incredibly rewarding moments that remind you exactly why you chose it. But I don’t think anything worthwhile in life comes without a bit of hard work.
I take so much pride in the work I do, everything I’ve learnt along the way and the Registered Veterinary Nurse I’m going to be. I’m proud of the people I work alongside, proud of the journey that has brought me to where I am today, and I’m proud to be writing this!
My journey has taught me that you don’t have to have everything figured out from the beginning. Sometimes you just have to take that first step, be willing to learn, work hard and keep going, even when things don’t go exactly to plan.
Veterinary nursing is challenging, emotional, rewarding and incredibly special. There will be good days and bad days, just as there are in any career, but for me, there is nowhere else I would rather be. I truly wouldn’t want to do anything else.