I qualified as an RVN about nine years ago. I came to Unicorn in 2015 for a temporary position, and I liked the place so much and fitted in well with everybody, so I decided to stay! I started out as a fairly newly qualified RVN at the practice, and I've now progressed to become Head Nurse at the Park surgery. 

I always knew I wanted to go into a job with animals. Originally, I thought I wanted to be a vet, and I then did work experience and realised nursing was what I wanted to do. I just love doing all the inpatient care, being able to nurse the animals back to health, and making their experience as positive and as nice as it can be, because the vets can be a scary place for them. 

What made you want to stay on at the practice?

I liked the family feel of the place, everyone gets on and cares about each other. It just makes your day so much nicer. 

As Head Nurse, I've got my little team, and I know how important it is to have that progression available for everyone. It’s important that we have those opportunities to grow and progress as nurses. Here, if someone has an area of interest that we want to go into, we're supported to pursue that. Some of our nurses are very focused on nutrition, another is interested in diabetes. 

For me, it's the behaviour side that interests me. I’ve done a course in canine behaviour, and I’m fear-free certified, so I will do fear-free techniques with dogs, cats, and smaller animals. It makes me happy to make their journey a little easier. 

Day-to-day at the practice, we’ll be doing things like X-rays and dentals, as well as lump removals. The vets here have so much trust in the nurses that we're able to utilise our skills and so anything that needs bloods, or X-rays, or a scale and polish – we can get really get involved. Our nurses are able to do stitch-ups and lump removal etc, so you really can utilise all of your skills and do everything that you've been trained for. It’s great. 

What are your favourite things about working at the practice?

I would say my nursing team because they are just brilliant. They are just amazing!
As a nurse and someone who really cares about patient care, being able to give patients the best possible care that they can get means a lot. I see them coming in when they're feeling so poorly and then leaving the door with happy faces and wagging tails. It’s the best feeling. They’ll come back later, and the owners will be so surprised that their animals actually wanted to come in! Rather than being scared, they’ll be running in the door, because we’ve created such a nice experience for them that they want to come back. That’s what’s important to me, and of course, it makes our jobs easier too. 

What do you like to do to unwind after work? 

I’ve got a Springer Spaniel called Izzy and I love taking her for walks through the forest or on the beach. She's meant to be an old lady, but she does not act like it at all! We can go for hours and hours just walking through the forest beaches. Or we’ll meet up for a big group walk with my partner and our friends, go to the pub, and have something to eat. There are so many great walks around here.