It's vet nurse week at The Blue Cross animal hospital

The work of a Blue Cross veterinary nurse is a physically, emotionally demanding and mentally challenging job. Nurses at The Blue Cross are often the primary caregivers, providing holistic care for every aspect of the animal patient while they are in the hospital receiving treatment.

Vet nurses strive to ensure that the physical, mental and emotional health of every animal we see is catered for. This means that we see each and every patient as an individual, and treat them with the love and care we would our own pets. Nurses enjoy the more hands-on approach to patient care, and have to be thoroughly multi-tasking.

A typical day at the hospital might involve preparing animals for surgical procedures, monitoring anaesthetics, taking radiographs, laboratory work, wound management, giving vaccinations and supporting advice to clients, formulating dietary requirements for specific patients, giving basic behavioural and training advice, supporting animals through recovery from procedures, reassuring owners about their worries and maintaining the hospital as a busy, working environment. And this list is certainly not exhaustive!! It is wonderful to be part of rehabilitating an animal back to full health from injury or illness, or ensuring that a patient has optimum quality of life.

At the Blue Cross we're very proud of the high standard of vet nursing care we give to all our patients and their owners, and we keep all our nurses up to speed with the newest advancements in medical care. Our nurses all study for a minimum of 2 years before sitting written and practical examinations and becoming qualified. Veterinary nursing is not an easy job - it requires a professionalism and sound theoretical knowledge of the job. Nursing takes practical skills, determination, quick-thinking and compassion in abundance. As a veterinary nurse you really feel the benefits of keeping pets and owners happily and healthily together for as long as possible, providing a lot of support to the local community. And yes, sometimes we do take some time to simply bond with our patients - human nurses don't get to cuddle their patients as much as we do!

A typical experience for a Blue Cross vet nurse: Felix the cat is brought into the Merton animal hospital with a suspected broken leg, having been hit by a car. He is immediately triaged and has his wounds assessed by a first aider. Then a 'phlebotomist' collects blood and places an intravenous support line through which to give him a drip to support his circulation. The blood sample is tested by the laboratory technician - Felix is in good general health overall so is given a general anaesthetic, monitored by the anaesthetist, in order for the radiographer to take x-rays of his leg. A clinical practitioner cleans the wounds and applies a support dressing to the broken leg, while an 'analgesist' administers pain relief. An intensive care specialist ensures he has a smooth recovery from anaesthetic and settles him comfortably into his kennel. A nutritionist prepares the perfect diet to aid his recovery and promote healing, while a behaviourist ensures a programme is written to ensure that the cage rest he needs will provide him with adequate mental stimulation. A counsellor talks the owner through the treatment options, while a friend is ready with a reassuring hug and support.

Staff involved in one typical case - 1) First aider 2) Phlebotomist 3) Laboratory Technician 4) Radiographer 5) Anaesthetist 6) Clinical practitioner 7) Analgesist 8) Intensive care specialist 9) Nutritionist 10) Behaviourist 11) Counsellor 12) Friend 12 roles all carried out by just one Blue Cross veterinary nurse!