The impact of appreciating your veterinary nurses: part 1

ABSTRACT

Appreciation has the power to influence an individual in many ways. There is numerous literature reporting the benefits appreciation has across various industries including human healthcare, but very little looking into the veterinary industry. Registered Veterinary Nurses (RVNs) are such a key part of the veterinary team but there are concerns over their long-term retention, and demand for them is ever increasing. If appropriately done, appreciation towards RVNs may help improve their job satisfaction levels, in turn contributing to their retention. This article investigates how appreciation is shown towards RVNs and explores the effect that may have.

Keywords: :

• Appreciation
• thanks
• retention
• job satisfaction
• registered veterinary nurse

Acknowledgments

I would like to express my gratitude to Perdi Welsh for supervising this research project, and the Royal Veterinary College for providing the funding.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Talitha N. Johnson

Talitha N. Johnson BSc (Hons) RVN

Talitha graduated from the Royal Veterinary College with a First -class Honour’s Bachelor degree in Veterinary Nursing in 2019. Since then she has been working as a senior RVN in a small animal practice in Oxfordshire, where she hopes to develop her skills in surgical nursing. She has an interest in teaching students, and is strongly passionate about creating positive working environments and looking after the mental well-being of veterinary professionals.Email: [email protected]