Universities should prioritise wellbeing support for Student Veterinary Nurses (SVNs), foster a culture of openness, and empower SVNs to share their concerns and receive support to help them maintain the motivation required for a long-term clinical career. This is the conclusion of a research project carried out by a Hartpury University academic, presented to delegates at the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ (RCVS) Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) Symposium in Manchester on Tuesday 10 October 2023.
The findings reinforce Hartpury’s existing approach to embed the wellbeing of veterinary professionals throughout the Veterinary Nursing department curriculum, not only raising awareness but also signposting to the various Hartpury support services. Through appropriate support, SVNs can remain on track for their future professional career and feel better prepared to take on the challenges of the role.
Suzannah Harniman, a Senior Lecturer and Programme Manager for Hartpury University’s BSc (Hons) Veterinary Nursing and BSc (Hons) Equine Veterinary Nursing degrees, presented her project titled ‘Final year student veterinary nurse’s future career plans: values, beliefs and anxieties’ on World Mental Health Day and during the same week as Veterinary Nurse Day (13 October 2023).
The research aimed to investigate the motivators behind final-year student veterinary nurses’ career plans with a view to enhance the level of student support that could be offered in future. Using a qualitative approach to the research, Suzannah used semi-structured interviews with final-year student participants.
It’s clear from the findings that participants are looking forward to their future careers in clinical practice. They place a high value on promoting animal welfare and hold a belief that a veterinary nursing career would enable them to align their personal and professional values.
However, the participants shared their concerns about the distressing nature of some aspects of their SVN role, euthanasia for example, and highlighted the importance of receiving support from their families, friends and university to help them to process challenging experiences.
Speaking about her findings, Suzannah said: “Through my research, I found that appropriate wellbeing support is essential for SVNs to successfully negotiate their training journeys. I’m pleased to say that this is something we prioritise here at Hartpury University with our own students.
“Ensuring the wellbeing of our SVNs and eventually Registered Veterinary Nurses (RVNs) is supported in all aspects of their profession will help to ensure greater job satisfaction, a better work-life balance and ultimately help to retain talented nurses in the industry.”
This year’s MMI symposium brought together researchers, veterinary professionals and mental health experts from across the world to share their work with members of the profession. This year’s event also included talks around autism in veterinary professionals, farm vet wellbeing and moral stress in charity vet hospitals.
Student support at Hartpury University
Hartpury University has been recognised on multiple occasions for the level of student support offered, ranked 2nd in the UK and 1st in the South West for Student Support in the first-ever interactive Daily Mail University Guide.
In the National Student Survey (NSS) 2023, Hartpury was named as the number one university in England in the ‘Academic Support’ category.
Hartpury is home to a team of qualified counsellors, nurses, wellbeing officers and a chaplain, ready to provide friendly advice and guidance when it’s needed. Students can access support in a variety of ways, from informal daily drop-ins through to structured sessions including therapy. As wellbeing is such an important part of academic and learning development, it has been integrated into Hartpury’s Achievement and Success Centre, ensuring students can access academic and wellbeing support all in one place.
A calendar of wellbeing and inclusivity activities takes place every year. The annual WellFest event runs each September during Freshers’ Week, offering students the chance to explore the plethora of health and wellbeing support available at Hartpury and in the local area.
Veterinary Nursing at Hartpury
Student veterinary nurses at Hartpury apply theory in a real-life setting through a variety of seminars, lectures, research and debate. Notably, the thing that sets the BSc (Hons) Veterinary Nursing and BSc (Hons) Equine Veterinary Nursing degrees apart from most other veterinary nursing qualifications is the research dissertation in the final year. This allows students to pursue an area of interest and to contribute to real-world practice.
Check out Hartpury’s range of veterinary nursing degrees, accredited by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).
