I qualified as a veterinary nurse in 1976 following 6 months at the Berkshire College of Agriculture. I then spent 15 years in general veterinary practice before deciding upon a career change. I returned to BCA, this time as a tutor and spent 2 years there before moving to the University of Bristol's Veterinary School. I have now been at Langford for 14 years and have been privileged to see a significant number of student veterinary nurses progress on to become qualified V.N.s. This is my second stint on BVNA Council having first been elected in 1993. I was approached to stand for Council by another 'senior' veterinary nurse who felt that my 'longevity' would provide a useful perspective especially at this point in time when veterinary nursing is undergoing such significant changes. I have seen many developments take place, not least the introduction of full-time entry routes into the profession and the development of a small but increasingly important research base in veterinary nursing. It is sobering to think that I have been a veterinary nurse for over 30 years, eighteen of them in practice. However, I hope that this will enable me to bring a useful historical perspective to the discussion of issues that are of major importance to veterinary nurses today, particularly the all-important one of registration and regulation. Regulation will bring about a massive change in the professional identity of the qualified veterinary nurse and the BVNA should be at the forefront of any decision making process. It can only do this by becoming an organisation that is fully supported by the veterinary nursing population as a whole and in order for that to occur it must provide the sort of service that attracts highly motivated and professional thinking nurses. The responsibility ultimately lies with the council members to ensure that this occurs.

Email: Sue