"There is a requirement that Registered Veterinary Nurses must ensure that all their professional activities are covered by professional indemnity insurance or equivalent arrangements. Such cover may be held individually or through an employer.

The VDS can confirm that their Professional Indemnity (PI) policy, held by the veterinary surgeons in a practice, extends to indemnify the practice for the negligent acts of any veterinary nurse working directly under the supervision or control of those insured veterinary surgeons.

Registered Veterinary Nurses working in ‘non-VDS' practices should check their PI position with their employers.

In relation to the stated intention of RCVS that from late 2010 onwards RVNs could face Disciplinary Committee investigations, VDS can confirm that it is progressing well with its efforts to provide an appropriate policy. Provided the terms of the proposed policy are met, this will provide RVNs with representation, support and legal costs at Criminal and/or Disciplinary Hearings.

Discussions have been underway for some time between VDS, its lawyers and the RCVS, with the intention that cover will be in place for the beginning of 2011."

Donna Lewis BVNA President commented "The BVNA fully supports the efforts of the VDS in working towards providing this vital service for the RVN and welcomes its introduction at the beginning of next year."

As part of their ongoing commitment to feline welfare, CEVA Animal Health has organised a series of on-line webinars to be given.

For more information please call 01494 781510 or e-mail lucy.brett@ceva.com

The revised IIP award was introduced to promote and recognise a higher level of achievement than the original scheme. In order to qualify for the new accreditation, companies must undergo re-assessment of their existing IIP standard against a range of additional criteria.

Angela Mariconda, BVNA Association Manager commented, "This was our first attempt at accreditation under the more stringent IIP certification and I'm delighted that we passed with flying colours. This is a real testament to our people and to the processes that we have in place to ensure that BVNA continues working together on their pledge of representing the veterinary nursing profession."

Vice President Sue Badger supported this and added that the solid foundations on which the BVNA is based are largely due to the continued hard work of the staff who are always prepared to ‘go the extra mile' to ensure that the organisation runs smoothly.

There are bursaries for VN course fees, Degree courses, companion animal behaviour and general CPD courses.

Click here to see all the available bursaries for 2010

Nominations are requested for the prestigious Northern Ireland Veterinary Nursing Awards 2010

All veterinary nurses are dedicated to caring for animals, but just sometimes there's aspecial someone who has given exceptional service in caring for pets. It could be, for example, the set‐up and running of a new client education focus in the practice, or helping to spread the message of pet welfare in the community. Perhaps they simply gave you some extra special help when you most needed it. In fact, any action or contribution that you think deserves special recognition.

Nominations are welcome from pet owners or practice staff.

This award scheme is organised by the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) in association with Hill's Pet Nutrition.

Closing date for entries is 29th March 2010

Please click here to download the nomination form

Speakers - Kathleen Tennant, Samantha Lindley, Stephen Clarke, Wendy Barnett

Time: 9.00am to 5.30pm
Ambassadors Bloomsbury Hotel, London WC1H 0HX

Cost: £120 to BVNA Members - £150 to non-BVNA members

Cost includes refreshments, lunch, course notes and CPD Certificate

Click here to download a booking form or contact:

Lisa Brett, BVNA Education Manager

Tel: 01279 408644

Email: lisa@bvna.co.uk

The Animals Asia Foundation is devoted to the needs of wild, domesticated and endangered species throughout the Asian continent.

Donna Lewis, BVNA President, said 'BVNA are delighted to be supporting such a worthwhile charity. The Animals Asia Foundation work extremely hard to increase awareness of the plight of these animals and the cruelty to which they are exposed'.

BVNA will be fundraising during National Veterinary Nursing Week (18-24 July) and the 2010 BVNA Annual Congress (8-10 October) to help raise money to assist The Animals Asia Foundation in their fight against animal cruelty.

Please visit www.animalsasia.org to read about their work and find out more or visit their website to give a donation https://www.animalsasia.org/donate/index.php?n&lg=en

President, Donna Lewis, said "BVNA is committed to supporting its members through the current economic downturn and so have decided to freeze membership fees for 2010. In doing so we hope this will help our members to continue benefiting from the services on offer without any extra cost to them".

For further information on membership fees and benefits please visit the membership section of the website

Small grants are available to RCVS members and Registered and Listed Vet Nurses. An individual applying on behalf of an organisation need not be a member of the RCVS, provided the project falls within one of the defined areas listed in the guidance notes.

Click here to visit their website for more information

Mid Season Sale

UP TO 50% OFF CLOTHING

With many items from our range of high quality clothing discounted by up to a staggering 50%, don’t miss out on your chance to purchase at very affordable prices.

Visit our website shop to view our latest offers or click here to download the order form today!

The scheme has made positive moves forward especially for REVNs. The draft standards can be viewed on the RCVS website under the consultations section.

Please contact the BVNA if you have any comments or questions about our involvement.

It's important that we learn to deal with difficult situations correctly as there are common mistakes veterinary professionals make when dealing with a disgruntled person, and a few simple actions can help ease the situation.

A downloadable CD, being made available to BVNA members for free, is produced by the Veterinary Defence Society and provides you with the tools to handle these circumstances. You will learn how to sensitively tackle complaints & how to resolve difficult situations, helping make you feel more confident in the work place.

Access Legal Helpline information, members forum, membership benefits, bursary application forms and members only special offers!

To login you need to input your e-mail address as your Username and your Password is your membership number.

If you are having problems logging in, please e-mail us on bvna@bvna.co.uk and we will assist you with this information.

The BVNA would welcome any suggestions for inclusion as membership benefits and what you would like to see in 'your' section of the website!

You could save up to 30% on annual breakdown membership with the AA and a possible 10% discount on renewal.

To obtain a quote and take advantage of the discount scheme call 0800 048 0075 quoting BVNA ‘688'

The AA are also offering BVNA members £36.00 discount off your first 12 driving lessons. Call 0800 316 0513 quoting BVNA ‘AP' to get yourself on the road!

Plus as a BVNA member you can also benefit from the 3 for 2 voucher scheme on driving lessons with the AA, which can be used in conjunction with the above discount offer. Please download the voucher for further details.

For a copy of the poster and a supply of leaflets for your practice please contact the BVNA office on 01279 408644 or email bvna@bvna.co.uk

Alternatively, click here to view and download the poster and leaflet

Bonny advises "BVNA and the VDS are involved in ongoing discussions regarding the provision of professional indemnity insurance for RVNs and REVNs, and also insurance to cover the cost of legal representation for criminal and RCVS disciplinary investigations and hearings. Currently, practices insured with VDS are covered for negligent acts by veterinary nurses and other support staff. Generally this will also apply to other insurers but it would be advisable to check this with your employer. It is likely that VDS will be able to provide criminal and disciplinary cover to RVNs by the time this is needed towards the end of 2010."

On Friday 6 March 2009, Angela Mariconda, BVNA Office Manager proudly presented a cheque on behalf of The British Veterinary Nursing Association to the Animal Cancer Trust Chairman Malcolm Brearley and Chief Executive Karen Pearson.

Funds raised totalled £1458.29, however, some donations were sent directly to the ACT so the overall figure is unknown at present.

The monies kindly donated were raised by veterinary nurses and practices from around the country who organised events and raffles during the 2008 VN Week, together with the proceeds from the BVNA Congress raffle and regional CPD events.

Senior Vice President Claire Fraser and the BVNA would like to thank everyone for their contribution in helping such a worthwhile cause.

click here to listen to one of their interviews

For more information on the Petplan Veterinary Awards 2009 please click the link to their website:

http://www.petplan.co.uk/vetawards/default.asp

BVNA will donate all the monies raised from the sales on the webshop to the "Charity of the Year" each year.

With ever-growing number of retailers such as Thorntons, Marks & Spencer and John Lewis, there are over 100 retailers involved and many of which are household names. All you have to do is shop online via our webshop link and you'll automatically raise money with every purchase.

There's no hidden extra cost to you, you will pay the same prices as shopping directly with the retailer and there are often discounts exclusive to the webshop. This means shopping online can be secure, quick and beneficial for you and at the same time help us raise money for charity.

So remember, the next time you need to purchase anything check our webshop www.buy.at/bvna first. The more you use the webshop the more fundraising you help us achieve!