Sue Badger VN Cert Ed MBVNA
I qualified as a veterinary nurse (RANA) in 1976 after spending 4 years in mixed practice in my home town of Aylesbury. I attended the two-term course at the Berkshire College of Agriculture prior to taking and passing my Prelim' and Final exam' as they were known then. During the next fourteen years, I worked in a variety of veterinary practices in Northampton, Bedford, Bristol and London to name but a few before deciding to change direction and become a lecturer. I was offered a post at the Berkshire College of Agriculture in 1988 and spent two happy years there before being offered the position of Course Director for the new veterinary nursing unit at the University of Bristol's Veterinary School at Langford. I was initially responsible for the setting up and running of courses for student veterinary nurses but in 1998 I was instrumental in the development of a four-year honours degree in veterinary nursing and practice administration. With the development of the degree programme my role changed and I am now the Dean of Veterinary Nursing. I have responsibility for a number of issues including the pastoral care of students as well as support of students during their secondments in veterinary practice. My teaching role now includes that of unit organiser for the final year dissertation, which has enabled me to play a part in the embryonic stages of veterinary nursing research, a prospect that I find very exciting. Whilst teaching at the Berkshire College of Agriculture I was jointly responsible for the South East London branch of the BVNA and was elected onto Council for the first time. I am therefore serving on BVNA Council for a second term. I have been external examiner for a number of H. E. programmes over the past few years and have also been invited to participate in the validation of new programmes at other institutions including the new veterinary nursing degree in Hong Kong which is being jointly run with the RVC. I am Head of Centre for the University of Bristol. In recent years, as well as short courses, my CPD has included the D32/33 certificate, the BVNA certificate in Behavioural Studies and I have also completed a MEd. Having served as a BVNA Officer for several years I became President last October which has provided me with the opportunity to meet with the other representative associations as well as the RCVS and significant numbers of veterinary nurses, in order to debate the issues that are affecting veterinary nursing at present. I will enjoy the coming year on BVNA Council as it will enable me to concentrate on the VNJ again before standing down from Council in October of 2012.