Edinburgh Napier University

  The gestation of veterinary nursing as a recognised and self-regulated profession in the United Kingdom can be best described as long and difficult. Caught between the twin expectations and anxieties of the well-established professions of nursing and veterinary medicine, veterinary nursing made slow progress to the point where it became a self-regulated profession in 2011 under the auspices of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), however the title of Veterinary Nurse still remains unprotected by statute and can be used by anyone. This poster describes what RCVS Registered Veterinary Nurses can and can not do under Schedule 3 (2002 amendment ) of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 and argues that protecting the statutorily defined role of veterinary surgeons in the UK lies in strengthening the regulation, registration and training of veterinary nurses. The professionalization of Veterinary Nurses and their improved training allows veterinary surgeons to concentrate on what they do best and ensures better welfare and peri-operative care of animals by dedicating trained personnel to the role.