Veterinary nurses and technicians are passionate about what they do. As critical members of the veterinary healthcare team focused on helping animals live long, healthy lives, it can be easy to become so immersed in their profession that they forget to prioritize their well-being.
Learning to advocate for themselves and practice self care is the focus of the “Nurse Empowerment: Elevating Recognition and Wellbeing in the Profession” webinar the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) will host on Wednesday 13 April, at noon (EDT). Participation in the live webinar is free and registration can be accessed online.
Leading veterinary nurses and technicians participating in the roundtable event will offer real, actionable learnings that attendees can use immediately at the clinic when interacting with other members of the veterinary team and pet owners, too.
“The NAVC is committed to supporting the entire veterinary healthcare team and that includes helping to elevate the role of veterinary nurses and technicians so they can reach their full potential,” said Gene O’Neill, NAVC CEO. “The webinar series, a key part of the NAVC’s broader veterinary nurse/technician empowerment initiative, is designed to give these critical team members the tools and resources to take care of and advocate for themselves.”
Moderated by NAVC program specialist Samantha Sacasa, CVT, the virtual event will feature a distinguished panel of credentialed veterinary nurses and technicians including:
- Rebecca Rose, AAS, CVT, a certified career coach, founder and president of CATALYST Veterinary Professional Coaches
- Megan Brashear, BS, RVT, VTS (ECC), senior manager of veterinary nursing at the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital
- Jamie Davis, CVPM, veterinary practice coach at Veterinary Growth Partners
“I love that well-being is part of this webinar because it takes a lot of energy to advocate for oneself,” said Brashear. “In order to have that energy, we need to take care of ourselves. We have to have well-being to make that work.
“I will encourage webinar attendees to take 30 seconds to help pet owners understand that we are on the same side,” continued Brashear. “Pet owners should know that veterinary technicians can answer many important questions such as medication side effects or what will happen during an upcoming procedure. Building good relationships with pet owners helps us do our jobs better.”
A lack of understanding about their roles and capabilities by pet owners contributes to the challenges credentialed veterinary nurses and technicians face and may ultimately create a stressful working environment.
In fact, a recent survey of US pet owners, commissioned by the NAVC revealed that 63 percent of pet owners do not know that credentialed veterinary nurses and technicians are the animal healthcare equivalent of registered nurses and are tasked with performing life-saving and life-enhancing medical tasks and procedures.
The webinar is the first of three in a series that was announced by the NAVC at the Veterinary Meeting and Expo (VMX) in January as part of the industry-transforming Veterinary Nurse Empowerment Initiative. The initiative also includes a national consumer awareness and education campaign sponsored by the NAVC and VCA Animal Hospitals, with support from the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in American (NAVTA), designed to increase pet owners’ understanding of the role of veterinary nurses and technicians.
Future webinars include:
- “Nurse Empowerment: Improving Compensation and Turnover,” on Wednesday 1 June 2022, at noon (EDT)
- “Nurse Empowerment: Optimizing Utilization and Job Satisfaction,” on Wednesday 31 August 31 at noon (EDT)
