Although they work as medical team mates, there are some significant differences between people with RVN Veterinary Nurse jobs and Vet Surgeons. From the annual wage to the daily tasks, the two jobs vary greatly. Let’s start with Vet Nurses.
As a Vet Nurse, a standard working week amounts to between 35 and 40 hours, often with evening, weekend and on-call duties. The annual salary for newly qualified Vet Nurses ranges from £18,000 to £22,000, with the salary rising to between £20,000 and £30,000, depending on location, once they have at least 2 years’ experience. Head Nurses and those in Senior RVN jobs can earn up to £30,000 to £38,000 per year in some practices. Nurses support Vets in providing nursing care for sick, injured and hospitalised animals, so the best Vet Nurses are calm and confident when handling animals, as well as patient and sympathetic when dealing with upset or nervous owners. Nurses also play a very important role in educating pet owners in good standards of animal care and safety.
The typical responsibilities of a Vet Nurse include listening to animal owners to find out about injury/illness, taking blood and urine samples from animals, taking x-rays if needed, caring for in-patient animals, preparing animals for treatment and assisting vets during treatments or operations. This assistance would include giving injections and medication under instruction of the surgeon and executing minor procedures such as the removal stitches. After operation, a Vet Nurse would then be expected to educate pet owners on how to care for their animals while they recover as well as keeping administration records up to date.
Qualifications for Veterinary Nursing can be achieved through both work-based training or by taking a higher education qualification and both of these routes allow students/apprentices to register as a veterinary nurse with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), a registration essential to finding work. Both apprenticeships and college courses lead to the Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing, which can take two to three years to complete and students can choose to specialise in equine care or working with small animals.
Veterinary Surgeons must, as nurses, demonstrate patience, sensitivity and empathy for animals and owners in their job. On top of this, however, they need to be assertive and confident enough to make decisions about the welfare of animals in their care. A normal working week would amount to around 43 hours over even days. On-call vets could be called out to work at any time of the day or night. Vets carry out most treatments in a surgery. Depending on the animal under operation, they may also need to travel to other locations such as farms or zoos. Treating animals on a farm could mean that they are outdoors in all weathers and have to carry out medical procedures outside the walls of their practice. There may be occasions when a surgeon’s work would be distressing, such as making decisions about whether animals that have been severely injured should be put down or not.
Newly qualified Vets can earn around £30,000-£40,000 a year. With at least two years’ experience and extra qualifications, this can rise to around £45,000-£55,000 a year, and for those with over 5 years’ experience, salaries are around £55,000-£65,000 a year. It is also worth noting that Large Animal Vet salaries vary more depending on geographical location. Lead vet roles can offer salaries of up to £75,000 a year, and Senior Partners in a practice can earn up to £90,000 a year, depending on its size and employers may even provide accommodation and transport.
In terms of salary, the difference is clear. Although there are similarities in the responsibilities of vet nurses and surgeons, surgeons must essentially make the important decisions surrounding treatment, rehabilitation and, occasionally, ending a life. It’s these accountabilities and demand for practical know-how, as well as the higher level of training and operating qualifications, that earn them they higher salary and much-deserved respect.