Welcome to 2019 and to Today’s Veterinary Nurse! It is exciting to see so much energy and passion for the veterinary nursing profession and for Today’s Veterinary Nurse. I am honored to have been named Editor in Chief of TVN.
My vision for TVN is to reach and support the entire veterinary nursing profession and to offer content that will enrich veterinary nurses in all aspects of their professional lives. I think it is important for you to know why I am in this profession. I left my first career as a psychologist because, as corny as it sounds, I wanted to make a difference in the lives of animals. Cliché? Maybe. True? Absolutely! Working in practice I found I could impact pets’ lives through proper nutrition; whether the pet was ill or well—nutrition played a huge role. I also saw the extremely important role the veterinary team played in the wellbeing of patients. Promoting nutrition in pets and the importance of the veterinary nurse became my passion and my life’s work.
“Ours is a compassionate, ever evolving, and expanding profession of hard-working, intelligent, and thoughtful individuals who care deeply for pets and the people who love them.”
TVN will continue to provide cutting-edge technical expertise and will expand to provide the “how to” information as well—both in terms of “soft skills” and medical and nursing skills. We will add more visuals and images that reinforce points of knowledge and highlight critical areas of interest. TVN will also feature trends within the profession and the impact of these on veterinary nurses and look at some of the exciting nontraditional areas that motivate our colleagues. I think it is important to cover topics showing how the veterinary nurse focuses on patient wellbeing—whether it is understanding the pathophysiology of a disease condition, focusing on behavior that lessens the anxiety of a patient presenting to the hospital, or communicating the importance of consistency in diabetic patients (or ensuring proper nutrition—did I mention that?). Patient wellbeing is why veterinary nurses went to school and became credentialed!
My vision is to elevate our profession and everyone within it. Ours is a compassionate, ever evolving, and expanding profession of hard-working, intelligent, and thoughtful individuals who care deeply for pets and the people who love them. I believe we have the best profession on earth and TVN is here to help each and every one of us be the best we can be. In the words of John F. Kennedy, “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.” Please do not hesitate to reach out to me and tell me why you entered the profession. Each of you not only try to make a difference in the lives of pets every day—you succeed. Thank you for wanting to make a difference.
I’d love to hear from you about anything in this issue; why you got into this profession; or ideas, suggestions, and needs you may have. Write me at kburns@navc.com.