Head Veterinary Nurse (HVN)

Job Description

Introduction
Our Client’s practice is a well-established small animal veterinary clinic located in Chelmsford, offering high-quality care to cats, dogs, and small mammals. The practice is equipped with modern facilities and is supported by a wider network, providing a collaborative and progressive environment focused on clinical excellence and team development.

Working Hours / Rota
This is a full-time role. The position includes a 1 in 6 full weekend rota at a nearby 24-hour hospital, two weeks of on-call cover per year, and 1–2 bank holidays annually.

Role Description
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Registered Veterinary Nurse to step into a Head Nurse position within a busy and supportive practice.

You will be responsible for leading the nursing team, ensuring the highest standards of clinical care and compliance are maintained. The role includes mentoring and developing team members, including student nurses, while fostering a collaborative and positive working environment.

You will remain hands-on clinically, delivering nurse-led consultations, supporting surgical procedures, monitoring patients, and managing admissions and discharges. Additionally, you will take ownership of nurse rotas, workflow, and training, contributing to the smooth day-to-day running of the practice.

Working closely with the leadership team, you will help shape clinical standards, support team wellbeing, and ensure an excellent experience for both patients and clients.

Team Size
You will be part of an experienced and supportive team including Veterinary Surgeons, Registered Veterinary Nurses, a Student Veterinary Nurse, and dedicated support staff.

Practice Details
The practice is well-equipped with modern facilities including an in-house laboratory, diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, and surgical equipment. It provides a wide range of services from routine health checks to advanced diagnostics and surgery, within a structured and supportive clinical environment backed by a large veterinary group.

Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate will be a Registered Veterinary Nurse with strong clinical experience and a passion for leadership. You will be confident, organised, and approachable, with the ability to mentor and develop others.

You will demonstrate excellent communication skills and a commitment to delivering outstanding patient and client care. Previous leadership experience is desirable, but applications from nurses ready to step into a leadership role are welcomed.

This is just some of the information about the job and company, but there will be more questions. Tempus Veterinary Recruitment is happy to get those questions answered for you during the recruiting process. Tempus Veterinary Recruitment is here to make the recruiting process simple and stress free.

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