Head Veterinary Nurse (HVN)

Job Description

Introduction
Our client is seeking an experienced Head Veterinary Nurse to join their expanding team at a state-of-the-art referral centre. This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled referrals nurse with strong leadership qualities to play a key role in developing the clinic’s leadership team following its relaunch in 2024.

The centre supports veterinary practices across the South-East, providing advanced care for small animal patients. This position offers the chance to work alongside specialists and advanced practitioners while helping to shape the future development of the hospital.

Working Hours / Rota
This is a permanent full-time role working 40 hours per week.

The nursing rota may include some night and weekend work, shared fairly across the team to ensure continuous patient care and support for referring practices.

Practice Environment
The referral centre offers a highly advanced clinical environment equipped with modern diagnostic and treatment facilities.

Onsite equipment includes CT, endoscopy, fluoroscopy, a radioactive iodine ward and a dedicated cat ward, enabling the team to provide specialist-level care across a wide range of disciplines.

You will work alongside specialists and Advanced Veterinary Practitioners in medicine, ophthalmology and surgery, gaining exposure to complex referral cases and advanced procedures.

The clinic supports veterinary practices across the region and continues to expand following its recent relaunch, creating opportunities for both clinical and leadership development.

Role Description
As Head Veterinary Nurse, you will play a key leadership role within the clinic, overseeing the daily running of the nursing team while ensuring the highest standards of patient and client care.

Your responsibilities will include leading and supporting a team of Registered Veterinary Nurses and Veterinary Care Assistants, coordinating daily workflows and ensuring that procedures and patient care run efficiently.

You will support surgical and diagnostic procedures, oversee patient monitoring and inpatient care, and ensure admissions and discharges are managed smoothly. The role also includes promoting nurse-led appointments and Schedule 3 procedures, helping maximise the clinical contribution of the nursing team.

In addition to clinical responsibilities, you will mentor and develop colleagues, helping to build a progressive clinical culture within the team. This includes sharing best practices, supporting training and development and ensuring compliance with regulatory, operational and clinical governance standards.

Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate will be an RCVS Registered Veterinary Nurse with experience delivering high-quality patient and client care within a referral or advanced clinical environment.

Applicants should demonstrate strong leadership abilities and confidence in managing and developing a clinical team. Experience running nurse clinics and supporting Schedule 3 procedures would be highly beneficial.

Strong communication, organisational and mentoring skills will be essential, along with a passion for clinical excellence and collaborative teamwork.

This is just some of the information about the role 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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