Head Veterinary Nurse (HVN)

Job Description

Introduction
Our Client is an independently owned veterinary practice in Waltham Forest, East London, forming part of a larger family-owned veterinary group. The practice is seeking an experienced Head Registered Veterinary Nurse to lead its established nursing team, offering an excellent opportunity for a confident and motivated RVN looking to take on a leadership position within a supportive clinical environment.

The practice places a strong emphasis on high-quality patient care, teamwork and professional development, providing an excellent environment for an experienced nurse to make a meaningful contribution to the team.

Working Hours / Rota
This is a full-time position working four days per week, with shifts of nine hours each. The rota includes duty nights and a 1:4 weekend commitment.

The practice aims to provide a structured working pattern while ensuring appropriate nursing coverage across its clinical services. The frequency and specific responsibilities of duty nights have not been provided.

Role Description
The successful Head Registered Veterinary Nurse will take responsibility for leading and supporting the nursing team, ensuring consistently high standards of clinical care and client service.

The role will involve overseeing daily nursing activities, supporting clinical procedures and working closely with the veterinary team to maintain efficient practice operations. A key focus will be mentoring and developing Registered Veterinary Nurses, Student Veterinary Nurses and Veterinary Care Assistants, helping colleagues build their confidence and clinical skills.

The practice actively encourages professional development and continuous learning, with opportunities to introduce new initiatives, address skills gaps and contribute to improving nursing standards across the team.

Team Size
The successful candidate will join an established clinical team consisting of 6 Veterinary Surgeons, 6 Registered Veterinary Nurses, 2 Student Veterinary Nurses and 1 Animal Care Assistant.

The veterinary team has clinical interests in Internal Medicine, Advanced Soft Tissue Surgery and Diagnostic Imaging, providing opportunities for nursing colleagues to gain exposure to a broad range of cases and develop their clinical skills.

The practice promotes a collaborative working environment where colleagues are encouraged to share knowledge, support one another and participate in ongoing professional development.

Practice Details
The practice is a modern, purpose-built veterinary surgery in Waltham Forest, East London, offering spacious facilities and a broad range of small animal veterinary services.

The caseload is approximately evenly split between dogs and cats, making this an attractive opportunity for nurses with an interest in feline medicine and nursing.

The clinical team offers expertise in Internal Medicine, Advanced Soft Tissue Surgery and Diagnostic Imaging, creating a varied and engaging working environment.

As part of a wider family-owned veterinary group, the practice benefits from continued investment in facilities, clinical services and staff development, with a strong emphasis on maintaining high standards of patient care.

Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate will be an experienced Registered Veterinary Nurse with strong clinical skills and the confidence to lead and motivate a nursing team.

They should be self-motivated, approachable and enthusiastic about supporting the professional development of RVNs, Student Veterinary Nurses and Veterinary Care Assistants.

Excellent communication skills, strong organisational abilities and a collaborative approach are essential. The practice is particularly interested in someone who can lead by example, maintain high clinical standards and contribute positively to the continued development of the nursing team.

Previous leadership experience would be beneficial, although an experienced RVN with the right qualities and ambition to progress into a Head Nurse position would also be well suited.

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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