Author Archives: Amber Tennant

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Save £100s on a Leadership and Management qualification this summer!

We have joined forces with the Veterinary Practice Managers Association (VPMA) this summer, to help those working in a veterinary practice undertake an Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) qualification and save up to £800!

Our special offer not only means you could save £100s off your course fees but that you will also receive a years’ free VPMA membership!

Those employed in a veterinary practice are eligible for special rates as follows:

ILM Level 3 Certificate in Leadership and Management – £1,864 £998!* (Save over £800!)
ILM Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management – £1,864 £1,313!* (Save over £500!)

*excluding awarding body fees

These professional qualifications are perfect for those working in, or looking to work in, a leadership or managerial role such as head nurse or practice manager and consist of online learning supported by two study weekends at college. The first study weekend takes place on the 1 & 2 July followed by a second on 11 & 12 November.

 

As a professionally recognised qualification, successful candidates will be able to apply for professional membership of the ILM, and thereby be permitted to use the Institute’s internationally recognised post nominals.

Further information on the courses can be found at www.caw.ac.uk/ilm 

Save £100s on a Leadership and Management qualification this summer!

The College of Animal Welfare (CAW) and the Veterinary Practice Managers Association (VPMA) have joined forces this summer to help those working in a veterinary practice undertake an Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) qualification and save up to £800!

The special offer provided by CAW and the VPMA not only means you could save £100s off your course fees but that you will also receive a years’ free VPMA membership!

Those employed in a veterinary practice are eligible for special rates as follows:

ILM Level 3 Certificate in Leadership and Management – £1,864 £998!* (Save over £800!)
ILM Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management – £1,864 £1,313!* (Save over £500!)

*excluding awarding body fees

These professional qualifications are perfect for those working in, or looking to work in, a leadership or managerial role such as head nurse or practice manager and consist of online learning supported by two study weekends at college. The first study weekend takes place on the 1 & 2 July followed by a second on 11 & 12 November.

Leadership and management “the key to excellence”

Leslie Heaton-Smith, Marketing and Development Director at The College of Animal Welfare, explained: “Whilst technical skills and knowledge create the opportunities for the best possible care of patients it is the leadership and management of staff and resources that is key to delivering clinical excellence, gold standard veterinary care and a positive client experience time and time again.”

As a professionally recognised qualification, successful candidates will be able to apply for professional membership of the ILM, and thereby be permitted to use the Institute’s internationally recognised post nominals.

Further information on the courses can be found at www.caw.ac.uk/ilm or by calling the College on 01480 422060.

– Ends –

For more information please contact:
Alison German RVN
Marketing Executive
The College of Animal Welfare
Tel: 01480 422060
Email: agerman@caw.ac.uk
Notes to editors:

The College of Animal Welfare is one of the UK’s leading providers of veterinary nurse and animal care training and education; operating from four training centres around the UK.
The College has a well-earned reputation for excellence and has created a number of unique achievements that have created new opportunities for learning.
For more information about The College of Animal Welfare please visit www.caw.ac.uk

Calling all SVNs – £500 bursary up for grabs!

VN Times has joined forces with the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) to offer one student veterinary nurse (SVN) a bursary to help fund their qualification.

Worth £500, the bursary is available to any student, regardless of route to qualifying; the only condition being applicants must be engaged in VN training at the time of applying, and have been a student member of the BVNA for two months prior to the closing date.

The bursary will be awarded to the successful applicant at BVNA Congress in October. The closing date for entries is 31 May. To find out more information about the bursary, and download an application form, you can visit the BVNA website.

head nurse congress 2017

Head Nurse Congress 2017 bigger and better than ever before!

Thank you to all delegates, speakers and exhibitors who attended Head Nurse Congress 2017!

Head Nurse Congress 2017, sponsored by the Veterinary Practice Management Association (VPMA) and VN Times, saw over 130 delegates come together with a shared interest and desire to get the very best out of their nursing team. The event included lectures on taking charge of challenging staff members, managing change, mastering meetings, resolving conflict and clashes – and much more!

Due to the fantastic feedback received about last year’s venue, this year’s congress returned to the impressive Whittlebury Hall Hotel and Spa in Northamptonshire; allowing delegates to stay on site for the weekend if they so wished and wind down with the use of the onsite spa facilities.

head nurse congress 2017Saturday’s congress also saw delegates compete for a chance to win a free place at Head Nurse Congress 2018. As part of our competition, delegates were asked to share their best leadership and management tips and have their picture taken with our Instaframe. Congratulations to the winners, Justine Spivey and Jessica Hotchin from Derbyshire Veterinary Services Ltd!

Register your details and be one of the first to hear about next year’s event at www.caw.ac.uk/hnc

 

Head Nurse Congress 2017 bigger and better than ever before!

The College of Animal Welfare would like to thank all delegates, speakers and exhibitors who attended Head Nurse Congress on the 20 and 21 May for making the event such a success.

This year’s congress, sponsored by the Veterinary Practice Management Association (VPMA) and VN Times, saw over 130 delegates come together with a shared interest and desire to get the very best out of their nursing team. The event included lectures on taking charge of challenging staff members, managing change, mastering meetings, resolving conflict and clashes – and much more!

Due to the fantastic feedback received about last year’s venue, Head Nurse Congress 2017 returned to the impressive Whittlebury Hall Hotel and Spa in Northamptonshire; allowing delegates to stay on site for the weekend if they so wished and wind down with the use of the onsite spa facilities.

Saturday’s congress also saw delegates compete for a chance to win a free place at Head Nurse Congress 2018. As part of the competition run by the college, delegates were asked to share their best leadership and management tips and have their picture taken with an Instaframe. Congratulations to the winners, Justine Spivey and Jessica Hotchin from Derbyshire Veterinary Services Ltd!

Short Course and Events Manager at The College of Animal Welfare, Tracey Croucher, said “We were delighted to see so many current and aspiring head nurses come together under one roof. Delegate numbers continue to grow, which says everything you need to know about the dedication that head nurses and practice managers have towards providing gold standard care to, not only, their animal patients, but staff members under their remit too”. She continued “Feedback from delegates about what they want to see at next year’s event is already being used to help us to make next year’s event even better!”

The date for Head Nurse Congress 2018 will be announced shortly. In the meantime you can register your details and be one of the first to hear about next year’s event at www.caw.ac.uk/hnc

– Ends –

For more information please contact:
Alison German RVN
Marketing Executive
The College of Animal Welfare
Tel: 01480 422060
Email: agerman@caw.ac.uk

Notes to editors:
The College of Animal Welfare is one of the UK’s leading providers of veterinary nurse and animal care training and education; operating from four training centres around the UK.

The College has a well-earned reputation for excellence and has created a number of unique achievements that have created new opportunities for learning.

Head Nurse Congress is an annual event aimed at head veterinary nurses and practice managers and was launched in 2015.

For more information about The College of Animal Welfare please visit www.caw.ac.uk

 

Farrier Job Profile

AHT looking for help from horse owners and vets!

The Animal Health Trust (AHT) is looking for horse owners and vets to get involved in a new study into pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID).

PPID, also known as Cushing’s syndrome, is the most common hormonal disorder in older horses and ponies in the UK. In order to better target the study to answer questions around PPID that owners and vets want to know, the researchers are asking for help and suggestions.

If you own or care for a horse or pony with PPID, or are a vet who treats them, researchers want to hear from you! Further information about the study can be on the Animal Health Trust website. Project investigator Becky Tatum can be contacted via email at becky.tatum@aht.org.uk or telephone 01638 751000 (ext 1241).

meditation blog featured image

Health and Fitness Tip of the Week: The importance of Meditation

Why is meditation important?

We have all heard that meditation reduces stress however it is now being recommended by doctors that it can help improve creativity, improve sleep, decrease anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and even addiction.

So how do we meditate?

  1. First, find a comfortable place where you can sit without distractions for at least 2 minutes and build up to 15 minutes.
  2. Sit comfortably with your back upright with head up.( Imagine your head is being pulled up to the sky)
  3. Close your eyes and focus within.
  4. Focus your attention on any one of the following.
    • You can focus your attention on your breath and breathing. There is no need to regulate this. Let it be natural.
    • You can repeat a positive statement about yourself and life.
    • If you do use a statement to focus on, try to feel what it means to you.
    • You can focus on your heartbeat.
    • You can use any other method with which you feel comfortable.
  5. If you notice your mind drifting off onto other thoughts or stories , just bring your focus back to the technique you are using to focus on.
  6. When you have completed meditating, it is a good idea to give yourself a few minutes to adjust back into the activities of your day.

You are encouraged to meditate ideally at the same time every day . Most people will choose early in the morning or late at night. It does not matter when you meditate, as long as you can devote a period of time to your practice without being disturbed .Do not worry there is no perfect way to meditate . Just be pleased that you are doing it. Meditation is not always easy or even peaceful however it can have amazing benefits. Try it !

Join The British Veterinary LGBT+ Group at Pride!

The British Veterinary LGBT+ group is taking part in this year’s Pride in London Parade on 8 July, alongside 22,000 other members of the LGBT+ community.

It will be a busy year for the organisation, as members also plan to participate in Pride Edinburgh on 17 June to reach more members of the professions.

The group welcomes new members, and is encouraging all those able to join one of the Pride events this year. More information can be found on the BVLGBT+ website and on the group’s Facebook page.

Health and Fitness Tip of the Week: Walking/Cycling to Work – Get your day started off on the right foot!

Assuming the distance between your home and work is not too great, there are a multitude of reasons you should consider walking or cycling to work! Here are just a few:

Improve your fitness
Walking and cycling are great forms of cardiovascular exercise, particularly if you go fast enough to raise your heart rate and breathing. In fact, power walking (walking as a brisk pace) can burn the same amount of calories as jogging so, not only can it improve your fitness, you can also burn calories and lose weight at the same time!

Lower stress levels
Research has discovered that walking or cycling to work can even help us feel less stressed. The University of East Anglia found that people who used to use public transport to commute, felt better able to concentrate and under less strain when walking or cycling to work.

Save money
It is surprising just how much money you can save by walking or cycling to work. Money spent on fuel, car parking or public transport soon adds up, even on short journeys. Think of all the little things you can spend that extra cash on!

Reduce environmental pollution
Air pollution caused by cars is a serious and real problem, every time you make a journey in your car you are damaging the environment. Many of our work commutes are made even worse by traffic jams and slow moving traffic during rush hour, meaning your car could be running for far longer than it would normally have to for the same journey. You can help make a difference to the world around you by leaving your car at home!

Arrive at work wide awake and ready to face the day!

Instead of turning up to work stressed by traffic delays, parking nightmares or delayed busses, you could arrive  energised, rosy-faced and full of the joys of spring – even on a rainy winter day (just remember to pack your rain coat)!

With all these benefits just waiting to be taken advantage of, what have you got to lose? Ditch those car keys and get moving!

mental wellbeing awareness featured image

Mental Health Awareness Week: Improving your Mental Wellbeing

Mental health problems are incredibly common. It is estimated that 1 in 6 people in the past week have experienced a common mental health problem. Just as people are not defined by their physical injuries and disabilities, mental illness is not a character flaw and is not a sign of personal weakness. Defining people by their condition contributes to the stigma attached to mental illness, and prevents people that need help from speaking out. We can confront that stigma by treating people with mental health problems with dignity and by raising awareness of how we can improve our mental wellbeing in our day to day lives. Mental wellbeing is about being able to cope with everyday troubles and having a positive outlook on life. You could work towards this by:

Learning new skills – Why not learn a new language or work on your public speaking? Personal achievement can help us to realise our potential and give us a sense of purpose, which boosts self-confidence and mental wellbeing.

Being active – Exercise can be easily shaped into a social activity with friends or family, and the benefits of regular exercise to our mental health have been long documented, improving memory and concentration. Regular physical activity is also found to be a strong complement to therapy as a means to reduce stress levels and the symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders.

Being mindful – It’s easy to get caught up in the stresses and strains of modern life, but research shows that taking just a few minutes out to acknowledge our surroundings in the present moment helps us to better manage our thoughts and emotions. There are a number of free resources available that can help you to make a habit out of meditation.

Surrounding yourself with good people –As little as a friend to speak to when we are feeling low can be enough to lift our mood and help us feel more connected to society, reducing stress and anxiety levels. Why not reach out to an old friend that you’ve been meaning to catch up with for ages?

Spending time away from toxic people – Working to reduce the influence that negative people have over your decisions – those that leave you feeling drained by their criticism, selfishness or dependency – means that you are better able to focus on your own needs, ambitions and happiness. Instead of wasting time trying to improve the perspective of somebody that doesn’t want to see the bright side, spend more time building relationships with the people that respect and support you.

For more information about World Mental Health Day, please visit the Mental Health Foundation website. Sources of help and guidance can be found at www.mind.org.uk

If you feel like you have a problem that can’t be solved, you don’t need to suffer in silence. The College of Animal Welfare offers free counselling services to their students on an ongoing basis as needed. Appointments are available face-to-face as well as by video conference, FaceTime or similar. For more information on how to book an appointment please visit our website.