VetPartners Nursing School at Liphook Equine Hospital is helping our equine nurses to have the best possible start to their career.
One of their first graduates is Sophie Wrench, internal medicine nurse at Rainbow Equine Hospital in Malton.
Here, as we celebrate Veterinary Nurse Awareness Month, Sophie reveals how her career has taken off at a gallop thanks to the support of VetPartners….
EQUINE veterinary nurse Sophie Wrench never hits the snooze button on her alarm clock.
Passionate, caring and driven, her career is flourishing at Rainbow Equine Hospital, one of the UK’s most respected equine practices and a flagship in the VetPartners stable of equine hospitals, so every day presents a fresh challenge that motivates her.
There’s no such thing as a typical day in the life of this talented equine nurse who lives life at the gallop!
Since graduating from VetPartners Nursing School, where she was part of the first cohort of nurses studying for a Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing (Equine), her skills and knowledge mean she has become a much valued and trusted member of the Rainbow team, which is led by RCVS, European and American specialists in equine surgery, medicine, anaesthesia and diagnostic imaging and boasts world-class facilities in the heart of North Yorkshire.
Whether it is a winning racehorse, international event horse or a happy hack who’s a treasured part of someone’s family, Sophie’s day is packed with a myriad of key tasks, from injecting drugs, sedating patients, stitching wounds, administering pain relief, inserting nasal gastric tubes and assisting in with surgery.
Her qualification from the VetPartners Nursing School, which she completed in December after two years of studying, means she can take on more responsibility, including procedures she was previously not qualified to do.
“I feel completing the Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing (Equine) has really set me up for a rewarding and fulfilling career,” said Sophie.
“It enabled me to become a Registered Veterinary Nurse at the end of it and I could start doing more procedures on patients, including schedule 3 surgical procedures such as stitching wounds. It means I can work more independently and take on more responsibilities, while still working closely with a great team.
“Having nurses who have qualified at VetPartners Nursing School gives practices an advantage as they have someone who can take on greater roles and responsibilities, while knowing they have received the best possible training.”
Sophie, 24, has been part of a 15-strong nursing team at Rainbow since 2019 after moving to the equine hospital following spells at equine practices in Newmarket and her native Cheshire.
She now works in their busy ICU unit, where she thrives in the high pressure environment, which includes many seriously ill patients as 50% of the caseload is horses suffering from colic.
“I wanted to be part of a big team and be able to work on a range of cases, and it also enabled me to enrol on the Diploma course,” said Sophie.
“I started off with a role in surgery where they do lameness issues, but I had to do a medicine case as part of my course. I really enjoyed that as I felt I was doing more nursing and you can follow cases right through.
“We’re a good team at Rainbow with nurses who are extremely good at what they do, with their own skills and speciality. You feel you’re part of something special and a team that works really well together.
“We’ve nurses who are good at imaging, others doing lameness and orthopaedic issues, myself and another colleague enjoy ICU medicine cases and another is into dentistry.
“I owe our two medicine vets, Rachael Conwell, who is head of medicine, and Gemma Tyner, so much as they have put their trust in me and give me responsibility to run a clinic, which has filled me with so much confidence.
“You’re not just there to help them to do their job; take your views into consideration and you feel valued.”
The Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing (Equine) is a two-year course that prepares nurses for a career in specialist equine nursing, regulated by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
The VetPartners Nursing School is a joint collaboration between VetPartners, which is focused on supporting and developing the profession, and Liphook Equine Hospital, one of the UK’s largest specialist equine practices, with state-of-the-art referral hospital facilities and the biggest equine nursing team. The Diploma involves six blocks of study at the centre which, along with online work, provides the theoretical basis of learning. This is supported by 1,800 hours of practice work to be completed at a registered training practice..
The course includes 10 modules covering diagnostic principles, pharmacology, anaesthesia and surgery and practice nursing skills.
Sophie, who is proud to be one of the first ‘homegrown’ VetPartners equine nurses, said: “You learn so much and then take that knowledge into your work. It’s also a great opportunity to meet other equine nurses from across the group, and there was a great camaraderie.
“The support at the nursing school is excellent as there was always someone at the end of an email, and it was a great platform to build my career.”
Interested in a career as an equine veterinary nurse?
Places are still available on the next Equine Nursing Diploma at VetPartners Nursing School at Liphook Equine Hospital. Applications close on 30th June 2023.
Applicants need to be working in an equine or mixed practice and your practice needs to be either a registered training practice or willing to become one. Applicants must have a grade C/4 or above in five GCSE subjects, including maths, science and English.
To find out more, visit vetpartnersnursingschool.co.uk and to apply for a place, go to vetpartnersnursingschool.co.uk/apply
For media enquiries, please contact Amanda Little, VetPartners PR and Communications Director. Email amanda.little@vetpartners.co.uk
