Alana tells how Louise O’Dwyer talk inspired her to succeed as ECC vet nurse

“Louise O’Dwyer was one of my biggest inspirations for getting into ECC,” said Alana, who works at Vet Now’s busy Lincoln clinic.

“I remember she came and did a talk on wound management at my first practice. Seeing some of the things she was dealing with that came through the door, how she was able to nurse them and be the nurse you train to be, was incredible.

“So, from early on in my career, that’s what I wanted to do.”

Alana, who was born in Scotland but moved around as a child as her dad was in the military, says she can’t recall a time when she didn’t want to be involved in working with animals.

“I’ve always thought, I can’t imagine doing anything else other than being a vet nurse,” said Alana, who’s 27. “I had a passion for animals from quite a young age.

“I used to help look after my friends’ animals whenever they were away. If I had to leave the profession, I don’t know what I’d do with my life.”

Alana did two years at Lincoln College to get the qualifications to go to university to study as a vet nurse, but it turned out not to be a route for her.

“I ended up coming out of university and getting a place in West Yorkshire which put me through my training to get the diploma,” said Alana.

“That was great because it was a three-tier hospital and what you were learning, you were able to transfer straight into it.”

Alana worked there for a year and then for an exotic specialist for another year before moving to Vets Now in January 2019. It was, she says, an utterly transformative move.

“I feel like I’m a better nurse, the nurse that I trained to be. I am using the skills that I have learned and that feels great. It’s a hard two years getting that diploma and I didn’t want it being for nothing.

“Now I feel like I’m actually getting somewhere with it and I’m using those skills and the knowledge in my job now.

“With my last job they’d have more students than they did RVNs, so the students were always placing the IVs, taking the bloods and doing this and that.”

Alana says adapting to the ethos at Vets Now, with a great emphasis on teamwork, shared responsibility and being hands-on, took a little getting used to.

But the support made that transition much easier than she might have imagined and the trust in her nursing skills was only to be welcomed.

“Rather than the vets doing absolutely everything, I just get sent to do bloods or help patients on drips,” explained Alana. “I can even staple and stitch wounds, which isn’t something I’d done before.

“You’ve got the team around to help you and that makes for an easy transition. It really helps get you there rather than panicking and thinking, ‘What the heck is going on?’

“And having a nurse manager is just fantastic because you don’t have to rely on your vet so much. It has massively boosted my confidence because I’ve been allowed to do things again.”

Alana’s depth of experience has been enhanced by all she’s come across in the past 16 months at Vets Now. But there are things from her past, in particular her knowledge of working with exotics, that she’s been able to share with her colleagues.

“At Lincoln I get called on to help with exotics – I seem to have a knack with aggressive parrots,” smiles Alana. “People are very thankful when there’s an aggressive parrot in the building and I’m there to handle it.

“It’s understandable, because you can lose a finger!”

Another big boost for Alana has been the shift patterns, having previously been doing a solid week of nights before time off.

“It’s nice to only do a couple of nights and not feel completely drained by the end of it.”

Alana has been determined not to rest on her laurels and is making the most of the opportunities to advance and started her Cert VN ECC certificate. She is looking at potentially continuing to do her advanced diploma.

“I know that’s more academic stuff, but again it would allow me to be the nurse that I aspire to be. Eventually I wouldn’t mind taking a role as a principal nurse manager.”

In the meantime, the sheer variety of emergency and critical care cases means Alana is being consistently challenged and is often hugely gratified.

“Having someone that’s on the brink of death and bringing them back to being able to walk out of the door is insanely satisfying,” said Alana. “When it doesn’t happen, there are usually other reasons as to why the pet wasn’t ever going to make it through.

“Because you are going to have to deal with those things, it’s going to get to you, but your managers make sure you’re handling things. We’ll go and have a coffee so we’re not in the clinical environment and it’s just as if you’re catching up with a friend.

“I think that helps the whole situation a lot better.”

While the support means Alana never feels like the job is one that she needs to take home with her, there is one very specific incidence where that was precisely the case.

In her last clinic she saw a crossbreed come in which was in bad way and she found she just couldn’t leave her care at the door.

“She was a really skinny stray who looked to have been tied up and abandoned,” said Alana of her beloved eight-year-old Bella.

“She’s a cutie and rescuing her was the best decision I ever made. Taking her for walks after I’ve had a stressful shift is one of my favourite pastimes. She’s absolutely bonkers, but I wouldn’t change her for the world.”

Are you looking to experience life as a veterinary nurse in a fast-paced ECC clinic? Click here to find out more about our current veterinary nursing roles.