Director of Vet Nursing wins plaudit for dedication to VN education

RCVS Director of Veterinary Nursing Julie Dugmore has received an award for her decades-long dedication to improving standards of VN education.

Julie (pictured), who qualified as a veterinary nurse in 1987 and has been Director of Veterinary Nursing at the College since 2013, was announced as the recipient of this year’s British Small Animal Veterinary Association’s (BSAVA) Bruce Vivash Jones Veterinary Nursing Award, announced on Friday 18 February.

The Award is presented by the BSAVA in recognition of outstanding contributions to the advancement of small animal veterinary nursing and it cited Julie’s national and international work on veterinary nursing education standards.

The Award citation also noted her role as Chair of the Accreditation Committee for Veterinary Nurse Education (ACOVENE), as a former Board Member of the Veterinary European Transnational Network for Nursing Education and Training (VETNNET) and her involvement with several Leonardo da Vinci Programme-funded projects developing veterinary nurse training across the European Union.

This is complementary to Julie and her team’s work at the College which, over recent years, has seen the introduction of a new Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Nursing, an overhaul and improvement of the quality standards for veterinary nurse education, the ongoing progression of the VN Futures project, and the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the veterinary nursing profession. Currently her team is working on new standards for the competences, skills and professional behaviours required of newly-qualified veterinary nurses.

Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO, said: “I am very proud to have Julie as my colleague and it is wonderful that her decades-long contribution to the veterinary nursing profession both in the UK and abroad has been recognised in this way. 

"As her award nomination makes clear, Julie is an internationally-recognised expert on veterinary education standards who is often invited to speak at conferences and provide her expertise on this subject across Europe. 

“Julie is always very modest about her achievements, so I am delighted that this award is an opportunity to showcase her hard work, which has helped make the UK a world-leader in veterinary nurse training, standards and best practice." 

Speaking of her Award, Julie added: “I would like to thank BSAVA for this special award. I am delighted and honoured to have been recognised by my peers and, along with my wonderful team, I will continue to do all I can to progress our profession.”