Perceptions of How Education Has Prepared UK Veterinary Nurses for Their Professional Role

Abstract

Assessing how prepared individuals are for a career pathway is essential if job satisfaction and retention are to be considered within an industry. Determining how training prepares registered veterinary nurses (RVNs) will therefore provide employers and educators with valuable information about how education is meeting expectations and demands. A positivist, quantitative approach led to a cross-sectional study via an online questionnaire reaching 141 RVNs. Participants were demographically profiled prior to differences being determined between data sets using the Kruskal–Wallis H and Mann–Whitney U tests. All educational routes and job roles generated different scores for preparedness for the duties carried out; however, the main differences were between degree and diploma routes, with diploma-route students suggesting that they were prepared in more subject areas. A variety of qualification routes are available to a veterinary nurse in the UK, which must be considered when reviewing preparedness and making suggestions for educational reform. Further research is needed to support these findings in relation to the roles of the educator, the employer, and the veterinary nurse to allow for an unbiased understanding of preparedness, which could have links to job satisfaction.