6 ways a veterinary nurse behaviour qualification can benefit your practice
When it comes to creating a great veterinary team, some of the biggest benefits can be found in training your veterinary nurses. Traditionally underpaid and under-appreciated, veterinary nurses are starting to stretch their wings and use their considerable skills and knowledge more. We’re noticing an increase in vet nurses taking courses that can help them offer new services within practice and take pressure off vets, whether that’s Schedule 3 Nursing CPD or a veterinary nurse behaviour qualification. In this article, we’ll explore some of the benefits of a nurse holding a veterinary behaviour certificate, and ways it can help your practice to thrive.
The increasing demand for veterinary behavioural advice
Is it the pandemic puppies? Bad breeding? Mollycoddling pet owners? Or are we asking more of our dogs than ever before? Whatever it is, there’s no doubt that veterinary behavioural advice is more needed than ever. Veterinary practices that can support pet owners with behavioural advice will position themselves as leaders in modern, holistic veterinary care.
So, let’s look at the ways a veterinary nurse with a behavioural qualification can help bring in new clients and save vet time.
How can a veterinary nurse behaviour qualification benefit a practice?
1. Highly qualified nurses can train the team and share their knowledge
One of the nice things about any certificate programme is it gives the delegate confidence to speak up and change things within a practice. By helping your veterinary nurses get a behaviour certificate, you can be confident they’ll start spreading their knowledge to the rest of the team. Whether your cattery could do with some improvements for welfare, or your team’s approach to handling could do with a rethink, having a nurse with a behaviour certificate on the team can improve the entire practice’s approach to behaviour.
2. A vet nurse with a behaviour qualification can run better puppy parties and bond clients early
Nurses are often asked to run puppy parties, but did you know that badly run puppy parties do more harm than good? With a behaviour qualification, your vet nurses will be better able to design and run good puppy parties, so you can get that behaviour advice in early and help your clients have well-behaved dogs. While many practices run puppy parties as a free service, there’s no reason you can’t charge for your nurse time, especially if they’re backed up by a behaviour qualification.
3. A vet nurse with a behaviour certificate can take internal referrals (and take pressure off vets)
Vets often find themselves being asked about behaviour, but unless they have an interest and have taken veterinary behaviour CPD, the advice they give can be vague, outdated, and unhelpful. It can also take up a lot of time, especially when it comes to simple things, like socialisation advice, puppy training, and noise desensitisation. So imagine the power of being able to pass these tricky, time-consuming cases onto a highly qualified veterinary nurse.
4. Highly qualified nurses can offer behaviour consultations to attract new clients
It’s not just internal referrals from cases your vets have seen, why not offer behaviour consultations? Offering this as an additional service turns your practice into the one-stop shop for pet care it should be. Pet owners might not have brought up their concerns with the vet, but that doesn’t mean they won’t pay for good advice from a qualified professional they know they can trust. In this way, nurses with veterinary behaviour qualifications can bring in new clients to your clinic, and create a new revenue stream at the same time.
5. A nurse with a behaviour certificate can reduce fear-related anxiety and sedation
How many clients change practices because the dog was terrified at the last one? With a combination of team training, behaviour consultations, desensitisation visits, and careful understanding of a dog’s needs, your practice can become the go-to for scared dogs, or the practice that never loses fearful dogs to a neighbouring clinic. With fewer aggressive dogs, you’ll also benefit from increased team safety and increased efficiency with fewer sedations needed.
6. They’re living proof of how you support vet nurse career development
Individuals really benefit from investing time and energy into their career development. It can help them feel more satisfied in their career, and make the day-to-day more interesting if they’re really focussing on areas that they love. Not only will you improve job satisfaction for your veterinary nurse with a behaviour certificate, but their newfound energy will rub off on others. And, with such clear evidence of your support for career development, you’ll find it easier to recruit and retain talented staff.
Conclusion
A veterinary nurse with a behavioural qualification can be a fantastic addition to practice. Not only can they help you offer new chargeable services and bond more clients to the practice, they can also help train other members of the team. Investing in vet nurse CPD not only increases job satisfaction and increases retention, but also makes future recruitment easier, as top nurses seek out practices that offer development opportunities.
Could your practice benefit from a veterinary nurse with a behaviour qualification? Don’t miss our Nurse Certificate in Animal Behaviour.
Or, if you enjoyed this article, you might like to read:
The Vet Nurse’s Role in Dentistry
The Vet Nurse’s Role in Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation
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