DkIT top award for vet nurse farming

LOCAL STUDENT’S WORK FEATURED IN VETERINARY IRELAND JOURNAL

DKIT’S Department of Veterinary Nursing organised its first ever CVE Nurse Farming event for veterinary nurses, practitioners and farming professionals.

The event which was accredited by Veterinary Council of Ireland brought together a cross section of the veterinary and farming community in Louth and Meath to discuss best practices in modern nurse farming.

The event explored topics such as the importance of hygiene in the dairy industry, the practical benefits of parasite control on farm production costs and a strong emphasis was placed on preventative healthcare.

During the event, farmers were advised to regularly consult veterinary nurses for advice on hygiene, nutrition, parasites and to contact veterinary nursing students for practical help with busy times such as lambing and calving.

Vets in attendance were encouraged to utilise their veterinary nurses in large animal practice and support their upskilling to better advise clients about how to really command the basics.

2015 graduate of DkIT, Laura Clifford BSc. VN RVN was presented with the Merial Animal Health Award for Best Equine Portfolio 2015. Laura completed her portfolio, entitled, ‘Management of Irish Equine Endoparasites’ as part of her Equine Nursing module of the BSc. in Veterinary Nursing.

Laura’s work has received wide praise within the institute and in November of last year featured in an article in Veterinary Ireland Journal.

Speaking at the event, lecturer in Veterinary Nursing at DkIT, Doireann Dowling said, ‘We organised the CVE event to raise the profile of large animal veterinary nurses and to bring together veterinary professionals and farmers in an enjoyable, shared-learning environment.

Veterinary nurses have huge potential to contribute to the agricultural industry in relation to providing ‘ best practice’ advice directly to farmers.’

She added: ‘It benefits everyone involved: farmers can tap into the wealth of knowledge of veterinary nurses; vets can rely on them to communicate effectively with their clients - particularly during busy lambing and calving seasons; and simultaneously veterinary nurses can enrich their role in practice heightening their job satisfaction,’ said Doireann Dowling.

‘Veterinary nurses are grafters - they appreciate and can empathise with the intense work ethic of farmers and appreciate how isolating both professions can be.’

‘BSc. programmes in Veterinary Nursing and in Agriculture - such as those offered by DkIT help nurture educated, skilled professionals who should be recognised and utilised to their maximum potential by the farming and veterinary sectors.;

For more information on this or any of the programmes on offer at Dundalk Institute of Technology, check out their website www.dkit.ie