The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses in the UK, has launched an online petition calling on parliament to protect the title ‘veterinary nurse’ in law.
It asks for a change in law to protect animal welfare by ensuring that only those individuals who hold relevant qualifications and are on the RCVS Register of Veterinary Nurses may call themselves ‘veterinary nurse.’ Currently, anyone may call themselves a veterinary nurse, even if they have no qualifications or experience and are not registered.
Liz Cox, the Chair of VN Council, said “We believe that the fact that anybody can call themselves a veterinary nurse is unacceptable. It means that there is potential for the public to be misled and for animal health and welfare to be compromised. Therefore we would urge veterinary nurses, veterinary surgeons and animal owners to sign this petition. With 10,000 signatures the Government is obliged to respond formally and take a stance on the issue, with 100,000 signatures the issue would be considered for a formal parliamentary debate.”
Those who with to sign the petition can do so on the UK Government and Parliament Petition website. The deadline for the petition is 14th February 2016.