Interview with Veterinary Nursing Lecturer, Kelly Baldy FdSc RVN, Cert VNECC

Why did you want to become a lecturer?

I have always loved teaching. When I was working in practice as a clinical supervisor, I trained students and passed on my knowledge to them. I always thought of lecturing as a stepping stone from veterinary nursing, which was something I wanted to do in the future.

How did you get into lecturing?

I was in clinical nursing practice for nine years and always saw lecturing as my next step in my career. I saw a job being advertised for The College of Animal Welfare at the Leeds centre, so I applied. Here I am now, sixteen months later, as a VN Lecturer, which is amazing.

Can you tell us more about training for the role and any teaching qualifications you studied?

I have had experience in teaching students, like I say, from my clinical supervisor role in practice. However, for lecturing, I have undergone a lot of training.

Within my first year, I completed all my induction training and then had the opportunity to shadow other lecturers at the college to see how things were done and to get used to the format of the lecturing day. I was then able to enrol in the Level 3 Award in Education and Training, which I completed in three months. This gave me a good foundation of knowledge to apply to my teaching. I have also recently completed my Level 3 TAQA Assessor Course, which gives me a further understanding and knowledge around assessing students during their practical and theory assessments, which is very applicable to the job role.

The next qualification I am moving on to is my Level 5 Education and Training qualification, which will give me an even deeper knowledge to support me in my job role.

Do you have any helpful advice for studying and applying for the role?

I would say ensure you have enough experience in practice before you go into teaching, as this can help you not only facilitate very good discussions in class around what happens in practice but also enables you to bring your experiences to the party and share cases that you may have been involved in. Students really enjoy it when we relate our teaching material to the experiences we have had in practice or the cases we have nursed.

Which programmes do you currently teach on?

I teach on the VN Diploma; however, I have also taught practicals on the Middlesex Degree as well.

What would you describe as a typical day?

A usual day starts with making a cup of tea and checking emails from students. If I’m teaching that day, I will go up to the classroom about 20 minutes before the lesson and start to prepare the classroom and have the lecture PowerPoint uploaded and ready. If I’m not teaching, then I may attend meetings with colleagues, conduct learner reviews with students, have time allocated to lesson plan for upcoming lectures, or have marking allocated to me. Every day is different, but supporting the students is always every day, which I absolutely love.

What is your favourite thing about your job?

Supporting the students and seeing them achieve! This is the best feeling ever. I would say when you have taught the students something and then a few months later you hear them repeat it to one of their peers, it makes you feel good because you know that the information you picked up from your clinical supervisor when you were training, those little tips, are passed on and will help these students in their careers.

What is the least favourite thing about your job?

I enjoy all aspects of my job, but seeing students sometimes not achieve the exam result or assignment grade they would like is hard. But then, I love being able to support them through this and guide them through the course, getting them to that end goal of becoming a qualified registered veterinary nurse.

Have you had any unusual experiences within the role?

I did get the chance to go and teach practicals on the island of Guernsey for a few days and got to use a VR headset when teaching students practical nursing tasks on the VN Degree.

What are the benefits of being a lecturer?

Being able to support students and seeing them achieve. We have a personal tutor group which is allocated to us, and we support them through the course with their exams, assignments, and nursing progress log. Seeing them happy and achieving their goals is the best.

Is there anything you wish you had known beforehand?

I wouldn’t say so. Veterinary nursing was something I had wanted to do for a long time, and once I had fulfilled that goal and worked all over the UK, I knew lecturing was something I would love to step towards. Now that I’m here teaching and supporting students, it puts a big smile on my face.

Any top tips for the role?

I would say being organised and having good time management skills are important for the role.

What opportunities are open to you once you become a lecturer?

I have had opportunities to travel to Guernsey and teach practicals. I have undertaken many qualifications whilst being a lecturer and have been put forward for another one soon, which is amazing. I love my job and what we do. I get great satisfaction out of what we do for students and supporting the next generation of veterinary nurses.

Want to find out more about becoming a VN Lecturer? Read more...