Lead Registered Veterinary Nurse – Theatre – Essex

Salary: £23,145 - £28,810 depending on experience

My client runs a progressive, forward-thinking, premium veterinary practice. They have 3 practices in the local area, with their main site being a registered Hospital. They have over 60 staff members and are very proud of their achievements and reputation in the veterinary profession.

They believe in supporting and investing in all staff, investing in their facilities, and ensuring that their clients and their pets receive only the very best, modern first opinion care. The staff are motivated and encouraged to gain additional certifications across all employment levels and offer great career progression.

Your role and responsibilities:

They are currently looking for an organised, dedicated Lead Nurse with at least three years’ experience that has a keen interest in all aspects of first-opinion work and nurse consultations. Alongside their primary care services, they offer medical workups such as ultrasound/x-ray/in-house testing and will be required as part of this caring role.

Key responsibilities:

• Work with all nurses, including students and new starters to ensure competency in theatre and anesthesia practice.
• Keep up to date with CPD for theatre and anesthesia practice and implement new protocols and update SOPs as agreed with the Clinical Nurse Manager (CNM) and share with the team
• Ensure surgical checklists, recovery, and anesthetic charts are being completed for each patient. Liaise with individuals if not being completed
• Work with the nurses to maintain infection control in theatres, dental, x-ray, and prep rooms to ensure the cleaning regimes are being completed and signed off
• Maintain the highest level of sterility in the theatres, ensuring sterilisation does not exceed 3 months and ensuring the team is wearing the correct PPE.

Main purpose & goals:

• Maintain an overview of the nursing team and provision of animal care across the team that you lead
• Managing your area of responsibility by working with other lead nurses and the Clinical Nursing Manager in order to achieve this
• Approximately 95% of the role will be clinical duties (to allow 5% for admin that may come with that role) including a full share of the on-call rota
• Provide leadership to those working in your area of responsibility and others across the business
• Ensure that all cases in your team area are dealt with in a timely manner, and that unnecessary delays are prevented at all times
• Work with the Clinical Nursing Manager, where required to help develop a skills matrix for nursing requirements within your area of responsibility.
• Help support the identification, prioritisation, and implementation of learning, development, and CPD for nurses in your team where required
• Work with the Clinical Nursing Manager to ensure all new nurses entering the business are supported to complete their induction
• Complete Nurse appraisals who work as part of your team
• Participate in external CPD appropriate to your role plus any training in-house, ensuring post-training feedback forms are completed/cascade of relevant information to appropriate team members
• Implement the Practice Standards Scheme across the practice
• Implement the ISFM standards across the practice
• Be fully aware of all Health & Safety issues and read all information supplied
• Adhere to confidentiality relating to all aspects of the business including complying with and assisting with all requirements relating to GDPR compliance.

The working hours are 5 days Monday to Friday on a rota including a night rota shift.

1 in 3 weekends OOHs - you will work one shift either Saturday day, night, or Sunday day or night.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday + bank holidays + Birthday Leave
• RCVS & VDS fees paid
• External CPD funded
• Career progression opportunities
• Staff discount schemes
• Enhanced sickness pay
• Enhanced equal family leave
• Employee assistance program
• Eyecare voucher scheme
• Free annual flu jab
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Recruitment referral reward scheme.