You hold the practice together. You calm the anxious owner, spot the patient going downhill, run the anaesthetic, clean the kennel, answer the phone and still remember everyone's birthday. And sometimes it feels like nobody notices.
If you're a vet nurse feeling undervalued, please hear this: it's not in your head, and it's not because you're not good enough.
What isn't on you
Some of this is systemic. Pay, recognition, how roles are used, whether nurses are able to work to the full scope of their skills. These are profession-wide issues, and they're not something you can solve by trying harder or being more grateful.
It's worth naming that, because otherwise the frustration turns inwards and starts sounding like "maybe I'm just not that good". You are. The system hasn't always caught up.
What you can change
Notice what you actually do. Keep a note for a fortnight of everything you do in a shift, including the invisible stuff. It's a useful reality check, and it's powerful evidence for any conversation about your role.
Name what you want. More responsibility? Nurse clinics? Recognition in rounds? Time for CPD? It's much easier to ask for something specific than to hope someone notices.
Practise speaking up. Saying "I'd like to run that clinic" or "I disagree with that plan" can feel huge, especially when the hierarchy is strong. A simple structure helps: what you noticed, why it matters, what you'd suggest.
Find your people. Other nurses who get it, inside or outside your practice. Feeling seen by peers makes a real difference.
Know your worth on paper. Your skills, your qualifications, your CPD. Write them down. You may be surprised.
If tricky conversations are the bit you dread, our free recorded webinars Confident Conversations and How to Say No were made for everyone in the practice team, nurses very much included.
When it might be time for a change
Sometimes you do everything you can and the place still doesn't value you. That's not failure. It's information. Wanting a workplace that sees you is a perfectly reasonable thing to want.
If you're struggling with how work feels, please talk to someone, and remember Vetlife is there for nurses too, 24/7 on 0303 040 2551.
If you'd like a bit more
Confidence is Queen is our 2-hour course on what confidence really is and how to find yours, with a playbook to keep. It's from £25 + VAT and counts as CPD. If speaking up has been the hard part, it was made for you.
