May is Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month (VNAM), which aims to highlight the importance of the role within veterinary clinics across the world.
Lynne Montgomery, a 24-year-old from Co Derry, grew up on a pedigree Holstein dairy farm run by her father and uncle.
She began working in Drumahoe Veterinary Clinic when she was 16 and held various positions, working her way up to her current role as deputy head veterinary nurse.
“Growing up on a family farm, I always had a keen interest in animals. When I was in school I did work experience in the practice I am working in now, which is only two miles from my house. I really enjoyed it and decided I was going to study veterinary nursing in Greenmount Agricultural College,” Lynne told the Irish Farmers Journal.
The journey
Lynne qualified as a veterinary nurse in 2017 from Greenmount, after completing intense training over the course of four years.
“The course was hard. You are doing two days a week in college then you are working 40 hours in the clinic. We also had case loads on top of course work. It is a very intense course but I would highly recommend it.”
Working as deputy head nurse and managing a staff of nurses at Drumahoe Veterinary Clinic, Lynne says no two days are ever the same.
You don’t know what is coming in through those doors, you never know what the day is going to bring
“We are just finishing off the busy spell from the calving and lambing period, but with COVID-19 it is crazy with emergencies.
“You can only have so many people in the clinic at one time. Clients have to wait outside, we talk to them on the phone first while they are sitting in the car, to try and find out what symptoms the animal has. Once we have the clinical history then we take the animal off the owner and bring them into the clinic. There is no face-to-face contact.”
At the clinic, Lynne is on call twice a week from 8.30pm to 7am to deal with emergencies.
“Smaller animals may have to come in for caesareans and we have to be on standby. We would work 45-plus hours a week. No two days are every the same - you don’t know what is coming in through those doors, you never know what the day is going to bring.”
Mixed practice
Drumahoe Veterinary Clinic is a mixed practice which ranges from small to large animals, including horse.
Lynne explains that variety of the work is something that she adores.
“I love being out on farms TB testing and scanning, but my main job is in the office doing the anaesthetics and managing the other nurses.”
Veterinary nursing in Africa
In 2019, Lynne took two weeks off work and travelled to Africa where she volunteered to work with endangered wildlife.
“Last year I went to Africa to volunteer to work with endangered wildlife like elephants, giraffes and rhinos. It was the trip of a lifetime. I always wanted to do it so I just took my own annual leave and went,” she says.
Veterinary nurse Lynne Montgomery in Africa.
“There is a website called African Conservation Experience and there are certain trips you can go on, I took two weeks off and went out to the vets over there.”
Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month
The worldwide campaign is aiming to highlight the importance of veterinary nursing.
“Veterinary nurses need to get more recognition for all the work that they do behind the scenes. It can be stressful at times because we have all our work to do on top of the pressure of dealing with clients.
“Sometimes people would ask you ‘are you not going to be a vet?’, I would tell them no, I’m a veterinary nurse. Like a nurse and a doctor, it’s a completely different role."
Farming
When Lynne is not busy at work, you can find her at home on the farm looking after her flock of pedigree Zwartbles sheep or at a Young Farmers Clubs of Ulster (YFCU) event.
Last week Lynne hosted an Instagram takeover on the Spa Young Farmers account, which can be still viewed on their page @spayfc.
Read more
My Country Living: a thick skin
Veterinary nursing down under
My Farming Week: Elaine Smyth, Shinrone, Co Offaly
May is Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month (VNAM), which aims to highlight the importance of the role within veterinary clinics across the world.
Lynne Montgomery, a 24-year-old from Co Derry, grew up on a pedigree Holstein dairy farm run by her father and uncle.
She began working in Drumahoe Veterinary Clinic when she was 16 and held various positions, working her way up to her current role as deputy head veterinary nurse.
“Growing up on a family farm, I always had a keen interest in animals. When I was in school I did work experience in the practice I am working in now, which is only two miles from my house. I really enjoyed it and decided I was going to study veterinary nursing in Greenmount Agricultural College,” Lynne told the Irish Farmers Journal.
The journey
Lynne qualified as a veterinary nurse in 2017 from Greenmount, after completing intense training over the course of four years.
“The course was hard. You are doing two days a week in college then you are working 40 hours in the clinic. We also had case loads on top of course work. It is a very intense course but I would highly recommend it.”
Working as deputy head nurse and managing a staff of nurses at Drumahoe Veterinary Clinic, Lynne says no two days are ever the same.
You don’t know what is coming in through those doors, you never know what the day is going to bring
“We are just finishing off the busy spell from the calving and lambing period, but with COVID-19 it is crazy with emergencies.
“You can only have so many people in the clinic at one time. Clients have to wait outside, we talk to them on the phone first while they are sitting in the car, to try and find out what symptoms the animal has. Once we have the clinical history then we take the animal off the owner and bring them into the clinic. There is no face-to-face contact.”
At the clinic, Lynne is on call twice a week from 8.30pm to 7am to deal with emergencies.
“Smaller animals may have to come in for caesareans and we have to be on standby. We would work 45-plus hours a week. No two days are every the same - you don’t know what is coming in through those doors, you never know what the day is going to bring.”
Mixed practice
Drumahoe Veterinary Clinic is a mixed practice which ranges from small to large animals, including horse.
Lynne explains that variety of the work is something that she adores.
“I love being out on farms TB testing and scanning, but my main job is in the office doing the anaesthetics and managing the other nurses.”
Veterinary nursing in Africa
In 2019, Lynne took two weeks off work and travelled to Africa where she volunteered to work with endangered wildlife.
“Last year I went to Africa to volunteer to work with endangered wildlife like elephants, giraffes and rhinos. It was the trip of a lifetime. I always wanted to do it so I just took my own annual leave and went,” she says.
Veterinary nurse Lynne Montgomery in Africa.
“There is a website called African Conservation Experience and there are certain trips you can go on, I took two weeks off and went out to the vets over there.”
Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month
The worldwide campaign is aiming to highlight the importance of veterinary nursing.
“Veterinary nurses need to get more recognition for all the work that they do behind the scenes. It can be stressful at times because we have all our work to do on top of the pressure of dealing with clients.
“Sometimes people would ask you ‘are you not going to be a vet?’, I would tell them no, I’m a veterinary nurse. Like a nurse and a doctor, it’s a completely different role."
Farming
When Lynne is not busy at work, you can find her at home on the farm looking after her flock of pedigree Zwartbles sheep or at a Young Farmers Clubs of Ulster (YFCU) event.
Last week Lynne hosted an Instagram takeover on the Spa Young Farmers account, which can be still viewed on their page @spayfc.
Read more
My Country Living: a thick skin
Veterinary nursing down under
My Farming Week: Elaine Smyth, Shinrone, Co Offaly
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