Veterinary Nurse Survey

In 2008, IES carried out a survey of the 11,000 veterinary nurses and student veterinary nurses in the UK, on behalf of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Veterinary nurses work mainly in veterinary practices, providing care for animals and support to vets. Small animal practices (those caring for pets) are particularly likely to employ veterinary nurses.

The questionnaire asked about a wide range of aspects of the working lives of veterinary nurses, including their hours, pay and percentage of time spent on different tasks. It also sought views about the veterinary nurse profession and its future. Students and recently qualified veterinary nurses were asked about their training experience.

As IES had also carried out the last survey of the veterinary profession (in 2006), we were able to ask similar questions and make comparisons between the responses of vets and veterinary nurses.

RCVS opted for a paper-based survey, with questionnaires being sent to all veterinary nurses on its database. However, we also provided an on-line version, both to maximise the response (some people prefer completing an on-line survey) and to attempt to reach the small number of veterinary nurses who are not on the RCVS database.

Key findings were that veterinary nurses enjoyed their jobs and felt they were doing something worthwhile, but some were frustrated by their pay and lack of career progression, and some felt undervalued by vets and animal owners.

This is a good example of IES’s ability to carry out large surveys using different survey media, and analyse large amounts of data in depth.

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