Head Registered Veterinary Nurse | North London

An excellent opportunity has arisen for a Head Registered Veterinary Nurse to join a growing, locally owned small animal practice in North London. Offering a salary of up to £40,000 pro rata depending on experience, no OOH, a 1 in 3 Saturday rota and flexibility around hours, this position would suit either an established Head RVN or an experienced nurse ready to progress into their first leadership position.

This is a genuinely hands-on Head Nurse role combining clinical nursing with team leadership, student development, nurse clinics and Schedule 3 procedures. You'll be joining an expanding veterinary team with an interesting surgical and medical caseload and excellent facilities.

Key Highlights

• Salary up to £40,000 pro rata, depending on experience.
• Head RVN position.
• Experienced RVNs looking to step into leadership welcomed.
• Full-time – 40 hours per week.
• Part-time considered for the right candidate.
• Flexible rota.
• 1 in 3 Saturdays with TOIL.
• No OOH.
• Sunday closed.
• Three Student Veterinary Nurses within the team.
• Clinical Coach experience advantageous but training can be supported.
• Schedule 3 procedures encouraged.
• Dedicated nurse clinics.
• Visiting orthopaedic surgeons and ultrasonographer.
• £500 annual CPD allowance plus two paid CPD days.
• Birthday leave.
• Regular lunch-and-learn sessions.
• Two Mental Health First Aiders.
• Excellent transport links and on-site parking.

The Role

This is a varied Head RVN position offering a combination of clinical nursing, leadership, mentoring and practice development.

You'll take an active role in supporting and developing the nursing team while remaining hands-on clinically.

A particularly important part of the position will be supporting the practice's three Student Veterinary Nurses, making this an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys coaching and developing others.

Clinical Coach experience would be advantageous, although the practice is equally interested in an experienced RVN who would like to undertake the relevant training.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Supporting and leading the nursing team.
• Clinical coaching and development of Student Veterinary Nurses.
• Helping organise and coordinate the nursing rota and daily clinical workflow.
• Theatre and surgical nursing.
• Anaesthetic monitoring.
• Inpatient care.
• Patient admissions and discharges.
• Running nurse clinics.
• Schedule 3 procedures.
• Dental scale and polish procedures.
• Second vaccinations.
• Post-operative checks.
• Supporting diagnostic procedures.
• Maintaining high clinical and infection-control standards.
• Contributing to the ongoing development of nursing services within the practice.

The practice already offers nurse-led appointments covering areas including nutrition, fitness and preventative healthcare, providing plenty of scope for the successful candidate to continue developing the nursing team's clinical contribution.

Rota

The position is ideally full-time, working 40 hours per week, although part-time hours can be considered for the right candidate.

The rota includes:

• 40 hours per week for full-time.
• Part-time considered.
• Flexible rota arrangements.
• 1 in 3 Saturdays.
• TOIL for Saturday working.
• No OOH.
• No Sunday working.

The practice itself is currently open 9:00am–7:00pm Monday to Friday and 9:00am–6:00pm Saturday, with Sundays closed.

Facilities & Clinical Caseload

You'll be joining a modern, purpose-built practice with an excellent range of equipment and a broader clinical caseload than many first-opinion practices.

Facilities and services include:

• Digital X-ray.
• Dental X-ray.
• Ultrasound.
• Full in-house laboratory.
• Biochemistry and haematology.
• Blood pressure monitoring.
• Operating theatre.
• Hospital ward.
• Isolation facilities.
• Separate cat and dog wards.
• Separate cat and dog waiting areas.
• Dentistry.
• Nurse clinics.
• Soft tissue surgery.
• Orthopaedic surgery.
• Cruciate surgery.
• Fracture repair.
• Airway surgery.
• Oncology services.
• Small mammal medicine and surgery.

The practice is also supported by visiting orthopaedic surgeons and an ultrasonographer, providing the nursing team with exposure to more advanced cases and procedures.

The Team

The practice has expanded considerably over recent years and you'll be joining an established veterinary and support team.

The veterinary team includes experienced Practice Owners alongside a growing team of Veterinary Surgeons. The owners bring extensive experience across small animal medicine and surgery, while the wider veterinary team provides a mixture of experience and developing clinical interests.

The nursing team currently includes:

• Head Nurse.
• 3 Student Veterinary Nurses.
• Veterinary Care Assistant.

There is also an experienced Practice Manager who has been with the practice since 2015, alongside an established client-care team.

This Head RVN appointment will therefore play an important role in developing the nursing side of the practice, particularly supporting the progression of the current student nurses.

About You

We're looking for an RCVS Registered Veterinary Nurse who is ready to take ownership of the nursing function while remaining actively involved clinically.

You may already be working as a Head RVN, Deputy Head Nurse or Senior RVN, or you may be an experienced clinical nurse looking for your first formal leadership opportunity.

You'll ideally be:

• RCVS registered.
• An experienced small animal RVN.
• Confident across general clinical nursing duties.
• Comfortable in theatre and monitoring anaesthesia.
• Interested in Schedule 3 nursing.
• Enthusiastic about nurse-led clinics.
• Confident supporting and developing junior colleagues.
• An excellent communicator.
• Organised and able to help coordinate a busy nursing team.
• Positive and comfortable leading by example.
• Interested in contributing ideas to the continued development of the practice.

Clinical Coach experience would be beneficial, particularly with three SVNs currently within the team, but the practice is happy to support someone who would like to gain this qualification.

Salary & Benefits

• Salary up to £40,000 pro rata, depending on experience.
• Flexible rota.
• Part-time considered.
• 1 in 3 Saturdays with TOIL.
• No OOH.
• Birthday leave.
• £500 personal CPD allowance per year.
• Two paid CPD days.
• Further CPD encouraged and supported.
• Regular lunch-and-learn sessions.
• Two Mental Health First Aiders.
• Company pension scheme – 3%.
• Colleague veterinary and pet-care discounts.
• High-street shopping discount scheme.
• On-site parking.

About the Practice

This is a locally owned small animal practice that has undergone significant growth over the last couple of years.

The practice combines the autonomy and close working relationships of a locally run clinic with access to a wide range of equipment and services.

There is a strong emphasis on creating a positive team culture, and the Head RVN will work closely with the Head Vet and long-standing Practice Manager to continue developing both clinical standards and the wider team.

With three Student Veterinary Nurses currently developing within the practice, this is also an opportunity to have a genuine influence on the next generation of nurses rather than simply taking responsibility for a rota.

The Location

The practice is situated in North London, with excellent road and public transport connections.

It benefits from on-site parking and convenient access to the A406, M1 and M25, while New Southgate railway station and Arnos Grove Underground station provide public transport options.

With a salary of up to £40,000, flexible hours, 1 in 3 Saturdays, no OOH, three SVNs to mentor and plenty of opportunity to develop nurse clinics and Schedule 3 work, this is an excellent progression opportunity for an experienced RVN looking to move into or continue in clinical leadership.

Interested?

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Please quote Job Reference: 26-00562

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