Tyler
Leek

Why did you choose to study at NTU?

I chose to study at Nottingham Trent due to all of the facilities that were available - in particular at Brackenhurst in the Veterinary Nursing Centre. There were all kinds of animals on campus and this seemed like it was just the correct choice to me.

What did you learn – both inside and outside of lectures?

Other than the obvious things to do with my course, I also learnt a lot about myself at university. The way the course was set out gave me the chance to find the way I learnt best . It also gave me the confidence to trust my first intuition instead of questioning myself.

What have you been up to since graduating?

Once I graduated I went straight into a job that was directly related to my course - I have worked now as a Veterinary Nurse for just over a year. I have been building my skills as a nurse and continuing to progress towards my career goals.

What does your current day involve?

The are two different types of days that I have. Firstly, I do a lot of nursing consultations, which I enjoy as I like building a rapport with clients. This varies from nail clips and emptying anal glands to administering medications and vaccinations that have been prescribed by a vet.

The other type of day I have is a surgical day. So the first thing would be admitting the patients, going through the consent forms, and making sure the owners are happy with the procedure that has been prescribed. Then one by one, I would help the vets with examining the admits before doing the surgeries. During the surgeries, it would be my job to monitor the patient's vitals and watch out for any change in reactions or depth of anaesthetic. Depending what is on the surgery list, some days I will get a little more involved in schedule 3 activities that nurses are able to perform. For example, scale and polishes, stitch ups and smaller surgical procedures. After all of this, it would be monitoring patient's recovery and making sure all patients recover well.

What attracted you to this field?

I have always had a calling to work with animals: my family were always animal-orientated and I was brought up around household pets. I first did a placement in a vets when I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do but the role of a veterinary nurse stood out to me, with the time that was given to the animals and the way the nurses got to make a real impact in the animal's care.

What have been the highlights and biggest challenges of your career so far?

The highlight of the career is seeing animals that are unwell progress and start to improve due to the close care that you have given them and this gives you a massive sense of pride. My personal highlight would be progressing and completing my first stitch up as a nurse. The biggest challenge within the career is the struggle of having to separate yourself from your emotions sometimes; there are many difficult scenarios that you are going to be part of during this career and you have to have the ability to rationalise and realise that anything that you do is for the best interest of the animal.

What are your plans for the future?

I plan to continue progressing and become a more well-rounded nurse. I plan to move from day practice back to a more emergency or referral-based setting as I was placed at the PDSA hospital for my placement and the emergency and more fast-paced workplace suited my personality well as I am always ready to get stuck in.

If you had a time machine, what would you go back and tell yourself at NTU?

I would go back and tell myself to believe in myself, you are here for a reason you have the knowledge to do what you need to do and you will be a great nurse so go smash it!

Finally, is there anything else you’d like to share with our student and alumni community?

Just enjoy what you do and make the most of your time at university.