In today’s career interview we chat with Meg Richards, a Registered Veterinary Nurse, and newly qualified hydrotherapist.
We discuss Meg’s passion for veterinary rehabilitation and where she hopes it will take her career, as well as burnout within the industry and her hugely successful student nurse revision guides.
Career Interview: How to become a Veterinary Hydrotherapist
Can you tell us a little about your Veterinary Nursing career so far?
At the age of 18, I originally began my training as a solicitor, in a PA role within a law firm, and I very much believed that I had my career mapped out for me.
So it is safe to say that I fell into veterinary nursing.
I would say that this happened following my Springer Spaniel, Millie, being unwell with Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia. The practice that saved her life inspired me so much that I began my work experience in the following months and began the foundation degree in veterinary nursing soon after.
I have been qualified since 2018, working in practice for the past 7 years in a busy first opinion and referral hospital in Cornwall.
Why did you decide you wanted to take the route you are on now?
Throughout my training, whilst I really did fall in love with medical nursing and ECC, I noticed I gravitated towards the post orthopedic surgical patients, in particular the post-spinal patients.
To me, there is nothing more wonderful than watching a patient learn to walk again, and providing that essential rehabilitative care quickly became my passion.
Having conducted many CPD webinars and short courses on massage and physiotherapy, I knew that rehab was the area of nursing I wanted to pursue.
Did you need to undertake any further training or qualifications to get into the role of a being a hydrotherapist?
I have completed my Level 3 qualification through Hawksmoor Hydrotherapy and am now a qualified Canine Hydrotherapist.
This qualification requires ongoing CPD, just as with vet nursing, and allows me to work alongside an amazing team at a local hydrotherapy referral centre in Cornwall.
What does an average day as a hydrotherapist look like for you?
Most days within the hydrotherapy setting are incredibly busy. Each patient is reassessed before treatment which consists of gait analysis and musculoskeletal palpation, as well as history taking from the owner.
Depending on their needs, we have the facilities to provide hydrotherapy in either a pool or underwater treadmill, as well as laser therapy and physiotherapy.
If the patient is receiving a course of hydrotherapy treatment, they are showered prior to their session to warm up their muscles and remove dirt and bacteria from their coat, before entering the water. Each hydro session is timed and adapted to the individual – with swim sets and rest periods tailored to the ability and stage of recovery of the patient.
As hydrotherapists, we are able to perform certain movements and therapeutic exercises within the water to challenge or support the patient.
Each session typically takes around 30-40 minutes, depending on the needs of the patient.
Between sessions, we are responsible for cleaning the setting, checking the chemical levels within the water, and writing notes or reports back to the referring veterinary surgeon.
What do you enjoy most about your job now? And are there any downsides?
I love that I am able to use my role as a veterinary nurse and a hydrotherapist to compliment each other, as well as getting to see patients in the surgical and rehab settings – seeing their progress week on week after they leave the practice is not usually something we would get to see.
I enjoy still being able to nurse medically and keep my knowledge of emergency and critical care up to date.
However, I would say the downside is I am busy all the time! At times it can feel like I am burning the candle at both ends and therefore will be looking to reduce my hours in practice in the near future.
We are all not at our best when we are exhausted!
Did you find you had many transferrable skills, from being an RVN when training to work in hydrotherapy?
Understanding the functional anatomy of the canine is an essential part of being a hydrotherapist, which is transferable from the Veterinary Nursing course – I was very grateful I kept all of my notes!
Do you still work as a Registered Veterinary Nurse? What does that role look like for you?
I still work full time in practice, alongside one day a week in a hydrotherapy centre and on the odd occasion, lecturing student vet nurses at my local college.
n practice, I am on a rota that incorporates medical and surgical nursing as well as out-of-hours work, so I feel that I see a broad range of cases and conditions.
Additionally, since 2020 I have been creating webinars and revision guides for students to aid their studies and this has become a real passion project. I absolutely love imparting knowledge, and making revision as fun and engaging as possible, and I have been lucky enough to meet some amazing SVNs and RVNs through this new venture.
My resources are all available on the Veterinary Webinurse website.
What advice would you give to any RVNs looking to move their career in the direction of hydrotherapy and rehabilitation?
I would advise that any RVN or SVN interested in rehab try and see practice with a physiotherapist or in a hydrotherapy centre to get a good feel for what the job entails.
Asking lots of questions to nurses or vets who are in your practice will also get you inspired and they may be able to point you in the direction of CPD, articles to read, and books to purchase based on your area of interest.
I am also completing the new NCert in Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation by Improve International which I highly recommend looking into.
I have also created an Introduction to Hydrotherapy webinar on Veterinary Webinurse too if you want to find out more about what it entails and would be more than happy to chat with anyone interested via my Instagram.
Finally, as a Registered Veterinary Nurse, what are your current future career goals or aspirations?
One day, I would absolutely love to be running my own physiotherapy, massage and laser clinics, alongside working as a hydrotherapist, moving further away from general practice and more towards providing rehab clinics to both post-surgical cases and geriatric patients.
I would really love for rehab to be utilised more in practice and the benefits better understood by clients. There is just so much more we could be doing to keep our patients comfortable and happy.
