We are beyond thrilled to announce that three of the finalists, out of 31,000 nominations for this year’s PetPlan awards are from IVC Evidensia practices!
This year marks the 23rd anniversary of the Veterinary Awards. Often referred to as the 'Oscars' of the veterinary industry, this prestigious event celebrates excellence within the veterinary profession and recognises those who inspire their clients and colleagues with their hard work and dedication.
We have finalists in three categories: Practice Manager of the Year, Vet Nurse of the Year and Practice Support Staff of the Year.
Practice Manager of the Year
Jon Barnes –
Manor Veterinary Clinic
Jon filled in for holiday cover at Manor Veterinary Clinic in 2004 and hasn't left! He says,
"I didn't choose Manor, it chose me! Dad (Mr Barnes, former clinical director) asked if I could help out in 2004 and the rest is history! My areas of interest include customer services, client care and problem solving. There is a lot of variety in the job, every day is different."
Vet Nurse of the Year
Barbara Millar –
Millburn Veterinary Clinic
Barbara says,
"I have had the privilege of working in Millburn for 11 years and consider it my second family. I am the girl who looks forward to going to work and being part of the wonderful team. My passion at work is cats, kittens, moggies, short hair or long hair, pedigree or domestic – anything with whiskers that purrs. My love of felines stems from an early age, taming feral cats, on my grandparents’ farm."
In 2013 she won the NI student Veterinary nursing award for hand rearing and re-homing unwanted and stray kittens. She has lost count of the number she has homed over the years and loves seeing them coming in and out of the surgery. She hopes to specialise in feline behaviour and now juggles work and re-homing with her young son.
Practice Support Staff of the Year
Olivia Scott –
Rathgael Veterinary Clinic
Olivia is currently a student veterinary nurse at the practice.
She started working at Rathgael Vets in October 2019 after completing a foundation diploma in Animal Management, she is now studying at CAFRE. Olivia has a keen interest in exotics, especially tarantulas and snakes!
Alistair Cliff, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at IVC Evidensia said,
“The veterinary profession has had an incredibly tough time over the last few years with staffing shortages amidst a global pandemic so, it is incredibly heart-warming to know that our clients and teams recognise the hard work of these three individuals.”
We are keeping everything crossed for them as the date for the awards ceremony, where the winners will be announced, draws near!
Discover more PetPlan Vet Awards finalists from IVC Evidensia:
Two IVC Evidensia colleagues feature as Petplan Awards 2023 finalists
Five IVC Evidensia colleagues included in Petplan Awards finalists list for 2024