The RCVS VN Council Elections for 2023 have been finalised and the voting is now open, which means reminder emails have been sent out to those who are eligible to vote. Out of the five nominations there are two occupied by IVC Evidensia colleagues.
Heather Kirkness and Katherine Mortimer have both put themselves forward for election to the VN Council and are hoping for a positive outcome once the votes are counted in April. We wish them both the best of luck in the upcoming elections.
You can find out more about both IVC Evidensia nominees below.
Heather Kirkness
Heather Kirkness has been a qualified
Vet Nurse since 2013 and spent most of her professional career at North Downs Specialist Referrals, achieving several qualifications including a BVNA Certificate in Wound Management. She went on to become Head of Clinical Nursing at
Vets Now. She is now an Area Support Manager for IVC Evidensia.
On her election hopes, she commented:
“It’s an honour to be running in these elections and having the opportunity to represent the nursing profession.
“This year marks 10 years of being on the RCVS VN Register and I remain as passionate about nursing as I was when I qualified.
“To be elected would mean I can present my strengths and passions to the VN Council. I have had quite a dynamic career, and experienced nursing across many different care sectors. As a result, I have witnessed clear gaps where RVNs are underutilised and undervalued, but also just how much more potential there is for us, as a profession to achieve.
“I am very passionate about driving improvements in both clinical and professional standards. I’m excited to have this opportunity and look forward playing my part in steering advancements for RVNs everywhere.”
Katherine Mortimer
Katherine Mortimer has been qualified as a Vet Nurse since 2010 and has worked in mixed practice, a small animal practice as Head Nurse and is now a Senior Wards Nurse for Southern Counties Veterinary Specialists.
She has also completed a range of qualifications including a Graduate Diploma in Professional and Clinical Veterinary Nursing and a Master of Science in Advanced Practice in Veterinary Nursing.
She commented on her nomination:
“For a number of years now I’ve been trying to think of ways to help support meaningful positive change in the Veterinary Nurse (VN) profession, so running for the VN Council has been an exciting step for me to take.
“I have been really touched by my colleagues who have supported my nomination. Being successfully elected would mean a lot to me; having the opportunity to both listen to and act upon the concerns and ideas of the UK VN community would be a career highlight.”
You can read more about the nominations for
VN Council on the RCVS website here.
Discover more RCVS Council stories from IVC Evidensia:
RCVS And VN Council Elections Now Open