So, I’ve already alluded that the hours of a Vet nurse lecturer weren’t quite what I thought they would but then I started missing the patients. I’d be talking about procedures and cases I’d nursed, and I’d find myself wishing I could be back doing it.
As a boomerang nurse I went back to NDSR and took the role as wards supervisor. I did this part time and carried on teaching. Upside to this was not only being back in my happy place but also a reduction in animal management teaching. Now maybe I’m painting this as some form of torture, it really wasn’t that bad, but I found it quite challenging. I worked with plenty who loved it, but it wasn’t for me. Being a Vet Nurse Lecturer was great but so was being an RVN- hindsight is perfect sight isn’t it.
Teacher training was going ok, at times it was pretty intense and balancing studying with teaching does bring its own set of challenges. As part of the Diploma we had to be observed teaching, always slightly off putting and the paper work associated with quite cumbersome. An in-depth lesson plan for the session, as well as a grading post session. This was nothing compared to ‘observation week’.
Email of doom
Every Thursday random individuals would get an email informing them that the following week would be an observation week. A little bit like Ofsted but done by the colleges SLT. Basically, this meant you kissed goodbye to your weekend because they could observe any session. If you were lucky, it was Monday morning, if you were unlucky, it would be Friday afternoon. Now the reason why I say kiss goodbye to your weekend the paperwork that you had to create for each lesson was insane. I am not exaggerating when there were often tears upon receipt of this email.
It was awful. Truly awful, adding so much stress to an already high-pressured job. If it went well then happy days, however if it didn’t then you got placed on ‘stepping up’ measures. Being graded a 1 or 2 meant you could breathe a sigh of relief but a 3 or 4, eish.
Aside from this delight there was the small issue of teaching employed adults in an FE college, lots of rules and regs that were frankly awkward to enforce. It drained me, I lost the love for it and eventually I dropped to one day per week. In order to support the new team. By this point I was managing the VN department and teach the final year SVNS. This involved a lot of exams marking and writing, as well assignments for the final year. I agreed to this based on not having to teach animal management, I couldn’t keep up with the workload one day per week, but I really wanted to complete my teacher training, so I stuck with it.
The term began and to my surprise an animal management session had appeared on my timetable. This was not what I’d signed up for and when I raised it with my manager I was dismissed. Told I could prep a lesson in the time I had before it was due to deliver. I’m slightly (not entirely) ashamed to say the red midst descended. I’d had enough. I’ve also got time to do something else I said. Off I marched to HR, and I handed in my notice there and then. One month later I was no longer a Vet Nurse Lecturer.
What did I learn?
That I love teaching. It’s something that I will always love. I’ve taught in many forms, but lecturing is what of the things I absolutely love. I can’t imagine me doing something that doesn’t involve teaching in some way.
It’s the team you work with is incredibly important and 80% of your job satisfaction. I would not have survived the first year or carried teaching for as long as I did if it weren’t for the team. Some truly wonderful people kept me sane (ish) during those years!
Sometimes you have to stop and think about the impact your words have, and that may mean keeping quiet and venting to someone else of the shop floor- a manager said to me ‘your words have impact, people listen, and this is especially true when you’re being negative’ I’ve never forgotten that.
Vet Nursing students are incredible, I taught wonderful SVNs. Some of who I was proud to then work with. SVNs who overcome adversity, and huge personal challenges. They balanced working 40-hour weeks, sometimes more, with a bloody tough course and did it smiling.
A role Vet Nursing lecturer is not the ‘easy option’ compared to being in practice. It’s not loads more money and whilst on paper the hours may seem better in my experience this was not the case.
So, whilst it was probably the most emotionally exhausting role, I’ve ever had I can’t say it was all bad, because it wasn’t. A lot of it was inspiring, rewarding, and incredible. Thank you to the students and co-workers who made me proud to be your lecturer and co-worker.