Head Registered Veterinary Nurse

Vets for Pets; Reading; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

CPD allowance

Memberships: RCVS/BVNA/VDS

Pension scheme

Wellbeing focused team

Social events

Career development opportunities

Colleague discount

Job summary

Head Registered Veterinary Nurse role at Vets for Pets in Tilehurst, Reading, requires an experienced Registered Veterinary Nurse to provide clinical leadership and drive high standards across the practice.

You’ll mentor RVNs, Students and VCAs, maintain patient welfare, supervise anaesthetic monitoring, theatre nursing and nursing procedures while remaining hands-on.

Qualifications

• Registered Veterinary Nurse with current registration.
• Proven leadership or mentoring experience preferred.
• Strong communication and organisational skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead nursing team and uphold high clinical standards across the practice.
• Mentor RVNs, Student Veterinary Nurses and VCAs to support professional development.
• Remain hands-on clinically across small animal practice, including anaesthetic monitoring and theatre nursing.
• Support clinical procedures, patient care, admissions and discharges while maintaining welfare.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Nursing skills

Communication

Organisation

Education

Registered Veterinary Nurse

Job description

Are you an experienced Registered Veterinary Nurse ready to take the next step in your career?

We’re looking for a Head Registered Veterinary Nurse (Head RVN) to join our friendly and supportive small animal practice in Tilehurst, Reading. This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced RVN who is passionate about clinical standards, team development and delivering exceptional patient and client care.

Conveniently located within the Pets at Home store at Reading Retail Park, our practice benefits from excellent transport links, free onsite parking, modern facilities and state-of-the-art equipment, providing a well-equipped and enjoyable environment in which to work.

About the Role

As Head RVN, you’ll play a key role in supporting the smooth running of the nursing team and helping to maintain high clinical and professional standards across the practice.

You’ll work closely with our Veterinary Surgeons and wider practice team, providing clinical leadership, mentoring and support to our RVNs, Student Veterinary Nurses and VCAs. You’ll have the opportunity to influence nursing protocols, support team development and help create a positive and collaborative working environment.

Alongside your leadership responsibilities, you’ll remain hands‑on clinically and be encouraged to fully utilise your nursing skills across all aspects of small animal practice, including:

• Anaesthetic monitoring and theatre nursing
• Inpatient care and patient monitoring
• Nurse consultations
• Patient admissions and discharges
• Supporting clinical procedures and medical work‑ups
• Maintaining high standards of patient care and welfare
• Coaching and mentoring less experienced members of the nursing team

Our Team

You’ll be joining an experienced and welcoming team consisting of:

• 2.5 Veterinary Surgeons
• 1 Registered Veterinary Nurse
• 2 Student Veterinary Nurses
• 1 Veterinary Care Assistant
• 5 Client Care Advisors

Our dedicated VCAs and Student Veterinary Nurses provide excellent support with theatre preparation, patient care and consultations, allowing our RVNs to focus on delivering the highest standard of nursing care.

About You

We’re looking for an experienced RVN who is ready to take on a leadership position and make a real difference within the practice.
You’ll ideally:

• Be an experienced Registered Veterinary Nurse
• Have strong general nursing skills and clinical confidence
• Be passionate about delivering excellent patient and client care
• Have excellent communication and organisational skills
• Be confident supporting, mentoring and developing colleagues
• Be approachable, compassionate and able to lead by example
• Enjoy working collaboratively while being comfortable taking responsibility
• Have a genuine passion for animal welfare and maintaining high clinical standards
• Be keen to contribute to a positive and supportive team culture

Previous Head RVN or nursing leadership experience would be advantageous, but we’re also happy to consider an experienced RVN who is ready to take the next step into leadership.

Hours

We understand the importance of work-life balance and are happy to consider full or part-time
applicants.

• Up to 40 hours per week
• 1 in 3 Saturdays
• No out-of-hours
• Flexible working patterns available

In Return, We Offer

• Competitive salary up to £38,000, depending on experience
• No out-of-hours
• Generous CPD allowance with funding towards certificates
• Paid professional memberships, including RCVS, BVNA and VDS
• Contributory pension scheme
• Supportive team with a strong focus on wellbeing
• Regular social events
• Excellent career development opportunities
• 20% colleague discount at the Vet Group, Pets at Home and Groom Room
• Access to a wide range of retail discounts and cashback offers
• Generous holiday allowance

Ready to take the next step?

If you’re an experienced RVN looking for an opportunity to lead, develop and make a real difference within a friendly and supportive practice, we’d love to hear from you.

Location: RG30 1PR

We take our inspiration from pets in embracing people from all walks of life, and we value, respect and celebrate difference. We encourage our people to be their best selves so that we can create a better world for Pets, our Planet, and People. Our ambition is to reflect the diversity of the communities we operate in, and we are intentional in addressing and removing barriers to create opportunities for the exceptional talent and potential in our communities. Even if your skills and experience don’t perfectly align, if you think you can make a unique contribution through your values and behaviours, we want to hear from you!