Registered Veterinary Nurse - Relief Cover

University of Edinburgh; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Edinburgh invites applications for a Relief RVN at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies / Hospital for Small Animals. The post involves rotating daily to support ward areas and specialist services across canine, feline and exotics, with opportunity to develop in a cutting-edge referral hospital environment.

Open-ended contract, full-time 35 hours per week plus 2.5 hours weekly contractual overtime paid above salary. Working Monday–Friday 9.30am–6pm.

Job description

UE06 £35,302 - £40,704 pro rata per annum (based on a 35 hour work week)

CMVM / Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies / Hospital for Small Animals

Full time: 35 hours per week plus 2.5 hours weekly contractual overtime, which is paid above salary

Working Monday-Friday 9.30am-6pm (times TBC with successful candidate)

Open ended contract

Be part of something bigger, there’s a career for everyone at the University of Edinburgh.

Our technical staff are essential to supporting teaching, research, and the smooth operation of our facilities. Whether you’re maintaining cutting-edge lab equipment, facilitating ground‑breaking research, developing new techniques, or enhancing student and staff experience with top‑notch facilities, your work will have a lasting impact that stretches far beyond our academic community.

The Opportunity:

We are looking for an enthusiastic Relief RVN to join our team. Ourrelief RVNsplay a vital role, rotating daily to support both our ward areas and specialist services wherever they’re needed most.

This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone eager to develop their nursing skills across all areas in a cutting‑edge referral hospital environment. Whether you're newly qualified or looking to expand your expertise, we welcome all enthusiastic candidates to apply.

What You’ll Experience:

• Rotations through our canine and feline wards, isolation units, intermediate care ward, and emergency & critical care department
• Opportunities to work with exotics & wildlife, in our theatre suites, within our specialist services, and all aspects of first opinion general practice including anaesthesia
• A comprehensive training program for all new team members, ensuring you’re supported every step of the way. You’ll receive hands‑on training and work alongside a team of specialist clinicians and experienced RVNs, gaining exposure to a wide variety of fascinating and inspiring cases.

Our Specialist Services at HfSA include:

• Anaesthesia
• Cardiology Service
• Dermatology
• Diagnostic Imaging
• Dick Vet Rabbit and Exotic Practice
• Emergency & Critical Care
• The Feline Clinic
• The Internal Medicine Service
• Neurology and Neurosurgery
• Ophthalmology Service
• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Soft Tissue Surgery
• REPAIR Centre
• The Riddell‑Swan Veterinary Cancer Centre
• The Behaviour Clinic

Our hospital is equipped with:

• Three canine wards
• Four exotics wards
• One feline ward
• Purpose‑built isolation units
• A fully equipped emergency room
• Dedicated Intermediate Care and Intensive Care Wards
• Four theatre suites
• MRI and CT imaging
• Vital Beam linear accelerator

Training & Support

We will provide appropriate induction, orientation and role specific training. Any hours worked beyond your contracted weekly hours during training will be paid as overtime according to university guidelines.

If you would like to discuss the post further, please contact our Senior ward nurse, Christa Dukes [e-mail] .

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

• A competitive salary.
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family‑friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits.

Championing equality, diversity, and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education.We are members of the Race Equality Charter, and we are also a Stonewall Proud Employer, actively promoting LGBTQ+ equality.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab)

The University is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. International applicants will therefore be unable to apply for and secure a Skilled Worker visa. They will only be able to take up this role if they candemonstrate an alternative right to workin the UK.

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 24 November 2026

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm UK time. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.

Interviews will be held TBA