Charlotte Fennell, from Linnaeus-owned Southfields Veterinary Specialists in Basildon, Essex, has become one of just seven vet nurses in the country to be recognised as a Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) in internal medicine.

Charlotte said it was an honour to have joined such a select group and admitted the news of her success sparked tears of joy and relief.

Charlotte said: “My first reaction was shock, followed swiftly by tears of joy knowing that, after years of hard work and commitment, I had been successful in achieving VTS status.

“I was overcome with a sense of relief and could not have been happier to know all the hard work had paid off.

“It is an absolute honour to be one of only seven RVNs in the country to become a VTS in internal medicine and the first RVN at Southfields Veterinary Specialists to have achieved VTS status in any subject.

“It is an elite group of dedicated individuals, so it was a very special feeling and is an incredible achievement.”

Charlotte is now looking forward to applying her specialist skills at Southfields, which has recently opened the doors to its new £16 million state-of-the-art hospital at Cranes Point in Basildon.

She added: “The role of a vet nurse is so diverse today that it allows us to specialise in areas of interest such as internal medicine and I know that gaining this new qualification can only bolster the care I am able to provide.

“With this new level of qualification and experience I feel even more confident and capable within my profession and I hope I can utilise it daily in the care and treatment of our patients and continue promote Southfields as one of the leading specialist veterinary referral hospitals in the UK.”

Charlotte’s level of dedication and commitment to her career is illustrated by the workload required to achieve VTS recognition.

She said: “Firstly, I needed to have worked within my specialist practice (internal medicine) for approximately four years before I could submit my application.

“That application included 72 written case logs, four extensive patient care reports, three prepared exam questions, 40-plus hours of RACE-approved CPD, evidence of my clinical experience within my specialty of four years and confirmed mastery of approximately 50 nursing clinical skills, signed off by a specialist in internal medicine.

“It took me a year to collect the required case logs, write them up in case reports and provide all the other detailed information to complete the application.

“This body of work culminated in my acceptance onto the examination phase and I received a formal invitation to sit for the June 2022 specialist exams.”

Charlotte passed with flying colours and her achievement has been lauded by her colleagues at Southfields, including Nicola Barrigan, head of nursing services.

Nicola said: “We are thrilled for Charlotte and delighted she has achieved such a rare and prestigious qualification.

“To become one of only seven veterinary nurses within the UK to hold this advanced qualification in internal medicine required an immense amount of knowledge, ability, hard work and dedication.

“Naturally, we’re very proud of her. It’s a remarkable success and Charlotte is a shining example of the high standards required of the Southfields team and the specialist level of care we offer at the hospital.”

Southfields offers specialist services such as anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology and interventional cardiology, dentistry, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, exotics, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, radiation and soft tissue surgery.

To find out more about Nursing at Southfields Veterinary Specialists, click here.