Thirty veterinary nurses from across the South West attended a unique congress event in Plymouth, the first time that a Somerset animal hospital’s Nurse CPD Club had taken to the road.

The success of the event is yet another boost for the club co-founded by Bryony Gilder, head of nursing services at Linnaeus-owned Cave Veterinary Specialists near Wellington, run with the support of patient flow coordinator Felicity Maxfield.

Attendees at the in-person, full-day congress called ‘SEA-P-D’ enjoyed seven lectures covering clinical knowledge, practical skills, leadership and wellbeing.

As important as the learning was, the organisers were also determined to make it a fun day and the afternoon saw delegates taken part in yoga and paddleboarding.

Bryony said: “This was the first time our Nurse CPD Club has taken to the road so I was a bit nervous.

“I needn’t have been, as it was a great success with 30 nurses attending and also contributing to make the day a truly wonderful event. My thanks go to all those who came along, as well as those who worked tirelessly to help it run so smoothly.”

Cave’s Nurse CPD Club popularity has increased rapidly since it was established before the first Covid-19 lockdown, when local veterinary nurses met once a month at Cave’s animal hospital in Wellington.

It then moved online during the pandemic, which saw its popularity swell with up to 600 nurses registering for the evening sessions on a variety of topics.

Bryony added: “The ‘SEA-P-D’ was a great chance to network with like-minded people, and also allowed the development opportunity for our own nurses to stand up and present on their own area of expertise.

“The support from Cave and Linnaeus to run this event was also amazing and I’d like to thank again our business relationship manager Emma Robson and Felicity, who were both central in its success. I’m sure we’ll be organising another one, so watch this space.”

Cave offers comprehensive, specialist-led services in anaesthesia, cardiology, dermatology, internal medicine, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, orthopaedic surgery and soft tissue surgery.

For more information on Cave Veterinary Specialists, visit https://cave-vet-specialists.co.uk or search for Cave Veterinary Specialists on social media.

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