Who do We Appreciate? Veterinary Nurses!

Friday, October 21, 2022

The Large Animal Veterinary Technician team was well-represented at the Pause for Applause recognition event held as part of Veterinary Nursing Appreciation Week.

You could skip the counting, 2-4-6-8, and go right to the question this week, “Who do we appreciate?” that begged the answer, “Veterinary Nurses!” This is Veterinary Nursing Appreciation Week in the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, held in conjunction with the National Veterinary Technician Week. The college takes great pride in educating the entire veterinary team, and veterinary nurses and assistants are a big part of that team! To show its support and gratitude for veterinary nurses, the college hosted several special events during the week-long celebration October 17-21.

Jessica DeSutter, veterinary nurse in Small Animal Medicine, takes an intense look at the jar of candy corn at the Pause for Applause recognition event before submitting the winning entry in the contest to guess the number of candy corn pieces. Her calculation was within five percent of the actual count!

The series of special activities were thoughtfully planned so the college could continue this important tradition of using this occasion to recognize the vital roles veterinary nurses play in the veterinary medical profession. “I am excited that we are kicking off a week designated to thank our veterinary nurses who are such valuable members of our veterinary team,” said Dean Willie Reed in a special message to college faculty, staff and students at the beginning of the week. “Veterinary Nursing Appreciation Week gives us a great opportunity to celebrate the veterinary nurses who are essential to the service, research and teaching missions of our college.”

As part of the planning, creative energy was expended to coin fun names for some of the special activities. PVM’s veterinary nurses enjoyed well-deserved treats with the “Thanks a ‘Hole’ Bunch” donut breakfast on Tuesday, October 18. On Wednesday, October 19, veterinary nurses enjoyed treats and activities at the “Pause for Applause” carnival-themed event that featured a build-your-own caramel apple bar. Another challenge involved guessing the number of candy corn pieces in a jar at the event. Congratulations to Jessica DeSutter, RVT, who came up with the closest answer and won a $25 Starbucks gift card. Her guesstimate was only off by 17 pieces! On Thursday, October 20, the Veterinary Nursing Student Organization set up a photo booth for veterinary nursing teams to take fun photos together.

Neurology and Physical Rehabilitation Technicians Rachel Yoquelet and Jessica Bowditch took advantage of the popular Caramel Apple Bar to create a tasty treat to go.

As an extra surprise next week, all veterinary nurses and assistants will receive a special t-shirt as a recognition gift from the college. Additionally, note card stations were placed in the connector hallway between Lynn Hall and the David and Bonnie Brunner Small Animal Hospital to encourage faculty and staff to write notes of gratitude to veterinary nurses.

Special thanks to the planning committee members who organized the week’s activities. They are Dr. Nolie Parnell, chief of staff for the small animal hospital; Dr. Janice Kritchevsky, large animal chief of staff; Dr. Jessica Christensen, veterinary nursing lecturer; Jessica Bowditch, RVT, CCRP, VTS (Physical Rehabilitation), neurology and physical rehabilitation technician; and Carolyn McLaughlin, RVT, large animal internal medicine technologist.

PVM’s veterinary nurses also were featured in social media promotions. A total of 80 social media posts were published featuring messages of thanks and photos of veterinary nurses. Among those were posts about special Veterinary Nursing Appreciation Week videos, including a production released by Hills Pet Nutrition featuring Jessica Bowditch.

And there’s still time to personally thank our veterinary nurses for their dedication and excellence before Veterinary Nursing Appreciation Week comes to a close. If you haven’t done so already, take advantage of the remaining hours this afternoon to express appreciation to our amazing PVM veterinary nurses!