iCatCare and the International Society of Feline Medicine announced the winners of the ISFM Distance Education Awards for nurses on July 14th. The ISFM hold two distance courses for veterinary nurses. The first of the two courses is the ISFM certificate in Feline Nursing which takes a year to complete. The second is the ISFM Diploma, completed over two years. To date, over 600 nurses have completed the course, with nurses and technicians receiving the distance education from all over the world.
Royal Canin sponsored the ‘Recognition of Achievement’ awards, which are given to the students that achieved the highest level of attainment on the distance courses provided by the charity. The winners for the ISFM Certificate course award were Jo Ireson and Lucy Barton. The Diploma award was presented to Anne Hamilton.
Jo Ireson qualified as a registered veterinary nurse in 2004, she has worked in a small animal general practice for a referral specialist. In 2012 Jo joined the Cambridge Cat Clinic and there she worked on expanding her education in feline nursing, with an interest in geriatric nursing, hygiene and infection control. Lucy Barton qualified in 2002. The following four years were spent in an animal hospital, followed by seven years working in an emergency clinic. Lucy now works in a general practice and has an interesting in animal behaviour and welfare.
Anne Hamilton qualified in 1993 at the RSPCA Hospital in Putney, London. Anne has worked at the PDSA Hospital in Glasgow since 1994 and has had an interest in feline patients over the years. In 2011 Anne completed the ISFM Certificate and moved on to complete the Diploma in Feline nursing to increase her knowledge.
Speaking at the prestigious annual award ceremony Dr Andy Sparkes, the Veterinary Direct from iCatCare said that they were delighted to develop the huge value veterinary nurses and technicians bring to the profession. The developments include distance educational courses, free memberships, webinars, awards and nursing streams at feline events held by ISFM. Watch the interview, here.