Soft Tissue and Surgery Ward Nurse in Bicester

Overview

The successful candidate will work alongside a welcoming team of nurses and animal care assistants in the canine surgical wards, with opportunities to work closely with soft tissue clinical specialists, all passionate about providing gold standard care. This role will involve working within the canine ward space and nursing orthopaedic, soft tissue and neurology patients, then rotating with the other soft tissue nurse and spending a month working alongside the soft tissue team.

You will be required to partake in the weekend rota (1 in 6 weekends working alternating Saturdays and Sundays and up to 2 Bank holidays a year).

Responsibilities

• Be involved in BOAS consultations and support clients through BOAS surgery.
• Actively manage referral wound cases including supporting ward areas and owners on best products and handling.
• Develop skills and knowledge with urethral cuff inflations and laser procedures.
• Observe and learn about specialist soft tissue surgical procedures with the opportunity to scrub in on theatre cases.
• Assist with the student learning experience.
• Attend daily in-patient rounds with the STS team (when on soft tissue rotation) to assess patients and prepare plans for the day.
• Coordinate emergency and internal referral of patients, including transfer of patients from ICU.
• Assist with procedures and sedate patients for diagnostic imaging; assist with consultations.
• Develop individual nursing care plans for in-patients in collaboration with the Rehabilitation team and STS/Ortho teams.
• Ensure Standard Operating Procedures for the area are available, relevant and up to date.
• Co-ordinate and data collect for clinical audit and research projects, including sample collection and liaison with other staff and departments.
• Provide CPD for internal and external nurses, including webinars and presentations.
• Support BVSc and VNPA undergraduates during clinical rotations; undertake Clinical Coach duties if deemed appropriate.
• Participate in the OOH rota as required and maintain a flexible approach to the working pattern to enable cover as required.
• Maintain good working relationships with all team members and communicate effectively with clients and colleagues.
• Carry out other reasonable duties as requested by the line manager.

Qualifications and experience

Experience in a referral setting is desirable but not essential as full training will be given.

Job details

You will be required to partake in the weekend rota (1 in 6 weekends, alternating Saturdays and Sundays, and up to 2 Bank holidays a year).

Benefits and wellbeing

• Time off
  • 5 weeks holiday per year (plus bank holidays)
  • Additional holiday entitlement for Long Service
• Wellbeing
  • On site Mental Health Champions
  • EDI committee
  • Employee Forum – to ensure all employees voices can be heard
  • Menopause Café
  • Wellbeing talks and events
  • Cycle to work scheme
  • Family friendly policies, including enhanced maternity and paternity pay (after 2 years’ service)
• Health
  • SimplyHealth Cashplan membership
  • Free annual flu vaccination
  • Free Specsavers eye test voucher
• General
  • Free onsite parking
  • U2 bus service link to Bristol
  • Annual CPD allowance
  • Employee discount
  • Generous pension scheme – we match up to 8% pension contributions
  • Reimbursement of one professional membership fee per year

How to apply

If this role sounds like the right fit for you, don’t delay, click ‘Apply’ and begin your career with Langford Vets.

Interview dates: 25th and 30th September 2025

Job purpose

The main purpose of the post is to support the smooth operation of the clinical activities within the SAH by providing in-patient care for surgical cases and assisting with procedures, promoting client communication and working within the Terms of the RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct for Nurses. This will include delivering in-patient care, attending in-patient rounds, organising and assisting with procedures, owner admit/discharge and visit appointments and triage of advice calls. They will act as a point of contact for the services, both internally and externally. They will assist with teaching and support of veterinary and veterinary nursing graduates during clinical rotations, to include induction process. They will also prepare and deliver training and CPD for internal and external RVNs and other veterinary support staff. Other responsibilities will include supporting the Head Surgery Nurse with development of SOPs and nursing care plans and assisting with data collection for clinical audit and research projects.

Principal Accountabilities:

• Attend daily in-patient rounds with the STS team (when on soft tissue rotation) to assess patients and prepare a plan for the day.
• Communicate with owners regarding in-patients as appropriate, including liaison with the rest of the surgical ward nursing team.
• Triage of advice calls, including answering simple queries, managing client expectations and acquiring appropriate information to forward to the STS team.
• Routine admit and discharge appointments, including instructions on how to carry out post-operative care.
• Coordination of emergency and internal referral of patients, including transfer of patients from ICU.
• Assisting STS and Ortho as appropriate, including setting up and assisting with procedures, sedating patients for diagnostic imaging and assisting with consultations.
• Development of individual nursing care plans for in-patients, alongside the Rehabilitation team and STS/Ortho team.
• Ensuring SOPs for the area are available, relevant and up to date.
• Ensuring that hospitalisation and treatment fees for in-patients are correctly applied and up to date prior to discharge of patient, including venom coding.
• Coordination and data collection for clinical audit and research projects, including sample collection, non-invasive procedures and liaison with other relevant staff and departments.
• Assessment and supervision of BVSc and VNPA undergraduates during clinical rotations, including undertaking the role of Clinical Coach if deemed appropriate.
• Provision of CPD for internal and external nurses, including webinars and presentations.
• Participation in the OOH rota as required and a flexible approach to working pattern to enable cover as required.
• Maintaining a good working relationship with all team members.
• Communicating in an effective and pleasant manner with clients and colleagues.
• Carry out all other reasonable duties as requested by the line manager