Head Veterinary Nurse in Chelmsford

Medivet Chelmsford is offering an exciting opportunity for an experienced and motivated Veterinary Nurse to step into a Head Nurse position within a well-established and busy practice. This role is ideal for someone who is passionate about delivering exceptional clinical care while also enjoying the responsibility of leading, mentoring, and developing a nursing team. As Head Nurse, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the day-to-day running of the practice, working closely with the Practice Owner and wider leadership team to maintain high clinical standards, support team wellbeing, and ensure an excellent experience for both patients and clients.

You will remain hands-on in a clinical capacity while also taking ownership of nurse rotas, workflow, training, and professional development, creating a positive and supportive environment where nurses can thrive. This opportunity would suit a confident, organised, and approachable RCVS-registered Veterinary Nurse who is ready to take the next step in their career or bring their existing leadership experience into a practice that values collaboration and growth.

You will be supported by Medivet’s strong clinical governance framework, ongoing leadership development, and access to excellent CPD opportunities. In return, Medivet Chelmsford offers a competitive salary, clear progression pathways, generous CPD support, and the chance to be part of a respected veterinary group that truly invests in its people. This is a fantastic opportunity to make a meaningful impact, develop your leadership skills, and help shape the future of a thriving practice.

Responsibilities

• Client care: Deliver exceptional care to clients, each and every day.
• Patient care: Support the vet with any operations or procedures when required. Carry out nurse led appointments. Responsible for patient monitoring and care. Manage admissions and discharges for procedures as directed by the Vet or Lead Vet (depending on complexity). Ensure patient records are accurate and up to date. Ensure all pre or post operation activity is completed. Provide everyday care for patients by carrying out appropriate walking, toileting and feeding. Complete any patient transfers required to out of hours (OOH) care provider or for any enhanced care required. Responsible for dispensing and checking any medication required. All patient care is carried out under the guidance of the Vet/Lead Vet in line with clinical competence.
• Standards and Compliance: Accountable for clinical compliance with all regulatory and practice standards and agreed ways of working. Ensure the appropriate regulatory, practice and operational veterinary and nursing standards are implemented in the practice. Ensure compliance with health and safety requirements.
• Communications: Hold daily briefings and co-ordinate roles and activity to support the effective running of the clinic. Effectively deliver timely clinical communications to veterinary and nursing teams sharing news of changes or improvements to processes or practice standards, Social Ecosystem Model (SEM) outcomes etc. Carry out engaging clinical meetings with the nursing team.
• Clinical leadership: Support and carry out clinical coaching as required. Pro-actively share clinical best practice within and across clinics and the wider Medivet community. Responsible for training and the development of the nursing team. Ensure the clinical team are clear on their responsibilities and any tasks that need to be completed each day. Ensure that Veterinary Nurses have appropriate clinical support and coaching. Lead, manage and promote nurse led appointments and Schedule 3 surgeries. To continue to deliver exceptional care to clients the Vet and Lead Vet are responsible for mentoring graduates within the clinic. The Nurse and Head Nurse are responsible for coaching the nursing team.
• Clinical administration: Take samples as required by and under the direction of the Vet/Lead Vet. Ensure lab tests are carried out correctly. Effectively manage the stock in the clinic and place any orders required. Escalate any issues to the Practice Manager and/or Vet/Lead Vet as required. Ensure the back of house is set up and ready for procedures.

Skills, knowledge and experience

• Must be an RCVS registered nurse.
• Able to confidently lead a clinical team.
• Effective planning and management of the clinical team.
• Implementation of a progressive clinical culture through nurse clinics and nurse consultations.
• Supports nurse consults and understands how this contributes to the performance and efficient operation of the clinic.
• Able to work as part of a team.
• Able to deliver exceptional care to clients.
• Experienced in using coaching and influencing skills to get the best out of each and every colleague.

Our clinics are run by small teams who need to work together effectively to deliver exceptional care to our clients, patients, and colleagues. This means that, from time to time, you may be required to carry out tasks outside your normal duties, where you have the skills, knowledge and experience required.

About us

Medivet is a leading veterinary care provider, operating in the UK, Germany, Spain and France with more than 500 branches and 27 24-hour veterinary centres. We’re proud to support a large, connected and growing community of colleagues who provide exceptional care, always there. That’s more than a strapline for us, we truly believe every interaction we have matters and that we can make a real difference. We’re continuing our mission to deliver exceptional care, always there by creating great experiences for our patients, clients, and colleagues through a forward thinking and caring environment where we make every experience better by using the very best equipment and treatment options available, including in-house MRI machines and state-of-the-art operating theatres. We love working with talented, like-minded people who want to stand out in their field and whose compassion for animals always goes way beyond their job. We have exciting plans for the future so come and join us on our journey.