The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies Bicentenary

Hayley Walters wins RCVS Golden Jubilee Award

Veterinary Nurse Hayley Walters has won the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Golden Jubilee Award, in honour of her exceptional contribution to her profession.

Hayley and dog

The Dick Vet is delighted that Veterinary Nurse Hayley Walters has won the RCVS Golden Jubilee Award, in honour of her exceptional contribution to her profession.

Hayley works at the Hospital for Small Animals and the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education (JMICAWE) and was nominated for her contribution to animal welfare through her teaching, clinical and international outreach work.

As well as Hayley's clinical work she has responsibilities for training veterinary surgeon and veterinary nurse students in all aspects of animal welfare, handling and pain management. She has also worked all over the world to share her veterinary nursing and animal welfare education skills as part of her work with JMICAWE.

We had six high-calibre and impressive nominations for the Golden Jubilee Award this year and Hayley was chosen because of her extensive work above and beyond her normal role as a registered veterinary nurse [RVN] with regard to animal welfare in the UK and internationally. She clearly demonstrates a gold standard ambassadorial role for the RVN.

Kathy KissickChair of Veterinary Nursing Council

The VN Golden Jubilee Award will be given to Hayley at RCVS Day - the College’s Annual General Meeting and Awards Day - on July 11.

I am incredibly thrilled to be receiving this award and would like to thank my colleagues who nominated me. It comes at such a lovely time, too, as this year I have been in veterinary nursing for half my life as I started when I was 18 and have turned 36. If I was given the choice to go back and choose all over again I would still choose veterinary nursing in a heartbeat.Veterinary nurses are very well placed to improve not only patient experience when they are being treated but also, after the patients leave, through the education of animal owners. We must never stop caring, never stop learning and never stop trying to make a difference for every animal that comes into our lives. I am very grateful for this honour and would like to thank the RCVS for awarding it to me.

Hayley Walters

The Golden Jubilee Award

The Golden Jubilee Award was launched in 2011 to mark the 50th anniversary of the first RCVS veterinary nursing training scheme and to recognise outstanding service to the profession. Hayley joins previous winners from 2011, Jean Turner and 2012 Sue Badger as the third winner.

The Golden Jubilee in 2011 celebrated the 50th anniversary of the RCVS-approved Animal Nursing Auxiliary (ANA) training scheme.