Vets Now’s clinical director appointed RCVS president

Amanda Boag, Vets Now’s clinical director, has become the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) president in a ceremony held in London on Friday 13 July 2018, as outgoing president, Professor Stephen May’s tenure came to a close.

She takes on the presidency following a 12-month term as junior vice president and at a time when the structure of the council is changing following recent approval of a legislative reform order. These changes mean veterinary nurses now have two places on the RCVS council and Racheal Marshall, who leads Vets Now’s Nursing Edge Programme and is head of clinical nursing, also joined the council on Friday.

Boag said: “I am honoured that members of the RCVS council elected me to this role. It will be a great privilege to serve the veterinary professions and the public over the coming year. I am looking forward to working with the whole veterinary community embracing the challenges we face in our professions.”

“I have a particular interest in supporting vets and veterinary nurses to have long and successful careers supported by a good work-life balance. I am lucky to have had employers who have invested in my development – ensuring we support veterinary surgeons and nurses in developing a range of skills, both as clinicians and as leaders, is crucial to us being a strong and dynamic professional team into the future.”

Richard Dixon, chairman and founder, Vets Now, said: “We are so very proud of Amanda and everything she has achieved. She has a unique perspective having spent time working in both the academic and commercial world. Her experience developing the specialty of ECC and leading clinical initiatives for Vets Now means she is well placed to play a strong and active role leading the RCVS over the coming year.

“This role is one of the highest achievements you can reach in the veterinary sector. With much of her career spent working with younger members of the professions, she is an incredibly powerful role model for young clinicians, and particularly women within the professions. We are even more delighted she is being joined on RCVS council by Racheal Marshall, a testament to the strength of our clinical leadership team.”

Racheal Marshall also added: “I am very honoured to be one of the first veterinary nurses to become a member of the RCVS council and am looking forward to my time as chair of the Veterinary Nurses Council (VNC). During the last two years as a member of VNC I have learnt so much and appreciate that this would not have been possible without the ongoing support of Vets Now, who very much champion the nursing profession and of course, my colleagues.”