Gracie is one of our veterinary nurse superstars. We are so grateful for her bubbly, friendly presence and her attention to the most delicate details when caring for our patients.
Like many of our VSS nursing team, Gracie has always worked closely with animals and actually started as a weekend hydro-bather. She then worked her way up from kennel hand, trainee nurse, junior nurse, and now she is being trained as a specialist nurse with VSS.
The role
Gracie especially loves her shifts that involve medical, surgical or specialist dental procedures. She also enjoys finding ways to help our patients feel at home, “I enjoy the hands-on element, particularly seeing the difference you can make to a patient when you have made them feel more comfortable in their bed, found something they will eat for the first time in hospital, or figured out how they like to be spoken to or held. I just like to find ways to make them feel more at home.”
Gracie described that “the biggest challenge is how busy we are in terms of challenges. However, this is always made better by the fact our team is like a family, so we get through those days together and manage to bring elements of fun into it while still keeping the gold standard care.”
The Culture
We asked Gracie to think of words that described the VSS culture, and she had a list: “Supportive, trusting, highly-skilled, caring, fun, inspiring, family”.
She talked about how there is constant support and encouragement to keep learning and building skills. “There are so many highly-skilled, kind and caring members of staff that it is hard not to be influenced to strive to be better.
Homelife
Gracie enjoys her time off with her husband, Jack, and two fur babies, Boston and Oakley. They are also soon to welcome a human baby into the mix. She loves enjoying an active outdoor lifestyle and thrives on bonding in a social setting with friends and family.
