Veterinary Nurse

At the RSPCA, we believe that animal welfare is everyone's welfare. Join us in making a real difference for every animal – together.

We are seeking a compassionate and skilled Veterinary Nurse to join our team at the West Hatch Animal and Wildlife Centre in Taunton. This is a chance to work in a diverse and rewarding environment, caring for everything from large breed dogs and cats to small furries, farm animals, and wildlife. Previous wildlife experience is welcome but not essential – what matters most is your dedication, adaptability, and commitment to animal welfare.

• Permanentposition
• 35 hours per week, Monday–Friday
• 08:30–16:30 daily

Are you ready to join our movement?

Our recruitment journey -:

Here's what the process looks like, no surprises, just a friendly guide:

• Application
  You'll be asked to answer an application question to give us a sense of your experience, skills, and potential.
• Panel Interview
  If your application is successful, you'll be invited to a panel interview with the Hiring Manager, our Senior Clinician and our Centre Deputy Manager. The interview will consist of a tour around our site as we appreciate interviews are a two way process followed by a competency based interview.

This is a chance to:

• Share more about what you've done and what you're proud of
• Ask questions about the role, team, and impact you could make
• Show off your skills and behaviours in a relaxed, supportive setting

If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, just let us know - we're happy to support you.

As part of our veterinary team, you will:

• Provide direct medical and surgical patient care.
• Monitor anaesthesia, assist with perioperative care, and support theatre practice.
• Maintain accurate clinical records and dispense medication according to professional guidelines.
• Uphold high standards of clinical hygiene and biosecurity across the Centre.
• Support training of student vets and veterinary nurses, and contribute to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for veterinary staff.
• Participate in welfare assessments and case work.

You will primarily work with domestic animals, but also have the opportunity to support our wildlife intakes - making every day diverse and rewarding.

We are seeking a fully qualified Veterinary Nurse (RVN) with current RCVS registration and proven relevant experience, such as:

• Veterinary practice
• Wildlife rehabilitation centre
• Animal centre or similar environment

You will also demonstrate:

• Strong communication and teamwork skills
• Ability to make evidence-based clinical decisions and work autonomously
• Calmness under pressure and adaptability to changing caseloads
• Commitment to animal welfare and maintaining high clinical standards
• Emotional resilience – the role can be challenging, including exposure to euthanasia, but it is deeply rewarding
• This role may involve working closely with bats. For safety reasons, a rabies vaccination is required, and support will be provided to obtain this if needed.

Are you a dedicated and compassionate RVN looking for your next role and are keen to make a real difference to animal welfare? If so, we'd love to hear from you.

Successful candidates for certain RSPCA roles will need to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK - We are unable to sponsor visas at RSPCA

We want to ensure we do all we can to give you a positive candidate experience through our recruitment. Whilst we do try to give feedback where we can, sometimes due to receiving high levels of applications, this may not always be possible

We are building the future of a diverse Society, and our priority is to support animal welfare by finding people from all backgrounds who are committed to our mission. For this reason we actively encourage a wide diversity of applications - in particular from members of minority ethnic groups, and people with disabilities - as these candidates are currently under-represented at the RSPCA. Your transferable skills & lived experiences could make you a valuable addition to our RSPCA Family!

We're here to support you and encourage you to let us know if you need any adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Please feel free to contact us at resourcingteam@rspca.org.uk or 0300 123 0685 so we can ensure the process works for you.