The 2018 AZEVN Conference was a wonderful weekend! From the warm welcome to all the staff, delegates and sponsors, you could not have asked to be with better people.

As I am a student and at the very start of my career, I was so excited to see what it is like when the exotic world and veterinary world mix. I was not disappointed, each talk was interesting and taught me something new. I felt like a sponge, trying to retain each and every piece of information and knowledge shared, to learn from it in the future.

I felt incredibly privileged to be in a room with such passionate and knowledgeable people, who have done such great things for wildlife, exotic pets and wild animals alike.  It also felt very exciting to be a part of something so significant. An organisation that is growing so quickly and does such fantastic work for charities such as Wildlife Vets International. I also love that it is run by Veterinary Nurses for Veterinary Nurses as it makes everything very relatable.

I can not thank AZEVN enough for this weekend, I loved all the talks and the goodie tote bag was lovely. I also would like to thank my Golden Ticket Sponsor and I am incredibly grateful for being involved in such an occasion, I would recommend next year’s conference to everyone..!!

This is my fourth time attending the AZEVN Conservation and I have been going every year since I was first introduced to the event it is definitely now an annual trip on my calendar. This year I was lucky enough to win an AZEVN Golden Ticket and I couldn’t be more grateful to them as I always enjoy attending AZEVN as I learn something new each year and get to meet up with old friends and make new ones.

At the 2018 AZEVN Conference, l learnt a few new things including new ideas for enriching an animal’s environment and the best place to get blood from a seal this was also my second time giving a presentation, which is always nerve-racking to do but being surrounded by fellow veterinary nurses always helps put me at ease. Delegates are very supportive of all the speakers and the experience of giving presentations is invaluable and gives me the confidence to keep doing them. I definitely recommend giving a talk at a future event if it’s something you’d like to try as it’s such a non-judgemental and relaxed environment to start in.

Every year, there is a Saturday Evening Social Event which consists of food, drink and activity. This year we did a quiz, where we were split into different animal-themed teams. This worked great as we are all mixed with people we may not know. This is a great way to get each other talking and to meet new friends. I always have an amazing time at AZEVN and come away with new knowledge and friends. I recommend every veterinary nurse interested in exotics to attend..!!

The 2018 AZEVN Conference was held at West Midland Safari Park and the set-up was great with tea, coffee and pastries on arrival the lectures one day varied from Mindfulness in the Work Place, to Oral Chemotherapy in a King Cobra, but by far the most amazing part of the first day was the practical session. This involved the dissection of a crocodile – so cool!! I mean who can say they’ve ever done that let alone found out that our one had gout! Also included in this session was the placing of an intravenous catheter into a model rabbit’s ear; this was brilliant.

Day two involved more brilliant talks and case studies that fellow RVNs had been involved with and these ranged from Feather Plucking in Parrots to Anaesthesia in Birds and Horses, plus learning about enrichment that can be used in practice. The range of topics covered this year varied from native wildlife projects fellow delegates had been involved with and different courses RVNs can do for further education.

The food at the event was delicious and the evening social was laugh with being able to mingle and talk to fellow delegates. I will certainly be back for next year’s conference!!

The 2018 AZEVN Conference has been one of the most fun, interesting and valuable CPD events that I have attended. The speakers and delegates are all knowledgeable and approachable and not only does this provide a great atmosphere to learn in, but also provides the perfect opportunity to ask questions and make friends and contact like-minded, friendly people.

The lectures are of such a high quality and cover a wide range of subjects which are both fascinating and informative. I would highly recommend any Veterinary Nurses, whether currently working with exotics, or interested/curious about nursing exotic species to consider joining the AZEVN..!!