Charging for VN consults: will owners pay for services?

The question of whether RVNs should be charging for nursing consults is often asked in the profession – but one we never seem able to adequately answer.

It is certainly a hot topic – and rather a contentious one, with many nurses feeling clients would not attend if consults were charged. The following comments are testament to this:

• “I think clients would just prefer to pay for a routine consultation, instead of being charged for nurse consultations.”
• “I don’t think we would see as many patients if we charged.”

Why do we have these opinions and where do they come from?

Historically, VN consults were introduced as a free extra service to help practices stand out from the crowd and build bonds with clients to retain business – and these reasons are still valid.

Now, however, nurses are actually questioning (and rightly so), if some of these reasonings could actually serve to undermine the skills and knowledge we have.

Here are some nurses’ opinions:

• “Free nurse clinics adds to the service of the practice. However, it is our professional time/qualifications [being used].”
• “I think [nursing clinics] are a good hook to keep people coming to the practice for check-ups if free, but at the same time, I think nurses’ time is worth paying for.”
• “It would be nice to think our knowledge is valuable, but not sure if it would put some clients off coming to see us.”

At a time when we are making strides towards advancing our skill set, with the introduction of the Level 6 Graduate Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Nursing and Level 7 Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Nursing, for example, should nurse consultations still be free?

In total, 70 per cent of VNs who participated in my survey thought clients should pay for nursing consults and this is great. Yet I talk to many nurses who worry charging could put a client off seeing them, which in turn, could have a negative impact on the pet’s well-being.

Evidence

With these concerns burning bright in my mind, I decided to see if I could find some evidence – either way – as to if owners would like to pay for RVN consults or not.

I approached vet and The Telegraph columnist Pete Wedderburn for help disseminating my survey, due to the fact he has more than 21,000 followers on Facebook and I thought this was a good place to start if I wanted to gauge public opinion.

The results were very encouraging and I hope they will give RVNs the confidence to re-evaluate how they charge for their professional time and skills:

• More than 200 members of the public responded; 90 per cent knew RVNs were qualified professionals and 42 per cent have had an appointment with an RVN.

General comments included:

• “I’ve been fortunate to have my dogs experience some fantastic care, which went far above the call of duty, from some brilliant VNs. These same nurses have saved many a rescue pup’s life. There are dogs out there who owe their lives to [RVNs].”
• “Good VNs are worth their weight in gold and often seriously undervalued.”
• “Most nurses would deal with health-related appointments [in human medicine], so I see no reason why they shouldn’t do so with animals. Maybe the cost shouldn’t be as high as a qualified vet.”
• “I have had great advice from RVNs about my dog who has diabetes. I think this should be something they could specialise in.”
• “While [RVNs] are not qualified vets, they are highly skilled workers and an asset to veterinary practices. I would wholly respect their advice and definitely hold them in the same stance as vets for most things.”

It was encouraging to see very few of the respondents wouldn’t be prepared to pay for a 15-minute consultation with an RVN to discuss various topics. There was also support for packaged prices for various topics.

When it came to charges, comments included:

• “Not sure why the highest option for price is £21 to £25? A vet appointment is approximately £50 in my area and I would happily pay £30/£35 to see a nurse for some of those services.”
• “I feel it’s like the doctor’s surgery; if you’re in for routine things such as blood tests, injections and so on then there’s no reason why the nurse can’t do it and charge at around half the price of the vet.”

Veterinary Times reported (VT48.36) many owners were choosing not to ask the vet questions about non-clinical topics, as they were conscious of their limited time, and the survey found the same:

• “I think [VN clinics] would be a great service and I would happily pay for their time/advice on how to best care for my dogs. I often ask my vet’s advice on health/diet/behavioural issues at appointments, but am conscious of his time, so it would be great to have the option of these services as a way to focus on a specific concern.”
• “I think it would be nice if RVNs provided a more holistic service. My cats’ vet is amazing, but it’s very much a medical consultation and I’m always mindful there are other pets waiting. An RVN might have more time to go through options with clients and provide more hands-on care.”
• “Highly qualified nurses can deal with many complaints that a vet would normally do. Just like the NHS, this would give more time for the vet to deal with more complicated ailments.”

What can we do?

1. I would encourage all of you, as professionals, to ensure your clients know you are an RVN, SVN or someone with qualifications in specific areas, because they want to know about our knowledge. As this respondent said: “I don’t really know what a vet nurse is or what kind of education and training is involved, and so on. I would like to know more about that.”
2. Take every opportunity to introduce yourselves to pet owners. Results from my BVNA survey found 52 per cent of VNs don’t introduce themselves to clients – but I am sure you find it annoying when owners don’t know you are qualified.
3. Think about the time, skills and benefits your clients receive as part of a consultation with you, then talk to your team about appropriate charging, either per appointment or as part of a package.
4. Ensure you have the appropriate knowledge and training for the consulting topics you are offering. This will make clients feel they have received value from you and your practice. The value of this is reflected in this respondent’s comment: “I have used practice vet nurses in the past for microchipping and nail clipping. I would happily pay for their services, as long as they are a properly trained member of staff and confident delivering these services”.
5. Stop undervaluing yourself. We are part of an amazing profession, and a team that cares for pets and their owners. If we don’t charge appropriately for our services, we will never advance our practice, or ourselves enough to continue to offer the care pets and owners deserve.