Registered Veterinary Nurse - Surgical

UE06: £34,610 - £39,906 per annum 

CMVM / Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies

Full-time: 35 hours per week +2.5 hours of contractual overtime paid above salary   (Monday-Friday, 8.30am-5pm (TBC with successful candidate)

Fixed-term:  14 month contract 

 

Our full and part time nurses are required to cover one weekend shift per month, paid as overtime according to university guidelines.

 

Be part of something bigger, there’s a career for everyone at the University of Edinburgh.

 

Our technical staff are essential to supporting teaching, research, and the smooth operation of our facilities.  Whether you’re maintaining cutting-edge lab equipment, facilitating ground-breaking research, developing new techniques, or enhancing student and staff experience with top-notch facilities, your work will have a lasting impact that stretches far beyond our academic community.

 

 

The Opportunity:

We have an exciting opportunity for an RCVS registered veterinary nurse to join our dedicated surgical nursing team at the Hospital for Small Animals. This role will see you working in our wards and in our surgical suites as required. 

 

The Surgery Service at HfSA delivers world-leading care for companion animals, with cutting-edge treatments, surgeries and investigations. Our team contains RCVS and European board-certified Specialists clinicians working alongside our specialist nurses.

 

We are proud to deliver the highest level of care to patients with life‑threatening conditions as well as those with more routine needs, ensuring every animal receives the attention and expertise they deserve.

 

Our Specialist Services at HfSA include: 

• Anaesthesia
• Cardiology Service
• Dermatology
• Diagnostic Imaging
• Dick Vet Rabbit and Exotic Practice
• Emergency & Critical Care
• The Feline Clinic
• The Internal Medicine Service
• Neurology and Neurosurgery
• Ophthalmology Service
• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Soft Tissue Surgery
• REPAIR Centre
• The Riddell-Swan Veterinary Cancer Centre
• The Behaviour Clinic 

 

Our hospital is equipped with:

• Three canine wards
• Four exotics wards
• One feline ward
• Purpose-built isolation units
• A fully equipped emergency room
• Dedicated Intermediate Care and Intensive Care Wards
• Four theatre suites 
• MRI and CT imaging 
• Vital Beam linear accelerator

 

Training & Support

We offer a comprehensive 6–8 week training programme to help you settle into the role. You’ll normally start by shadowing our friendly and experienced team during standard daytime hours (Monday–Friday, 8:30am–5:00pm) to build your confidence and skills. Any hours worked beyond your contracted weekly hours during training will be paid as overtime according to university guidelines.

 

View the full job description (opens in a new browser tab) 

 

We welcome applications from all RCVS qualified Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN) candidates. Contact Senior Surgical Nurse, Shirley Simpson [email protected]  for more details.

 

How to apply

Please include the following documents in your application:

- CV

- Cover letter

 

As a valued member of our team, you can expect: 

• A competitive salary. 
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work. 
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits. 

 

Championing equality, diversity, and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter, and we are also a Stonewall Proud Employer, actively promoting LGBTQ+ equality. 

 

Prior to any employment commencing with the University, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab)

 

On this occasion the University will not consider applicants requiring sponsorship for this role. International workers will therefore only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.
 

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 1 September 2026.
 

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm UK time. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone. 
 

As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.

The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies (https://vet.ed.ac.uk/about/what-we-do) (opens in a new browser tab) is a one-of-a-kind centre of excellence in clinical activity, teaching and research. Our purpose-built campus, set against the Pentland Hills Regional Park, is home to over 800 staff and a thriving student community (https://vet.ed.ac.uk/education) (opens in a new browser tab).  

The School comprises the Roslin Institute, three veterinary hospitals, a pathology unit, innovation centre and a range of research centres and services.

We represent one of the largest concentrations of animal science expertise in Europe, impacting local, regional, national and international communities in terms of economic growth, the provision of clinical services and the advancement of scientific knowledge.

Education
The School is widely accredited, enabling our graduates to practise across the globe. We are ranked among the best vet schools in the UK and internationally, evidencing our leadership in veterinary education, research and clinical practice.

The Roslin Institute collaborates closely in delivering research-led teaching to undergraduate veterinary students, and promoting clinical veterinary research and translation.

The School’s position as part of the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine enables the translation of expertise and knowledge into human health and vice-versa. 

Research Impact
In a joint submission to the latest UK Research Excellence Framework exercise, research at the School and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) ranked number one in the UK for agriculture, food and veterinary sciences by combining ratings for each institution. The research environment was rated 100 per cent world leading or internationally excellent, as was the impact of our research on society.

Community
The School holds Athena SWAN Silver, and the Roslin Institute Gold. The campus is home to a thriving and diverse community of staff and students, with access to facilities including allotments, cycle facilities, fitness trails, restaurants and a gym.