Miss Sam McGaw
BSc (Hons), VNCertECC, RVN
ECC RVN
Department: Clinical Science and Services
Clinical Groups: Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care
Sam is a Registered Veterinary Nurse, working in the Emergency and Critical Care department of the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals. She is also a Clinical Educator for the Veterinary Nursing School, contributing to the delivery and assessment of the RVC’s veterinary nursing programmes.
Sam studied at the Royal Veterinary College, qualifying as a Registered Veterinary Nurse in 2015 and graduating with her BSc (Hons) in 2016. She spent time in a variety of practices during her training, including the RVC’s Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital and the QMH, where she developed an interest in referral nursing. As an RVN, Sam initially worked for the QMH Internal Medicine department before embarking upon a career in ECC in 2015. Alongside her clinical role, Sam began working for the RVC’s Veterinary Nursing School as a Clinical Educator in 2022.
Sam gained her Vets Now Certificate in Emergency and Critical Care in 2019. In 2021 she was amongst the first cohort of students to undertake the Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Nursing in Emergency and Critical Care at the RVC. Sam is due to enrol onto the RVC’s Postgraduate Certificate in Veterinary Education in 2023.
Sam performed a clinical audit on nutrition for the ECC patient, which she presented at BVNA Research Bites 2022. The audit was selected as a Highly Commended Runner Up in the 2023 RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Awards and is due to be published later this year.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1681-2401
Within her teaching role, Sam provides support to undergraduate students in her role as a tutor. Her clinical experience is utilised in the delivery of the ECC undergraduate module, where interests include triage and stabilisation of the emergency patient. Sam will soon be taking on the role of Deputy Module Leader (in training) for the Academic and Professional Development II module for second year Student Veterinary Nurses. Sam also facilitates session for BVetMed students, with a particular interest in communication skills and animal handling.
Following her completion of the PGCertAVN, Sam works as a CertAVN Mentor to postgraduate students and has recently been appointed as Lead Mentor. She is a maternity cover Deputy Module Leader for Units 1 and 3 of the CertAVN ECC Pathway, where she is involved in delivery and assessment of online teaching.
Within her clinical role as an ECC RVN at the QMH, Sam’s time is split across the ICU and ER. Responsibilities include managing the caseload, stabilisation of emergency patients and nursing care of critical patients. She is a Nutrition Champion for the QMH Nutrition Focus group and a member of the QMH Green Team. Sam has played a large role in clinical student support and mentoring; she is a qualified Clinical Coach for Student Veterinary Nurses and has developed inductions for BVetMed students on critical care and emergency medicine rotations. She also works as a mentor to new members of the nursing team.
Sam contributes to various RVC Outreach activities, including presenting to RVC offer holders, meet the veterinary nurse presentations, hosting Q+As at Summer Schools and conducting student selection interviews.