Veterinary Nurse – Small Animal

AllPets Veterinary Hospital, Drogheda, Co. Louth

Full-time, Fixed Term Contract (12 months)

Salary up to €35,000 DOE

Start date from March 2026

A Theatre-Focused Nursing Role Where Your Skills Really Matter

AllPets Veterinary Hospital is looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic Veterinary Nure to join our busy, modern small animal hospital in Drogheda. This role is ideal for a nurse who enjoys working in a theatre and takes real pride in delivering excellent peri-operative care. While you’ll be involved across the hospital, the focus of this position is very much on surgical nursing, anaesthesia, and patient support before, during, and after procedures.

This is a fantastic opportunity to work alongside an experienced clinical team in a supportive environment where high standards, learning, and teamwork are genuinely valued.

Your Role in the Practice

As part of our nursing team, you’ll play a key role in the smooth running of our surgical caseload. Your day-to-day work will involve preparing patients for surgery, carrying out thorough pre-operative checks, supporting anaesthesia from induction through to recovery, and providing attentive post-operative care. You’ll be hands-on in theatre, maintaining sterility, assisting surgeons, and ensuring equipment is functioning correctly and safely.

You’ll also be trusted to monitor patients closely, recognise early signs of deterioration, respond calmly and effectively in emergencies, and contribute to pain management and fluid therapy plans. Accurate record-keeping, clear handovers, and close collaboration with vets, nurses and support staff are all central to the role.

The Kind of Nurse We’re Looking For

We’re looking for a nurse who is passionate about patient care and thrives in a fast-paced clinical environment. Ideally, you’ll have two to three years’ experience in a busy small animal practice and be confident with anaesthesia monitoring, theatre work, and surgical nursing. That said, newly qualified nurses are very welcome to apply - we offer structured support, mentoring, and training to help you grow in confidence and skill.

You’ll be organised, calm under pressure, and able to prioritise effectively when the day gets busy. Strong communication skills, attention to detail, and a genuine team-first attitude are essential. Most importantly, you’ll care deeply about doing the right thing for patients and supporting your colleagues.

Working Pattern & Rota

This is a full-time role, working 37.5 hours per week over five days. There is an out-of-hours weekend rota of one weekend in seven, with no overnight work, helping to maintain a healthy work–life balance while still offering exposure to emergency care.

About AllPets Veterinary Hospital

AllPets is a 100% small animal hospital based in Drogheda, Co. Louth, just 30 minutes from Dublin Airport. We’re a well-established, newly expanded and fully equipped practice with digital and dental X-ray, ultrasound, in-house blood analysers, and excellent surgical facilities. We are proud to be a Gold-accredited ISFM Cat Friendly Clinic, reflecting our commitment to high clinical and welfare standards.

Our team is large, experienced, and supportive, made up of seven veterinary surgeons, nine veterinary nurses, client care staff, animal care assistants, and a dedicated management team. Many of our vets and nurses hold additional certificates in areas such as medicine, surgery, dentistry, anaesthesia and ECC, creating a great learning environment for anyone keen to develop their skills. CPD is actively encouraged, with regular in-house training, coaching sessions, and access to further qualifications.

What We Offer in Return

Comprehensive Benefits Package – subject to pro rata

We recognise that our people are fundamental to the success of our business. Investing in our staff, premises and processes is at the heart of what we do. In addition to a competitive salary, you will also benefit from:

Work life balance

*22 days annual leave entitlement

*Birthday leave

Focus on employee wellbeing

*Paid Maternity, Paternity and Adoptive leave packages

*Cycle to work scheme

*EAP and wellbeing centre access

*Paid bereavement leave

*Company sick pay

Development

*€600 annual CPD allowance with 3 days paid (pro-rata)

*Bespoke Graduate Nurse Academy, Nurse Evolve and many more in-house academies

*Funding of any Certificates / Diplomas / PhD’s you may want to pursue

*Leadership Academy for all future leaders, including Head Nurses and Practice Managers

*Career progression opportunities

Professional memberships

*VCI membership paid

*VDS cover paid

Additional benefits

*Pawesome benefits – various discounts including retails and virtual gym

*Employee pension contributions

*Discounted staff pet veterinary fees

*Free flu jabs

*Opportunity to join company programmes (LGBTQIA+, Wellbeing Champions, Clinical Board and many more)

Join a Team That Cares

If you’re a Veterinary Nurse who enjoys theatre work, values high standards, and wants to be part of a friendly, skilled and supportive hospital team, we’d love to hear from you. Whether you’re an experienced nurse looking to deepen your surgical skills or a newer graduate eager to learn in the right environment, AllPets Veterinary Hospital could be a great next step in your career.

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€0 - €35,000 a year

Up to €35,000 DOE

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Veterinary Nurse - Small Animal - FTC

Benefits

Job Description