Helen Ballantyne, after graduating with a degree in Pharmacology in 2002, qualified as a veterinary nurse in 2005. Combining her passions for veterinary nursing and travel, she began a 8-year stint as a locum nurse working nationally and internationally, developing experience in referral medicine and surgery, charity practice, emergency nursing and exotics. During this time, she spent five years on the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) council in a variety of roles, culminating in her being awarded honorary membership in 2016. In 2013, she qualified as a human-centred nurse taking up a position at the United Kingdom’s largest specialist cardiothoracic hospital, Papworth NHS Foundation Trust. After two years working in intensive care, she moved to the transplant team. Within this role, she supports the ongoing care of patients, pre and post-transplant. She is also a member of the National Organ Retrieval team, on call to facilitate the collection of organs from deceased donors. Helen remains a Registered Veterinary Nurse and has developed a strong interest in the principles of One Health, supporting collaborative practice between the medical and veterinary professions. She regularly lectures and writes about ideas and ways of working that may be shared between the professions to support clinical and professional practice. As she goes to work, her friends and family take great delight in asking her, ‘Is it humans or animals today?’
