Major honours for Myerscough College veterinary stalwarts

The RCVS have announced Dr Barry Johnson as the winner of this year’s Queen’s Medal, and Kathy Kissick as the winner of this year’s Golden Jubilee Award. These awards are the highest honours the RCVS can bestow upon a veterinary surgeon and veterinary nurse respectively.

Dr Barry Johnson is a Myerscough College Fellow and was a lecturer for thirty years, after Myerscough began offering veterinary nursing courses back in 1975.

Barry said: "This is an enormous honour for a practitioner from Lancashire. I have always enjoyed being a veterinary surgeon and am grateful to my colleagues and clients for making my career so fulfilling rewarding and fun.”

Currently Barry is the Chairman of World Horse Welfare, as well as the charity’s International Committee, and is a regional representative for the Veterinary Benevolent Fund, as well as being Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Lancashire. He also served as RCVS President from 1993-1994 and was an RCVS Council Member for 28 years (1986-1998; 2000-2016).

He was nominated by fellow veterinary surgeon, Dr Peter Jinman, a current member of RCVS Council, who said: “There are few members who have contributed so much of their personal time for the benefit of the veterinary profession both locally and nationally. Barry represents the very best of what a veterinary practitioner can achieve both in terms of his profession and in wider society.”

Meanwhile Kathy Kissick was Head of School for Veterinary Nursing & Farriery Science at Myerscough for many years and is still involved in the department following a move to live in the Channel Islands.

Kathy said: “I am delighted, honoured and humbled to accept the Golden Jubilee award and hope that I can continue to inspire veterinary nurses, throughout their careers, to always do the very best for their patients, clients and colleagues but not to forget to follow their dreams.”

Currently Kathy is a trustee of the Alderney Animal Welfare Society and is also on the editorial board for The Veterinary Nurse. She has also been very active within the RCVS, initially as a nursing examiner and then as both a Member and then Chair of the RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council.

She was nominated by Lynne Kerrigan, Assistant Head of Veterinary Nursing – FE at Myerscough College and former colleague and student of Kathy’s.

Lynne said: “She has become a role model for both aspiring and qualified veterinary nurses through her relentless passion and tenacity to raise the profile of veterinary nursing and her continuous drive to achieve improved recognition and protection of the title veterinary nurse.”

Barry and Kathy will receive their accolades at this year’s RCVS Day in July.