A Career as a Veterinary Nurse

Veterinary Nurses (VNs) work alongside Veterinary Surgeons in order to provide a high standard of care for animals. Veterinary Nurses normally work within a veterinary surgery or veterinary hospital and are involved in a wide range of care and treatment. They provide skilled supportive care for sick animals as well as undertaking minor surgery, monitoring during anaesthesia, medical treatments and diagnostic tests under veterinary supervision.

Veterinary Nurses also play an important role in the education of owners on good standards of animal care.

As with any worthwhile job, the training you will need takes time, hard work and commitment - but if you are willing to put in the effort, you will be rewarded with a career, which offers variety, interest and daily contact with animals and their owners.

Skills Required

• Be able and enjoy working with people and animals
• Be able to work as a team member
• Be able to work under pressure
• Be aware that at times this job is not very glamorous
• You will train to carry out many practical nursing skills, prepare and assist for operations / procedures, etc.

To become a Veterinary Nurse:

• You must be 17 years or older 

• Employed at a Veterinary Nurse Approved Centre (VNAC) or at an RCVS registered Training Practice (TP). For up-to-date details of practices please consult the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons website: www.rcvs.org.uk.

• Have 5 GCSE's at grade C or above including English Language and two science subjects, one of which may be mathematics.

Or

• Have passed the Animal Nursing Assistant qualification which is a direct entry route qualification enabling individuals to enrol with the RCVS as a Student Veterinary Nurse without any other qualifications. Please refer to the information contained within this section and the education section of this website for more information on this qualification.

Or

• Alternative qualifications of a comparable or higher standard may be accepted in lieu of the usual requirements at the discretion of the RCVS. If you are unsure whether you can meet the entry requirements, please contact the RCVS directly.

• Alternatively, if you wanted to undertake a four year BSc Honours in Veterinary Nursing degree, the minimum requirements are as above plus at least: two A Levels, BTEC National Diploma in a science subject or Advanced GNVQs. Equivalent qualifications (including the VN Certificate) will also be considered. If you are over 21 without formal qualifications and can show high levels of ability and experience then you can also apply.

Training to be a Veterinary Nurse

As a Student Veterinary Nurse, you must:

• Have fulfilled all the requirements outlined in the 'How to become a Veterinary Nurse' section above.
• Contact the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to enrol as a Student Veterinary Nurse

Training to be a Veterinary Nurse usually takes at least two years and leads to a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at levels 2 and 3.

During training, students undertake a broad range of veterinary nursing practice under supervision. Practical training will usually be supported by a college-based course on either a day or block release basis. This is arranged through the training centre.

Students will be assessed in practice and will also undertake RCVS examinations at the end of their first and second years and complete portfolios of evidence.

Summary of course

• Stage 1.
  Gain GCSE's or take one-year course on Pre-Veterinary Nursing, whilst working in a veterinary practice. Exams are then taken at the end of first year and your first part of your portfolio needs to be assessed.
• Stage 2.
  Enrol onto Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Veterinary Nursing Scheme and begin training whilst working in a veterinary practice which is RCVS approved to train nurses (an ATAC - approved training and assessment centre).
• Academic training is then usually provided by attending college one day a week, or in block sessions. In addition to doing plenty of theoretical work at home and learning a lot of practical nursing care at the surgery. A portfolio of case logs in subjects such as Basic Animal Management, Communications, Animal First Aid, Human First Aid and Dispensing are to be completed.
• Stage 3.
  Second year of training.
  Further practical experience is gained at the ATAC. The second part of the portfolio needs to be completed including anaesthesia, exotic pets, theatre practice, radiography, medical and surgical case logs. There is an exam at the end of the second year.

When both the portfolio of case logs and the examinations are passed that person then qualifies and can use the title 'Veterinary Nurse'.

Alternatively, you can study for a BSc Honours in Veterinary Nursing degree, which consists of four years full-time study at Bristol University. During the degree programme, students will be eligible to take Level 2 (Par 1) and Level 3 (Part 2) of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons veterinary nursing examination leading to the professional qualification for veterinary nursing.

There is also a Higher National Diploma for Veterinary Nursing available at a number of Colleges.

If you are specifically interested in equine veterinary nursing, contact the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for details of the RCVS Certificate in Equine Veterinary Nursing.

There is usually high competition for places in veterinary practice for non-experienced members of staff to get their foot in the door. Voluntary work may be necessary in order to show you have some experience of veterinary practice life. If this is not possible try to get work experience in other animal environments, e.g. kennels and catteries.

A Career as a Veterinary Surgeon

These days Veterinary Surgery is one of the most popular career choices for young people and places to study the subject at University are oversubscribed making competition tough.

Skills required

• Love of animals and people
• A good communicator
• Good detective skills and an inquisitive mind
• Ambition and enthusiasm
• High intelligence and plenty of common sense

University Entry Requirements

There are variations between the entrance requirements for different veterinary schools and therefore you must check the requirements very carefully in the individual university prospectuses. Prospectuses can be obtained free of charge direct from the universities, or can be viewed on their websites.

In general terms, the entry requirements of the university veterinary schools are as follows:

A Levels
Chemistry must be offered at A-level. The requirement for other subjects varies a little from university to university, but either one or two subjects from Biology, Physics or Mathematics should be offered. Those universities which accept Chemistry and either Biology, Physics or Mathematics will accept a third A-level in a non-science subject, but it must be an academically sound subject. The grades generally expected are two A's and a B (Usually requiring an A in Chemistry)

AS Levels
Some universities accept AS levels, but precise requirements can vary. Normally, 2 AS levels will be accepted in lieu of 1 A level, except in Chemistry where a full A level is required.

SCE Highers
Chemistry must be offered and generally two subjects from Biology, Physics or Mathematics. The grades generally expected are AAABB.

CSYS
Applicants are normally advised to proceed to the Sixth Year and include CSYS Chemistry and Biology or Physics in their subjects.

GCSE
You must meet the general entrance requirements of the university. Most universities require you to have at least a grade C pass in English Language. Where A-level Biology or Physics is not offered, that subject or the equivalent (double award) should usually have been studied to GCSE level.

Work Experience

All of the university veterinary schools require applicants to show evidence of their interest and commitment by having gained experience of working in a veterinary practice and working with and handling animals including livestock. However, practical experience is not a substitute for academic qualifications.

Applying to University

The number of high quality applications for entry to university veterinary schools far exceeds the number of places available. You need to be aware, therefore, that even if you meet the entry requirements, you are not necessarily guaranteed a place.

All applications from school leavers, mature students, graduates (except in the case of Cambridge) and overseas students for places on veterinary degree courses at UK universities must be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). For further information, contact the Secretary of UCAS, Fulton House, Jessop Avenue, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 3SH, or visit their website.

UCAS publishes an annual guidance handbook to assist in completing the application form. Applications are made approximately one year in advance. Applicants for entry to Cambridge must also submit, at an early stage, a preliminary application form direct to the college of their choice within that university or an open application to the Cambridge InterCollegiate Applications Office. You will only be able to list four veterinary schools on your UCAS form. The remaining two choices should be for non-veterinary degrees.

The Universities

There are six universities in the UK offering veterinary degrees approved by the RCVS.

These are Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and London (the Royal Veterinary College). The degree courses are five years in length (six years at Cambridge).

Holders of the veterinary degree awarded by these six UK universities may register and become a member of The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) which is the governing body of the profession in the United Kingdom.

Every veterinary surgeon has an obligation to deal with emergencies in any species at any time. Anyone contemplating a career in veterinary practice should remember this. It is a 24-hour service, 365 days a year.

Career Opportunities

The veterinary profession, though numerically small (19,226 registered veterinarians in 2000), has varied and important duties. There are career opportunities in a number of areas including:

General Practice
The veterinary surgeon is responsible for the prevention of disease and for the medical and surgical treatment of animals including household pets, zoo animals, farm animals and horses.

There is a wide range of jobs in this field - from the charities (PDSA, RSPCA) seeing first opinion work to specialist referral practices and university hospitals.

Veterinary Teaching and Research
Research is undertaken at the university veterinary schools and at research institutes, departments financed by Government, in laboratories and by private enterprise. Many careers in research span the interface between human and veterinary medicine.

Government Service
Many opportunities exist within the public sector. Veterinary surgeons are involved in protecting public health in the Department of Health or the newly created Food Standards Agency.

The profession's involvement in animal health and in preventing major epidemic diseases is carried out by the Veterinary Field Service - part of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)

Other Opportunities
Other opportunities exist in commerce and industry, in international organisations and overseas. For example, there is the Food and Agricultural organisation of the UN; the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, Veterinary Advisor to drug companies. etc.

Further information:

Bristol
http://www.vetschool.bris.ac.uk

Cambridge
http://www.vet.cam.ac.uk

Edinburgh
http://www.vet.ed.ac.uk

Glasgow
http://www.gla.ac.uk/Acad/FacVet/

Liverpool
http://pcwww.liv.ac.uk/vets/

London
http://www.rvc.ac.uk