Veterinary Nursing: How To Become A Veterinary Nurse In The Uk
A veterinary nurse is a professional job, and training to become one can be done
within a working practice although certain qualifications are required before you will be accepted. Much of the actual training can be carried out on the job, but you must be able to display a certain level of academic attainment prior to training for this very responsible job.
Although there is an ever increasing requirement for veterinary nurses within the UK and Europe, the training involved remains at a high level. This is a reflection of the responsibility involved, and there are also a number of levels of training involving the basic veterinary qualification and then various specializations.
First, however, the basic qualifications. Naturally, these will vary according to your nationality, and the following are the requirements for anybody, male or female, with a desire to work as a veterinary nurse in the UK.
A. An RCVS Approved Training Practice.
Certain veterinary practices have been approved by the RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons) as 'Training Practices'. That means that the practice can employ student vet nurses and train them during their employment. This is preferred by many young nurses because they are getting paid during their training. It takes 2 years and you will be working full time during that period.
In order to become a Training Practice, the veterinary practice must undergo rigorous inspections by the RCVS and also regular audits of their procedures and methods of training. To be admitted to this type of on-the-job training, you must hold at least five GCSEs at Grade C or higher, and these must include two science subjects (physics, biology, chemistry or mathematics) and English Language plus two others. In Scotland, Standard Grades 1-3 and Highers A-E in similar subjects are acceptable.
Alternatively, the British Veterinary Nursing Association's Pre-Veterinary Nursing Course is an acceptable qualification for being accepted into training. You can work in a veterinary practice while taking this one-year day release course, and if you pass the examination at the end of the course, then you can start proper veterinary nurse training.
If you are over 21 and want to be involved in equine veterinary nursing, you can work for an equine practice for four years, and then obtain references stating that you would be able to pass an examination and that's you. You can then enter the equine veterinary nursing course.
Keep in mind that you cannot commence training until you are least 17 years old, and that all training colleges you may attend must be approved by the BVNA.
Once you have these qualifications you will then work in the approved Training Practice for two years. You will sit an exam twice a year, and it generally takes the two full years to become a qualified veterinary nurse.
B. Degree Course
There are pros and cons in taking a degree in veterinary nursing. The pros are that you will be trained well in theory and that you can focus on your studies since you don't have to have a job while learning. You also get a degree at the end of it. However, the list of cons is longer:
You will have massive fees and students loans to pay off, you don't earn money while training, the practical training is very poor and vets won't employ you if they have a practice trained veterinary nurse applying for the same job. That is because of a degree student's lack of practical experience - and that is a very compelling reason for a vet not to employ a college graduate.
C. Further Training
Once you have qualified you can start looking for a job. If you want to do locum work, you will have to have had at least 6 months experience working as a qualified vet nurse in a veterinary practice. However, there are various other courses open to you if you want to improve your knowledge or specialize.
For example, you can take a distance learning course for the Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing (DipAVN), of which there is a medical and a surgical specialization. You get the above letters after your name and will be recognized as a veterinary nurse with a high degree of competence in veterinary surgical work or medical expertise.
Most veterinary nurses take the Training Practice route unless they have enough money to get them through college. Even so, they will lack practical experience, and a veterinary practice will employ a vet nurse that took the Training Practice route in preference. Nevertheless, veterinary nursing is a rewarding career, and also well paid if you gain one or more of the higher qualifications available to you.
by: Angela Brewer
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