vet nursing

Hi guys! I was wondering if there's anyone else thinking of applying for vet nursing in 2015? (or even people who have applied for 2014!)

I just want to know which colleges/unis you're looking at and what you think about them?
To date I've been to RVC and Harper Adams and have open days booked for Nottingham Trent and Middlesex :smile:

thanks!

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Reply 1

soulcalli

I have been to Hartpury open day and I loved it there! Especially if you love horses, it's a great place to go! It's a really nice campus with some really nice people!

It is in the middle of the countryside and it's so beautiful and tranquil :smile:

although, you are still not too far away from the main town centre :smile:

Reply 2

h0ffers

Sorry for the late reply! I'm kinda new to the site! :colondollar:

haha!

Thanks! May have a look on their website and see if they have any more open days! :smile:

Are you thinking about working with horses or small animals? :smile:

Reply 3

soulcalli

Original post by h0ffers

Sorry for the late reply! I'm kinda new to the site! :colondollar:

haha!

Thanks! May have a look on their website and see if they have any more open days! :smile:

Are you thinking about working with horses or small animals? :smile:

Haha! It's okay, I've only been really using it recently too!

I'm thinking about working with Equines, but I will probably do the Veterinary Nursing course and then top up my degree with an Equine specialism. How about you?

Oh, and also, Bristol do a good degree that consists of Vet Nursing and Bioveterinary Sciences I think? It's the only one of it's kind at the moment!

Reply 4

Emma_Jayne95

Oooh yay! Glad I found this thread. :smile:

I'm looking at RVC, Hartpury, Middlesex, Harper Adams and Nottingham Trent. I also went to a Hartpury open day and fell in love with it. :smile:

Have you looked into the Diploma route or only Uni?

Reply 5

LauraCSVN

Just come across this so hope you don't mind my input! I'm a current vet nurse student at Harper Adams and it's amazing there, the course is brilliant and everywhere is so friendly, such a good student atmosphere! Would definitely recommend going to the open day to see what you think :smile:

Reply 6

h0ffers

That sounds cool! :smile:

I'm quite interested in exotics so I may see if there is any top up course to do with zoo animals :smile:

I went to Harper Adams a couple of weeks a go! The facilities were really good and everyone was really friendly! :smile:

I still have Nottingham Trent and Middlesex open days to go to-all the unis I've been to so far have been really good so it will be a hard decision! :P

Reply 7

h0ffers

Also I've only looked at the uni pathway into vet nursing, not sure how I'd do with the other apprenticeship-type way, apparently it's really hard to find a place to accept vet nurse apprentices!

Reply 8

LauraCSVN

Vet nurse apprentice places are really hard to come by, its hard enough trying to find a practice to do short block placements! Worth looking into though as you're generally paid on the job compared to being out if pocket paying uni fees... With the uni route you get the student experience though which is priceless :smile:

Reply 9

soulcalli

Original post by h0ffers

Also I've only looked at the uni pathway into vet nursing, not sure how I'd do with the other apprenticeship-type way, apparently it's really hard to find a place to accept vet nurse apprentices!

i'm pretty certain that the shop Pets At Home allows apprenticeship/training Vet Nurses into it's linked veterinary surgery called Companion Care :smile:

Reply 10

soulcalli

Original post by LauraCSVN

what other Universities did you look at? And what made you chose Harper Adams? I haven't heard much about it so I think I will need to research there a little more! What facilities do you have, also? :smile:

Reply 11

Tarnia

When I was a final year student at the Dick Vet in Edinburgh, there were nursing students doing their practical components there, including in the exotics animal hospital. I believe there was an additional zoo option, an extra year of schooling I believe, offered. I *think* they were from the UofE nursing program, but I don't know for sure. If you contacted them they could probably confirm that for you.

Sorry to not be more help and good luck!

Reply 12

LauraCSVN

Original post by soulcalli

I looked at all the main VN ones so RVC, Hartpury, Middlesex and Harper but it's Harper that stood out for me. It was the student atmosphere and the location that did it, but the course is brilliant and the lecturers are so helpful - Not to mention the fact that Harper VN grads have a really good reputation!
The main practical facilities that we use is the vet nursing unit which is basically an unused veterinary practice with prep room, lab, xray room, theatre and so on and there's a big companion animal centre that you use in first year so you get chance to gain experience with all sorts of animals from hamsters to snakes and birds! They've also built a brand new small animal rehabilitation centre so you may get chance to use that too. Then of course with it being Harper you'll have chance to work with farm animals like cows, sheep, pigs and chickens on the farm if you're into that kind of thing.
Would really recommend it as a uni and for the course, definitely go and have a look and see what you think at the open day :smile:

Reply 13

soulcalli

Original post by LauraCSVN

It sounds like a really great course and University! I will be sure to look into it, thank you for the information! :smile:

Reply 14

h0ffers

Hi everyone, hope you're all well! :smile:

I just wanted to say that I ordered a prospectus from Hartpury and it came in the post yesterday after having a flick through it I've arranged to go to their open day on the 27th of September, I'm quite excited about it! :biggrin:

Reply 15

DVPM

Hi
I would definitely recommend going to open days at as many of the Uni's you're interested in as possible.
We went to several and had been to RVC Summer School. It definitely helped narrow down the final choices on UCAS application, as you can only choose 5 so it's a shame to waste a choice on somewhere that you hate when you visit. We visited a mix of city (Middlesex and Edinburgh Napier) and rural (RVC and Nottingham Trent) campuses and this helped focus our choices, thinking about the structure of different courses and the practicalities of accomodation, placements, travelling etc, over the 3/4years.
Was offered interviews at all the Uni's applied to, but attended and got offers from top two choices first before the dates of the other interviews so accepted firm and insurance choices and cancelled other interviews.

Now starting at first choice next month :smile:

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 16

h0ffers

Thank you, that's good advice to take on board, I'll be starting yr 13 next week and the focus will be on uni and uni applications! You wouldn't happen to have any advice for the uni interview process would you? I know it's a little while off yet but I'm just curious! :smile:

Congratulations on getting your first choice as well! You must be really pleased :smile:

Reply 17

DVPM

Original post by h0ffers

Congratulations on getting your first choice as well! You must be really pleased :smile:

Thanks, excited and terrified in equal measure :biggrin:

Your personal statement will play a big role in getting you an interview (or not) and different Unis are looking for different info to be included, so make sure you check the requirements for the places you're applying to and include everything required. You can get good info on this at Open Days.
Each interview included a group discussion and/or practical task as well as an individual interview and a written task.
They were very interested in work experience and what you have learned/experienced while in the practice.

good luck :smile:

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 18

thewordynerdy

Hi everyone, I was also looking at doing a Veterinary nursing degree, but I was wondering what A-Levels do you guys do? and how much work experience have you got?
thank you very much

Reply 19

DVPM

Original post by thewordynerdy

Hi everyone, I was also looking at doing a Veterinary nursing degree, but I was wondering what A-Levels do you guys do? and how much work experience have you got?
thank you very much

Extended Level 3 Diploma in Animal Managment instead of A levels. The course required 300 hours+ work experience so did one day a week at local vet practice for a year. Also one day a week for three months at a kennels/cattery and one day a week for 10 weeks at riding stables.