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Veterinary Nurses!

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Original post by Serena230793
Hi :smile: I'm currently at Middlesex University studying BSc Veterinary Nursing in my first year. Other universities which offer this course are obviously RCVS, Harper Adams, Bristol, Napier and many other. Have a look on the UCAS website course finder if you want to view more.

So far, the course is fine. It is challenging at times because obviously it's only the first year, so you have to get used to the basics before you can start doing any more complicated procedures. As they say, practise makes perfect.

Anyone can complete this course as long as you meet the requirements for the course.

Well, I'd recommend it to anyone that wanted to become a Veterinary Nurse, although the degree route is not for everyone. You can just as easily either train at a training practise as a student vet nurse or take the NVQ route but I'm not familiar with that.

Science qualifications are recommended because you'll have to do a bit of biology as a starting point; in order for you to care for an injured animal, you've gotta know what's wrong, how to fix it, what effects certain medications will have on the body and why but you can get in with a BTEC in Animal Welfare/Care Management.

Hope this helps! x


Heyyy, I have an interview for this course on Wednesday, any tips!? Are the people nice? Haha :smile: also do you like the uni etc? :smile:

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Reply 21
I'm hoping to become a Vet Nurse, Waiting to see if I've been accepted! Fingers crossed!!! :biggrin:
Reply 22
I'm hoping to do Veterinary Nursing and have applied to do an Extended Foundation Degree in Vet Nursing as I don't have the correct A levels. Currently on an apprenticeship in Animal care and volunteering one day a week (having to work around the apprenticeship hours) I sent off my application a week ago so I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Also applied to do Animal Management and Welfare (with year 0) if I'm unsuccessful with my vet nursing application!
Reply 23
Hi
Im 21, recently finished university with a 2:1 Ba (hons) in History. I have just decided that id like to try and become a Veterinary Nurse, this is a bit awkward as my Alevels were in Sociology, History and English Language / English Literature.

I have decided to do an online Alevel in either Biology or a Veterinary Support Assistant Level 3.

My main problem is that as I have already completed a degree, I will not be eligible for a student loan. I am considering taking out a career development loan but am not sure if it will cover the full cost of the course / living costs. If I could save up towards any of this I gladly would, but unfortunately I am unable to find work at the moment.

Can anyone offer any advice or share their experience if they have been in a similar situation? I will be going to see a careers advisor next week to see if i can get any financial help for the cost of an Alevel in biology.:confused:
Reply 24
As far as I'm aware (I am an A Level student who works weekends in a vets), you don't necessarily need a degree to become a Veterinary nurse. Some places like RVC offer it as a degree, but I don't think it's necessary.
Where I work, there is currently a trainee nurse who is attending college to become a veterinary nurse.
I would look into that if I were you, because it would be a lot cheaper.
Of course I could be completely wrong, but that was the impression I got.

http://www.rcvs.org.uk/education/i-want-to-be-a-veterinary-nurse/
Reply 25
Agree with Chaelif - as you already have a degree, do you really want to do another?? Personally I'd advise going down the RCVS Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing route. If you haven't already done so, take a look at the British Veterinary Nursing Association website as there is lots of useful info there. Good luck!
Reply 26
Thank you for replying!

I have just phoned the college up - to do the degree would cost £7,000 a year (+living costs) for 3 years...so since I don't qualify for student loans that isnt really an option.

They offer the Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing which is about £1000 a year, so this seems much more realistic. So thank you for pointing me in this direction!

Unfortunately I am going to have to resit my GCSE maths as I only got a D, i do have another maths qualification but they wont accept it.
Original post by loveireandsong
Heyyy, I have an interview for this course on Wednesday, any tips!? Are the people nice? Haha :smile: also do you like the uni etc? :smile:

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Hi :biggrin: All the best with your interview! Well, I advise you to just be yourself, be prepared for the big questions such as "Why do you want to be a Veterinary Nurse?" and possibly read a recent article of the Veterinary Nurse Times or VetsOnline or any recent outbreaks of viruses.

Also, have some questions ready for them in terms of what makes that uni the 'cream of the crop', as it were. The people are nice, obviously you come across all sorts of people but generally animal lovers are pretty nice hehe :smile: I love the uni! Middlesex actually was not my first choice but I'm so glad I ended up going there!

I'm currently doing my work-based placement as a student vet nurse at the moment and boy, it is exhausting! Rewarding and interesting but exhausting lol but hopefully you would have found out whether or not the course offers placement or not but I'd advise a sandwich course or a course like mine that is structured to allow you to be in and out of work to learn and gain hands on experience that is vital nowadays. Hope this helped, any more questions, just let me know
Reply 28
Due to only deciding to go down this route a few weeks ago, I haven't managed to do any work experience yet. The deadline is today and everything is filled in, is it even worth sending it? They all want 2 weeks work experience prior, however I have plenty of medical experience with horses and work with dogs. Should I add to my PS why I haven't done any work experience yet?
Reply 29
Original post by deoni
Due to only deciding to go down this route a few weeks ago, I haven't managed to do any work experience yet. The deadline is today and everything is filled in, is it even worth sending it? They all want 2 weeks work experience prior, however I have plenty of medical experience with horses and work with dogs. Should I add to my PS why I haven't done any work experience yet?


Just include that you are due to start work experience shortly? But make sure you know you're going to get some exp first! :smile:
Original post by deoni
Due to only deciding to go down this route a few weeks ago, I haven't managed to do any work experience yet. The deadline is today and everything is filled in, is it even worth sending it? They all want 2 weeks work experience prior, however I have plenty of medical experience with horses and work with dogs. Should I add to my PS why I haven't done any work experience yet?


It's worth sending it in :smile: Put in your PS that you're planning/definitely got more experience and give it a go. If they say yes, fantastic! If they say no, at least you know what you need to work on for your next application :smile: Good luck!
Reply 31
I currently studying a different course at Bristol Uni but I am not doing so well so would like to look into possibilities/back up plans.

Any info would be much appreciated :smile:

With vet nursing on the UWE website it says 2/3 and even 4 years, including sandwhich year? I'm confused with all these different lengths of times and sandwhiches! ha ha

I understand that there must be different lengths of time for different "types" of vet nursing degree?

My other concern is that it seems you have to do vocational work at hartbury college? But I live way way far away! Is this right? and how long for? would this be included in the "2/3 or 4" years?

I can't seem to find any other place relativley near the south west which offers the course! - I did see something about radstock doing an animal related course bu their website is down.

I need to remain in the south west, and so I don't know where else to look seing as most of the colleges/universities offering vet nurse courses are south east bound.

Reading into it, I did see that you can train to be a vet nurse with an accredited practice but I am assuming that there are a lack of student places, and difficult to get an apprenticeship. If lucky enough to find an apprenticeship, do you then work the 2/3 years with the practice or work at the practice and go to a college?

Many thanks in advanced!
Reply 32
Hi!

Not sure how much help I will be, but will try to explain what I know :smile: I have just applied, waiting to hear from my chose unis at the mo! A lot of the 3 or 4 year courses have ONE year in a practice, normally 2nd year I believe, and odd bits of placement in the others years, so for that full 2nd year as far as I believe you don't attend university at all, the uni helps to arrange this placement and don't think you have to stay around where you are at uni (that might be incorrect but that's the impression I got!) :smile: There aren't really that many universities that actually offer a veterinary nursing degree really, quite a few places do a foundation degree which is 3 years and then the BSc is 4 years! I'm pretty sure there is a uni in Cornwall that do it, think its called Duchy College or something a long those lines! When applying they ask that you have at least 2 weeks work experience in a small animal veterinary practice, mine took a long time to arrange as practices have high demand for people wanting to do work experience, so I would advise getting on with that straight away :smile: lots of people say that doing the whole course/qualification in a veterinary practice is actually better as you are constantly doing practical stuff and then spend a day or so a week at a college, but I did try this and found it pretty much impossible but obviously will hugely differ depending where you live!! hope this has helped a little bit, if you have any more questions I will do my best to answer them, and really sorry there is no paragraphs in this, my enter button stopped working! haha :smile: x
Reply 33
To obtain the VN qualification you have to do 60 weeks practical experience in a practice regardless of whether you do a foundation degree or the full BSc. Each uni varies as to when and where you have to do it (RVC 1st year students are currently out on placement as are Middlesex I believe) and at some Unis you have to try to arrange a practice willing to take you yourself. Foundation degrees take 3 years and BSc 4 as you have to fit in all that work experience too. I'm sure when my DD applied for UWE you had to have a placement within 70miles of the Hartpury Campus near Gloucester. Regardless of which Uni don't expect the usual uni holidays - my DD only has 3 weeks for the summer!
Reply 34
I have applied to Middlesex, RVC, Warwickshire, Edinburgh Napier and West Anglia. I have received a conditional offer from West Anglia and have had to send a Supplementary Application Form to RVC with references. I really want to get into Middlesex, should hear back by saturday as takes upto 6 weeks!
Reply 35
Hello future vet nurses!

I sent my uni application off on the 20th dec. I have had acknowledgements from them all that they have my applications. I sent a SAF and references to RVC that they emailed me last week and have had a conditional offer (need B in Biology) from West Anglia. I really want to go to Middlesex and they said I should know within 6 weeks which is this saturday. I havent heard from Napier, Warwickshire or Middlesex since the acknowledgements on the 20th. Has anyone else had offers/interviews yet?
Reply 36
I sent my application off on 10th January for Edinburgh Napier, UWE (Hartpury), Brighton, RVC and Nottingham Trent. Had a rejection from Napier today, but that was expected as didn't really have the grades for them but thought it was worth a shot! :smile: anyone heard from anywhere else yet? I would love Nottingham Trent or RVC! Fingers crossed!
Reply 37
Jess what grades did you need for Edinburgh? Wasnt it a B in Biology and C in any other A level? :-/ I sent it on the 20th and haven't had a reply from them yet! :-( So annoying having to wait so long! Middlesex is supposed to get back to me by tomorrow as they say it takes no more than 6 weeks. I sent ther SAF form back to RVC on sunday and they said they will get back to me in a couple of weeks to see if i pass for an interview! And no word from warwickshire yet but heard they do their interviews in april. Nottingham, Hartbury and Brighton didnt come up when I sent off my application otherwise I would have applied to Brighton. :-/ Anyone had any offers/interviews yet?
Reply 38
They asked for CCC (240 UCAS points), I'm 21 so I did my a levels a few years ago and never did Biology so I am now doing it as a distance learning course so will get my results in August like people coming from 6th Form, so apart from that I have CDE, which is obviously not what they asked for, but hoping I will get a decent grade in my biology! :smile: I had an email from Brighton today and have to send them my GCSE certificates, a 500 word essay and references and then they will give me a date for an interview, which is positive news! SO confused why they didn't come up, that's so annoying for you! Maybe if you haven't heard from Edinburgh though than that's good news cos I have! Fingers crossed for both of us, keep me updated on your progress! :smile:
Reply 39
Hello Nurses!

I applied for 5 Unis to do BSc Hons Vet Nursing on the 20th December. I heard back from 4 to say they received my application. The 5th one sent me a conditional offer (need a B in Biology A2) That is the college of west anglia. Middlesex said they would get back to me within 6 weeks and that is up tomorrow! And I have sent back the SAF and references to RVC and they said they will get back to me shortly. I havent heard anything from Middlesex, Edinburgh Napier or Warwickshire since. :frown:
Has anyone else received any offers or interviews from any uni's yet?
Maybe its because im a mature student so it takes longer as I know people who sent theirs in after me and have had interviews and rejections?

:confused::confused::confused::confused::confused:

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