Veterinary Nursing
Skill-developing ● Thought-leading ● Standard-setting
We offer unbeatable training and experience for undergraduate veterinary nurses and essential continuing professional development for Registered Veterinary Nurses. You will learn from inspiring and enthusiastic experts and benefit from a hands-on learning environment where you will master all the essential nursing skills and techniques, and have opportunities to further your development.
The Veterinary Nursing undergraduate programmes provide you with opportunities to develop a range of practical, personal and supervisory skills whilst gaining the underpinning academic knowledge required to work in veterinary practice. Each successive year incorporates new information with increasing complexity whilst building upon, and referencing back to, existing knowledge and skills. This ‘spiral’ approach encourages logical knowledge acquisition and critical understanding of simple to more complex theories and concepts, as well as gradual development of problem-solving abilities.
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Courses
UCAS code: D310
Veterinary nurses play a vital role within the veterinary industry in caring for sick, injured and hospitalised animals, and contributing to the ongoing care of animals. This Foundation degree trains you to work within a veterinary team, to be adaptable, and to be able to perform a variety of roles in practice and beyond.
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UCAS code: D313
Train to be part of the veterinary team and learn vital skills in caring for animal, including undertaking minor surgeries and procedures, and delivering medical treatments and tests. You will also take on the responsibilities of customer care within a surgery, clinic or hospital setting, and therefore develop client-facing skills alongside knowledge of animal care.
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Accreditation
As part of the BSc the students undertake the FdSc degree and are awarded this to enable them to enter the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and in the EU by the Accreditation Committee for Veterinary Nursing Education (ACOVENE). These bodies set the standard for the delivery of veterinary nursing education in the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Veterinary Nursing
Find out more about what veterinary nursing at the RVC can offer you, your career and your team. Veterinary Nursing at the RVC
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FdSc or BSc Course?
The FdSc in Veterinary Nursing is delivered over three years and after successful completion, you will be able to enter the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons register and work as a qualified veterinary nurse.
The BSc in Veterinary Nursing is delivered over four years. The first three years are delivered with the FdSc students so that you gain your professional qualification. The fourth year is predominantly research, where you undertake a project of your choice in order to gain the BSc in Veterinary Nursing. If you are thinking of going into teaching, research, or further master’s level studies then you may want to consider the BSc in Veterinary Nursing degree route providing you meet the entry requirements.
The flexibility of our courses means that if you are enrolled on the FdSc degree, and attain a merit, you will be offered the opportunity of completing the fourth year and gaining a BSc VN. If you are on the BSc pathway you may decide that you are keen to get out into the world of work after attaining your qualification, in which case you can leave with your FdSc degree and start earning without completing the fourth year. For those who leave with a FdSc degree, we also provide opportunities for you to undertake further post-registration courses and gain a Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Nursing.