If you’re interested in kick-starting a career as a veterinary nurse, read on to find out more about the role and how you can get qualified…
The role
Veterinary nurses use their technical knowledge and hands on expertise to care for our pets with skill and empathy; it’s the perfect job for those looking for a varied, challenging and rewarding career where you will make a difference to the lives of animals every single day.
In any given day you will find yourself involved in a variety of different tasks, from helping a veterinary surgeon in theatre to advising an owner on the most appropriate method of flea control for their pet. Your regular work may include:
- Preparing animals for surgery and performing minor surgical procedures
- Monitoring anaesthetised animals
- Nursing sick animals and administering medication
- Taking x-rays and carrying out diagnostic tests
- Advising owners on the health and welfare of their pets
- Taking bookings, payments and completing necessary paperwork
- Running nurse clinics, such as diet, worming and grooming consultations
Is the role for you?
Good veterinary nurses are passionate about and dedicated to caring for animals. Often veterinary nurses end up taking their work home with them – sometimes quite literally in the form of kittens that need hand rearing or abandoned or stray animals!
You must enjoy working as part of a close knit team but also have the confidence to work with little supervision and be able to cope with the emotional and physical demands of the job. Inevitably, there will always be kennels and cages to clean, and floors to mop, so you also need to be prepared for hard and dirty work sometimes.
Want to start training as a veterinary nurse?
If you’re looking to kick-start a career as a veterinary nurse, we run diploma courses from our centres in Huntingdon, North London, Leeds and Wigan starting in September, January and April. A block release course is available in Edinburgh starting in September.
As a day release student you would attend college one day per week alongside employment in a veterinary practice. If you want to train as a veterinary nurse but perhaps don’t have the qualifications or finances to study at university, or would prefer to find employment in a practice and earn a living whilst studying at the same time, then this could be the course for you.
You can apply to start training as a veterinary nurse today! More information about the course can be found on our website.
Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month (VNAM) was originally started by BVNA in 2005 as National VN Day and has since progressed into National VN Week, followed by a whole month campaign since 2012 to spread the word about the importance of the role of the veterinary nurse in practice and the provision of responsible pet care to the general public. To find out more visit the BVNA website.
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