VetSkill Level 5 Advanced Diploma in Veterinary Nursing (Practice Nurse)

You will cover the following units:

Professional Practice and Legislation

During this module, you will develop an understanding of professional practice and legislation in relation to your role as a practice nurse, specifically looking at:

• Principles of the Code of Professional Conduct, and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) Code of Practice for RQPs and SQPs; applying to nurse consults, clinics, and district nursing
• Medicines legislation and guidelines on responsible use of medicines
• Ethical and legal responsibilities of the RVN Practice Nurse
• Consumer legislation relevant to providing nursing clinics/consultations and district nursing

Consulting Skills

This unit explores communication and consulting, including planning consults and the key factors to consider to provide good client care:

• Fundamentals of communication and consulting
• Principles of consultation preparation and models of consulting
• Principles of marketing and selling skills relating to RVN consultations
• Principles of client compliance

Clinical Nutrition and Diets

This unit outlines nutritional requirements and diets for a range of medical disorders and life stages, as well as:

• Nutritional assessment of veterinary patients
• How to develop and implement nutritional plans
• Principals of nutrition for healthy companion animals, including life stages, and for a range of medical disorders
• Components of veterinary recommended diets for a range of life stages and medical conditions
• Causes, risks and management of obesity in companion animals

Medical Clinics

Throughout this module, you will cover the principles and considerations for medical clinics, including pain management, vaccination, paediatric, senior healthcare, arthritis, dentistry, cardiac, renal, feline urinary, post-surgical and other disease management clinics. As part of this unit you will study:

• Principles of clinical examination, and recognise and maintain companion animal health
• Diagnostic tests that may be required for medical clinics, and how to obtain these
• Principles of pain assessment, and formulating and implementing analgesic plans for medical clinic cases
• Key principles of life stage and wellness clinics
• Specific requirements for medical nursing clinics
• Principles of palliative care and owner support

Prescribing and Dispensing for the Practice Nurse

This unit provides you with knowledge and skills in prescribing and dispensing medicines, and considers:

• Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs prescribed for a range of medical disorders
• Principles of preventative health programmes, covering a range of conditions in companion animals
• Requirements for safe and effective supply of veterinary medicinal products

Leadership, Coaching, Mentoring and Support in the Veterinary Practice

This unit is designed to provide you with a grounding in leadership, coaching, mentoring and support in veterinary practice, exploring:

• Principles of conflict management within the veterinary practice environment
• Principles of leadership and management in veterinary nursing
• Importance of communication and teamwork in veterinary practice
• Requirements of clinical supervision for student veterinary nurses, student veterinary surgeons, newly qualified employees, and auxiliary staff
• Importance of managing stress, and physical and mental wellbeing, in veterinary practice

Practical Practice Nurse Skills

This practical module is intended to ensure you can demonstrate advanced application of the following practice nursing skills:

• Conducting effective nursing consultations
• Reviewing nutrition in companion animals
• Effectively market nursing clinics, consultations and/or district nursing services
• Taking and/or assisting with laboratory diagnostic techniques
• Applying the legal principles affecting prescription
• Clinically supervising student veterinary nurses, student veterinary surgeons, newly qualified personnel, and auxiliary staff

Embedded within this qualification is the content required for you to become a Suitably Qualified Person (SQP) for companion animals, allowing you to prescribe and/or supply certain veterinary medicinal products.

Assessment

You will complete a skills portfolio, an assignment, three practical case reports, a written examination assessing the six theory units of the qualification, one long case practical scenario and a practical discussion.

Applicants must be registered with the RCVS as a Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN), or hold internationally equivalent qualifications and registration. We would recommend a minimum of 12 months of professional experience as an RVN prior to application.

You should be employed in, or have agreed access to a placement in, a suitable veterinary practice for at least 20 hours per week. You should also have a mentor agreed in practice who is a veterinary surgeon, or an RVN who holds an appropriate qualification at level 5 or above.

Course fees can either be paid in full before the beginning of the course, on an annual basis, or via our ‘Pay As You Learn’ monthly payment scheme. A CAW Loans2Learn scheme is also available to UK citizens who live in the UK, details can be found below.

If you have not achieved your qualification by the planned end date detailed in your individual learning plan, continued support and course access is available by paying monthly direct debit payments until certification is achieved.

Awarding Body Fees*: 

In addition to the course fees, awarding body fees are payable as below:

• Registration fee: £249
• Written Exam: £150
• Practical Exam: £525
• Total Cost: £924

* Awarding Body Fees are payable by all students or employers and recharged at cost and may be subject to change.

Loan options

Advanced Learner Loan
If you are over 19 years of age you may be entitled to apply for an Advanced Learner Loan to help fund your studies! (England only). The maximum amount you can receive from student finance is currently £2,176 (July 2024). This means there will be an outstanding balance left to pay. This outstanding balance can be paid in full (one single payment of £1,124 before the course begins), annually (two annual payments: £750 at the start of the programme, and £374 at the start of year 2), or via our Pay as You Learn scheme (£94 per month).

CAW Loans2Learn Scheme
The CAW Loans2Learn scheme is a personal loan that can help you to spread the cost of your course into manageable payments. The loan can be used to fully or partially cover your course fees (but does not cover any awarding body fees, such as enrolment and examination fees). More information can be found here.

Sources of financial help can be found on our student finance page. Before making any financial decision it is recommended that you seek advice from an independent source, for example the Money Advice Service.

These are current figures and may be subject to change. The differences in course fees reflect the level of funding that is available as a result of government policies and priorities. These may be as a result of age, employment status, previous education achievements, or location for example, and are outside the control of The College of Animal Welfare.

On completion of this qualification, you will be able to work to a ‘mastery’ level in practice and consulting environments, and provide an advanced standard of clinical care and customer service to both patients and clients.

After completing an advanced veterinary nurse qualification, you could undertake further training. For instance, you could consider pursuing degree level training in a specialist area such as physiotherapy or behaviour, or study veterinary nursing at a post graduate level. You could pursue further training by undertaking an additional advanced veterinary nursing qualification, or topping up your qualification to degree level. Alternatively, you could also consider finding employment in teaching, research or practice management.