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The course has been designed for RVN’s with an interest in nursing, welfare and conservation of non-domestic animal species.
The course will be offered as a Graduate Certificate and a Postgraduate Certificate, which will allow RVN’s from any academic background to gain the RCVS Cert AVN.
The course lasts one academic year and will be studied mainly online.
Student finance is currently available for students applying to study the 60 credit Graduate Certificate.
Funding is available for a full MSc (180 credits) at postgraduate level, for which the PgC in AVN Exotics, Zoo and Wildlife can make up one third of the study credits, if completing an MSc over 3 years.
More information can be found on the Student Finance website.
AZEVN Chair, Matt Rendle RVN said: “Finally, we have an RCVS recognised qualification that will allow RVN’s from all academic pathways to show the high level of knowledge and understanding they have.
"The modules allow veterinary nurses taking the qualification to have a focus on the species or area that they are personally passionate about, be that axolotls, aardvarks or adders!
"This is a huge leap forward for veterinary nurses in the UK.”
www.azevn.orgwww.harper-adams.ac.uk
Preoperative fasting to reduce the likelihood of gastroesophageal reflux, regurgitation, emesis and aspiration of gastric contents during anaesthesia is routine, but research on the topic is currently thin on the ground.
The survey aims to obtain information on current preoperative fasting recommendations and protocols in dogs and cats which will enable the expansion of knowledge on common practice. Kat (pictured right) said: "It will also allow me to compare current practice to the literature to examine the use of evidence-based practice. It may also highlight areas requiring improvement in small animal practice to ensure patient health and welfare."
The anonymous questionnaire is aimed at a number of veterinary staff including registered veterinary nurses, veterinary surgeons, students, animal care assistants, veterinary care assistants and reception/administration staff as all are involved in providing advice and instructions to clients on this topic.
Kat plans to share significant findings with the profession in due course.
To take part in the survey, visit: https://harper-adams.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/preoperative-fasting-duration-questionnaire
The survey will close on Friday 14th August 2020 at 5:00pm.
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The research is being conducted by Sarah Mansell under the supervision of Dr. Malgorzata Behnke. They say this parasite hasn't been studied in depth in the UK since the 1970's, because the symptoms can be controlled by routine worming measures. However, as the industry moves away from routine worming as a measure of reducing the risk of parasites developing resistances to treatments, a condition such as this which is now considered to be quite rare in the UK can start to re-emerge.
Sarah is asking vets to fill out a short questionnaire to assess awareness of Onchocerca Cervicalis in veterinary practices. The survey includes specific questions about the parasite as well as questions about cases of unresponsive skin conditions because a similarity in symptoms can lead to misdiagnoses that could, in fact, turn out to be Onchocerca Cervicalis.
Sarah said: "Hopefully the findings will raise awareness of this problem and help shape future research in this area."
She added: "I want to get vets thinking about this issue much more than perhaps they are at the moment."
To take part in the survey, visit: https://harper-adams.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/assessing-the-awareness-of-onchocerca-cervicalis-amongst-e-2
The surveys, which are part of Abi's honours research project, ask veterinary professionals and owners separately to place 'ability to see the same vet', 'staff friendliness', 'competency of vets and nurses', 'appointment availability' and 'appointment waiting times' in order of importance.
It also looks at whether veterinary professionals and owners think practice independence and nurses' clinics have an impact on client loyalty.
The surveys should take less than 10 minutes, and Abi has promised to share the results with VetNurse.co.uk and VetSurgeon.org in due course, so please do take part. It'll be fascinating to see whether there's a mismatch between what vets and nurses think are important, and what clients think!
The survey for veterinary professionals is here.
If you know any owners that would be interested in taking part, the survey for clients is here.
The proposal is for the new school to provide five-year degrees leading to a Bachelor of Veterinary Sciences (BVSc) qualification, with training being delivered on both university campuses, in partnership with local clinical providers and industry.
Carwyn Ellis, Head of the Animal Production, Welfare and Veterinary Sciences at Harper Adams, said: "This is an exciting development which will add further to our provision for the veterinary sector, complementing our current postgraduate veterinary medicine programmes, and our undergraduate programmes in Bioveterinary Science, Clinical Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Veterinary Nursing, Veterinary Physiotherapy and Agriculture all of which will contribute to enhanced animal health and wellbeing."
The universities say further discussions and detailed business planning will be taking place over the coming months, with a view to a further announcement later in the year outlining when the new school would expect to receive its first cohort of students.
Commenting on the news, BVA President Gudrun Ravetz said: "This is a very interesting development at a time when there are many questions around the sustainability of the UK veterinary workforce as the UK prepares to leave the EU and at a time when many practices and businesses are reporting significant problems in recruiting.
"Striking the right balance between producing ‘home grown’ graduates from UK veterinary schools and bringing in appropriately qualified and skilled foreign graduates will be key to maintaining a flexible, skilled and sustainable workforce.
"However, there are a number of very important factors that will need to be considered, including whether we have enough capacity in the UK to deliver quality EMS placements, and how it might impact on the availability of veterinary teaching staff, particularly given that 25% of current veterinary academics are from non-UK EU countries.
"An increase in UK vet school places also needs to be considered in the context of the Vet Futures project and the Vet Futures actions currently underway, including the RCVS-led Graduate Outcomes project and the BVA-led workforce study. We must ensure that we can provide fulfilling career opportunities for our graduates in a wide range of veterinary roles – both clinical and non-clinical – as well as meeting the needs of society now and in the future."
Photo: Harper Adams
Harper Adams University College is to launch the UK's first clinical Masters course in veterinary nursing this autumn and is inviting prospective students to apply now.
Course manager Dr. Erica Martin from Harper Adams University College, said: "The MSc Veterinary Nursing is an exciting development for the profession. It will allow RVNs with an honours degree to move forward in their qualifications and enhance their value to a veterinary practice."
According to the College, the Masters course has been designed for veterinary nurses in full or part-time work, whether in teaching or in practice. It will be delivered via a blend of day visits to Harper Adams - with seminars, guest speakers and practical workshops where relevant - and supported distance learning.
Erica added: "The MSc also introduces the RVN to clinical research to improve the evidence base we should all be working from. The clinical element of the course is designed to deliver enhanced Veterinary Nursing skills, such as rehabilitation nursing, oncology, pain management, client support, behaviour problem management, which would be an asset to any companion animal veterinary practice.
"There will also be the opportunity to take individual modules as CPD or triads of modules to form a postgraduate certificate if the RVN wants to enhance skills in one particular area without committing to full MSc."
Postgraduate Certificates include Veterinary Oncology Nursing, Veterinary Rehabilitation Therapy and Veterinary Nurse Practitioner.
RVNs who are graduates or those with Dip AVN or equivalent qualification will be eligible to apply for the MSc, which should normally take three years to complete. There will be six taught modules in the first two years and a research project in the final year - but the timing is flexible and the course could be spread over a longer period. The first intake will be in September 2012.
For more information visit www.harper.ac.uk/vnmasters or phone the postgraduate administrator for an application form, on 01952 815289
The qualification awarded to Harper Adams veterinary nurses is set to gain added value, with an industry-recognised certificate being automatically awarded to all first-degree graduates.
The Veterinary Practice Management Association (VPMA) confirmed this week that the Veterinary Practice Administration Certificate (VPAC) will be included in the BSc Veterinary Nurse and Practice Management Degree course delivered at Harper Adams University College with effect from September 2009.
According to Harper Adams, this comes as a result of several years of liaison and hard work from course organisers at Harper Adams and members of the Certification and Training Board at VPMA. The process involved mapping the existing degree course content across to the VPAC syllabus and ensuring that all elements of the VPAC are covered to the required level.
Linzi Nuttall, a member of the veterinary nursing teaching team at Harper Adams, who has been working on the link-up, was delighted with the result and said: "It is a great achievement to now be able to offer our BSc degree students an extra qualification as part of their degree.
"Harper Adams enjoys close links with the industries it prepares students for entry into and Veterinary Nursing is no exception. With the course already being of a high quality, no extra work is required for the students to gain the Veterinary Practice Administration Certificate, yet the qualification might open many more doors of opportunity for them within the veterinary practice industry."
The VPAC covers the skills required to carry out administrative tasks efficiently with the minimum of supervision and to be able to present the finished task to the supervisor, manager or employer. It is therefore a very useful qualification for those nurses who find themselves increasingly taking on administrative duties within a practice.
Brian Wright, Chair of Certification and Training for VPMA said "The VPAC continues to go from strength to strength and this new access perfectly complements the current distance learning option available through Lynwood School of Veterinary Nursing". There are now 92 holders of the VPAC, which was first awarded in 2002.
Anyone wanting to find out more about the VPAC or the VPMA should contact the Secretariat on 07000 782324 or Brian Wright on C&TChair@vpma.co.uk or 07899875744. Anyone wanting to find out more about the Veterinary Nursing and Practice Management courses at Harper Adams should contact Linzi Nuttall on 01952 825420 or visit the website: http://www.harper-adams.ac.uk/
People can meet the team and some of Harper's animals at the Public Open Day on May 9.
Dogs at a Shropshire rescue shelter received an early Christmas present when students from Harper Adams University College handed over more than £800 to help care for them. Veterinary nursing students from all years of the HND and degree courses took part in sponsored dog walks in October and November at the Dogs Trust home at Roden, raising money for the charity and lightening the load for the staff and volunteers there.
Three final year students visited the kennels this week to hand over a cheque for the funds raised.
Despite the credit crunch, which has led to an increase in the number of dogs in need of new homes, the students' friends and families, and college staff dug deep to support them to the tune of £825.67.
Home Manager Louise Campbell was ‘overwhelmed' by the sum raised and said: "I'd like to thank all the students and everyone who helped them to raise this much money. It's an amazing amount and will make a real difference to the dogs. It's not often I'm stuck for words, but this is just wonderful, thank you so much! I hope you had fun doing it."