A career change to veterinary nursing

Re: A career change to veterinary nursing

Mark Hedberg — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 09:19:30 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

Oh Mark... what a sweetie!

[/quote]

Aw, shucks.

Re: A career change to veterinary nursing

Gillian Mostyn — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 22:28:30 GMT

Oh Mark... what a sweetie!

Re: A career change to veterinary nursing

Mark Hedberg — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 21:55:33 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

Dean - I have 2 practices in Bury and Bolton. If you're local send me a PM - we don't have any jobs available at the moment but you are welcome to come and do some 'work experience' to make sure veterinary nursing is right for you!

Good luck.

[/quote]

Dean - even if you're not local, Gillian's well worth the detour. We've never met in person but from her postings here and on another site she's a damn good vet and you couldn't ask for better

Re: A career change to veterinary nursing

Gillian Mostyn — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 11:31:03 GMT

Good luck.

Re: A career change to veterinary nursing

Michelle Rewcastle — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 11:19:47 GMT

Dean, you will cope fine with all the 'dirty' jobs! Having worked nightclubs in Edinburgh, I would rather be smelling and cleaning up anal glands, parvo and fly strike rather than tuna pasta vom and other delights left by customers. Good luck in your new adventure!

Re: A career change to veterinary nursing

Lisa Goodship — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 01:38:54 GMT

Glad you're still talking to me!

Stop - do not send that email!.... You need to stand out, I don't see an email gets you seen for who you are or inspire to be.

In my opinion, people are taken more seriously if you are seen to make an effort, go in, introduce yourself, take in a cv and include a letter about yourself telling them your desire to become a veterinary nurse and why it is now you're applying, include all your life experiences however irrelevant they may appear and tell them what you can offer them, Include all the stuff about your animals and mum as a groomer, it may be obvious to you but to someone who doesn't know you! I have also recently applied to polytechnic and understand how hard it can be to try and convince someone you really want something, even if it's taken you a round about way of getting there!!

When you go in ask to make an appointment to see the head/senior nurse so you can have a chat to them, then you can enquire about work experience or voluntary work - Mondays and Fridays are always a good day, as that's when we are usually busiest, or evenings and weekends you always appreciate a hand!, see what the job prospects might be and get a feel for the place.

Even doing work within a rescues centre or charity etc will give your some hands on experience and kill some time - it may take you a while but be persistent

Good luck - I take it your male, so you could always tell them at least you wont get pregnant!!

Re: A career change to veterinary nursing

Mark Hedberg — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 17:12:07 GMT

[quote user="Dean Darby"]

It looks like i'm going to e-mail and visit some local vets to see if I can get some work experience you're right, thanks for that. Let's say that I enjoy the experience and it reinforces my decision, what are the chances the clinic will take me on as a trainee nurse while going to college once or twice a week like previously mentioned? I already checked and all of the local vets here are TP's btw. It's been a while since i've had to apply to any school or colleges, is it still only viable to start in september only?

[/quote]

There are a few routes into vet nursing. All of them involve 1-2 days in college, the rest in a training practice. So good on you for doing your homework, color me impressed! :)

Almost everyone does September starts; a few (like where I work) do January starts as well as September starts. (Other colleges exist as well.) You can be an employee of a practice, who then fund your training, or you can be a full time student who funds their own training and take an unpaid work placement in a TP. This is another reason work experience is really helpful, because if you've really put your shoulder to the grindstone and made a great impression, a practice might be willing to take you as a placement on a program. Some colleges help you find a placement, with some you have to find your own.

In terms of qualifications, you can gain a Level 3 Diploma, a Level 5 Foundation Degree, or a BSc (Hons) in Vet Nursing. All of them have the same requirements for working in a veterinary practice, the only thing that changes is how much theoretical knowledge you learn in college. The practical requirements are exactly the same.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Good luck!

Re: A career change to veterinary nursing

Heather Bacon — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 16:03:58 GMT

Your best bet would be to go in and hand your CV to lots of practices. You may find it very difficult to find a practice that will take you on straight away as a student nurse. I was told that most will tend to employ you for a while as reception/kennel staff first. I have just started the day-release diploma and this has been the case at my practice. I have been employed as a nursing assistant for just over a year before I was put forward for training, however I have also heard of some people going to college after just a couple of months of previous veterinary employment. Just be aware that unfortunatley places in training practices are like hens teeth (from my own experience anyway!)

Depending on the college, some do also have a January start.

Your practice will sort out enrolling you into college, as you cannot be enrolled onto the day release without a working placement in a training practice (I think!).

Good luck!

Re: A career change to veterinary nursing

Dean Darby — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 15:26:46 GMT

Thank you guys for your reply.

After re-reading my post I can see where you might have gotten the impression that I didn't know what I was getting into Lisa, I should probably have mentioned my passion for animals but thought it would have been an obvious thing to point out considering the change from journalist to veterinary nurse.

I've always been very well connected to animals (sometimes more so than people) and have been around them my whole life, i've always had a dog in my family, sometimes up to 4-5 at a time, and my mother is a dog groomer so it kind of runs in the family. Of course I love animals, which is why I wanted to pursue something fulfilling to be able to help them which was more rewarding than just a paycheck at the end of the month.

I'm not expecting the role to be easy or clean, I recently left my job as a bar supervisor for a very famous nightclub in London so dirty work environments aren't unfamiliar to me, I would be much happier cleaning up the sick of poorly animal who I knew I was helping rather than the sick of an intoxicated obnoxious teenager :D

Thanks again guys,

Dean

Re: A career change to veterinary nursing

Mark Hedberg — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 12:40:42 GMT

Now then, that's hardly fair to Dean. It's a stark truth of veterinary nursing that very few aspiring nurses realize what they're getting themselves in for. The job of a VN is hard work, frequently rough and tumble, and the stripes are sometimes earned in blood. It's not just cuddling and playing with animals, but I'd like to assume that Dean's done that much homework.

Many fine vets and nurses have gotten into the veterinary profession as a mid-career change and while some of them have come from unlikely origins (I know a former mechanical engineer who's a vet) - Dean wouldn't be the first nurse who started out as a journalist.)

Volunteer for a few weeks in vet practice, see how you like it. Clean kennels, hold dogs n' cats, get the dirtiest jobs you can. The fun stuff comes later.

Re: A career change to veterinary nursing

emmadilemma — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 11:00:43 GMT

Seems to me that you have put a lot of thought into this Dean and i disagree with Lisa that you didn`t come across well?? Agree on one point though and that`s to get yourself booked into your local vets for a weeks work experience before you make any life changing decisions.

Good luck with it all! From what i`ve seen the slightly older students with a bit of life experience often make great nurses

Re: A career change to veterinary nursing

Lisa Goodship — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 05:44:10 GMT

I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think you come across very well from your post!

Nursing is a really rewarding job, it gives you so much variety and job satisfaction, but ultimately I think you have to have a passion for animals - which I didn't pick up from your post. Nursing is more then just academic, there's the empathy, caring and of course countless hours of cleaning!! I don't believe it's a job anyone can just decide to do!

You say after a lot of decision making - you decided vet nursing was the best 'option', can I ask what made you decided to choose vet nursing and what other options did you in mind? Have you done any work experience in a vet clinic yet to see what it's all about? Or any other animal related experience?

I trained and went to college on a day release basis, whilst working full time in a practice and definitely think I benefited from the hands on experience - learning out of a book is very different to being in the situation hands on. You can learn how to 'restrain' a cat but until actually having a real life fractious cat in your hands, that wants to eat you, whilst trying to hold it steady for someone to take a blood sample takes a wee bit of practice!!

British vet nurses are well thought after and have great continuing development options.

so if it is the job for you, they very best of luck in your new adventure!

I hope I haven't come across bad here - I didn't mean too

Re: A career change to veterinary nursing

caz vn1 — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 23:12:54 GMT

Hi Dean,

You can still train as a veterinary nurse through various colleges (depending on where you live) on a day release basis and then work in practice the rest of the week.

This is what I did and although it was hard work I found this the best way to apply my knew knowledge as i learnt at college and it meant that after 2 years I had a lot of practical experience as well as my qualifications.

From what I gather it is a lot harder to find training practices to take you on these days but I would advise visiting all your local clinics and handing in your CV. I have always found face to face contact more successful than emails or letters.

Good luck x