From one science degree to another ... to be a vet nurse! Help!

Re: From one science degree to another ... to be a vet nurse! Help!

JaneRVN — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 20:23:23 GMT

Could you ask V4P t become a TP or aTP? They have many TPs and know what is involved.

Its nice to train somewhere you know and already have experience.

Re: From one science degree to another ... to be a vet nurse! Help!

azlana — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 12:39:52 GMT

When I trained i had done a degree in Chemical and Pharmecutical Science and deecided it was not for me. I ended up moving to the other side of the country to find a placement. I am glad i did as i got my training. I started on the FdSc at plumpton college but due to some funding issue from the student loan company i nearly had to drop out, lucky my TP decided to hire me full time and pay for my training. there are places out there but you may have to offer your services for free.

Could your current practice get the local awarding college in to get TP status they can also poss apply for Auxillary TP if you have better equiped branches? i belive criteria for TP status are seperate Theatre, prep, xray and a lab of some sort. email your CV out to every TP in a 30 mile radius you may get lucky :) (details on RCVS Website of TP's)

hope this helps a little. chin up and keep trying you will get in some way!

Re: From one science degree to another ... to be a vet nurse! Help!

Jacqui Shaw — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 22:25:19 GMT

Thank you for the great advice - both of you! I'm currently a receptionist in the clinic I work in. Unfortunately we are a super busy, small and chaotic neutering surgery so their is no way my company would allow me 2 days training a week. I'm assuming the being qualified in a vets part is to role play a nurse so I would be doing nursing assistant duties? Receptionist doesn't count? :)

If not I would be prepared to leave but I would need a paid placement :/. Any suggestions. I live in Kent, near Dartford :)

Re: From one science degree to another ... to be a vet nurse! Help!

Bekki2511 — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 16:45:10 GMT

Ah I see! I just know it's a very well recognised course! I wasn't sure where she was based, that's why I asked, incase she was near that area or willing to relocate, just trying to be helpful :)

Re: From one science degree to another ... to be a vet nurse! Help!

Mark Hedberg — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 15:47:32 GMT

[quote user="Bekki2511"]Didn't know you could do the vca from home, that would be a good idea for you to do! It's a really well recognised course! Where are you based? A job has just been posted by mole valley vets in Newton abbot and they would consider a student!

[/quote]

It's not a home-study course; you need a work (or volunteer) placement in a vet practice but don't need to attend the College. The advantage of the VCA is that the practice doesn't need to be a training practice, they do need to be willing to supervise your practical work. So not quite as simple as a home study course but not impossible to do.

The VN course requires college attendance so if you got the Mole Valley position you'd need to attend a college closer than we are. :)

Re: From one science degree to another ... to be a vet nurse! Help!

Bekki2511 — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 14:46:49 GMT

Didn't know you could do the vca from home, that would be a good idea for you to do! It's a really well recognised course! Where are you based? A job has just been posted by mole valley vets in Newton abbot and they would consider a student!

Re: From one science degree to another ... to be a vet nurse! Help!

Mark Hedberg — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 22:13:27 GMT

[quote user="Jacqui Shaw"]

Scrap the above, the open university doesn't seem to do the course. Any home study courses you would suggest?

[/quote]

Level 2 Diploma for Veterinary Care Assistants (VCA); it's a pre-vet nursing course and you don't need to be in a training practice. You need to be in a vet practice, and you don't become an RVN, but there's a lot of practical work involved. (Disclaimer: I work for a company that offers it.) It's available online or classroom based day release. Many colleges recognize the VCA as a very positive indicator that you're in it for the long haul and are worth offering a place to.

(Further disclaimer that makes me sound like the BBC: Other colleges and companies offer the classroom based VCA as well.)

Home study courses I tend not to recommend; you really need a course with some work experience to make it really attractive to the vet clinics. PM me if you'd like to chat about it.

Good luck!

Mark

Re: From one science degree to another ... to be a vet nurse! Help!

Jacqui Shaw — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 21:01:08 GMT

Scrap the above, the open university doesn't seem to do the course. Any home study courses you would suggest?

Re: From one science degree to another ... to be a vet nurse! Help!

Bekki2511 — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 21:00:15 GMT

It's hard to say really, I'm a nursing assistant at a non-training practice but the experience I've got has really helped me to get a training place and will also help me adapt to a student nurses role (we don't have rvns in our practice so we are the nurses really, doing all anaesthetics and patient care etc)! I did also get quite a lot of work experience at the practice I'm going to train in, to them this meant they already knew me, I knew the practice and the experience I have got at my current job was also a major bonus! Get whatever work you can in a vets I would say, if they are a training practice they will usually favour people they already know even if they are currently only doing admin jobs or reception work! I only have experience with the course I did so can't really comment on others, it definitely looks good on your cv though that you are willing to further your studies in you spare time so would be worth doing one! Let us know how you get on :)

Re: From one science degree to another ... to be a vet nurse! Help!

Jacqui Shaw — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 20:50:35 GMT

Thank you for that. I'm wondering if that is my best way in? As in seek a job as a nursing assistant and do a home schooled course for a year or so, and then attempt to get a placement in the place I'm doing the nursing assistant job. What do you think?

Also do you think the open university 'nursing assistant home study' course could be a good shout? They are very well known! Or any other suggestive courses?

Thanks again!!

Re: From one science degree to another ... to be a vet nurse! Help!

Bekki2511 — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 22:50:03 GMT

Hi, Regarding the online nursing assistant course - I recently did one thinking it would give me a bit of extra knowledge (currently a nursing assistant, starting vet nurse training in September). The one I did was through online academies (as it was on offer with groupon) and it has been helpful in parts (particularly in understanding prefix and suffixes) although some parts were very American and other written by quite a clearly biased nurse so definitely try and get a few opinions on the course before you pay all sorts of money for it!