vocational route training

Re: vocational route training

Sal the 1st — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 09:09:09 GMT

http://www.vetnurse.co.uk/forums/p/24572/150186.aspx#150186

wonder if they have considered training their own

Re: vocational route training

Lisa Whitehouse — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 13:20:04 GMT

Such a good point, as a practice we have 4-5 students at any one time and never drop below this from both day release and degree placements & we are inundated with cv's obv we can't take more. We do not however guarantee a job at the end & to be honest have lost some amazing nurses at the end of there training. Its so hard for practice's something needs to give.

Re: vocational route training

Sal the 1st — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 11:55:42 GMT

its good that you encourage work experience and students

but Q.E.D.

[quote user="ariana gooderham"]

Instead i went to university and got a degree which worked to my benefit as i am now employed in one of the practices i spent my training time with.

[/quote]

You found that it was well nigh impossible to get a training place in practice too - so went the other route. There are those that will not be so lucky and will not have access to the uni route - and even those that do may find themselves held back a year because they cant secure a training practice for the practical side.

So when are we going to start taking notice and look at the ways we can make veterinary nurse training more attractive/applicable/affordable for more practices? Or are we going to carry on as we are now until there is nothing left?

Re: vocational route training

Ariana Gooderham — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 10:22:52 GMT

We have two students training with us at the moment, we try to take a new student on each year (max of three in total at any one time). We have 3 clinical coaches and we let our students do as much as they can in practice to aid their learning program and help them to qualify from the diploma course. Our students must fund the course themselves but we offer them a lot of help in practice and a generous staff discount scheme; often helping them in spare time at weekends and evenings too!!

I know when i was looking to train i approached around 100 practices far and wide from the RCVS website and very few replied, with only about 3 having space for a new student nurse. Even when they did have room you're competing against hundreds of others for the position!

Instead i went to university and got a degree which worked to my benefit as i am now employed in one of the practices i spent my training time with.

All this has meant i now encourage work experience students and as i said take we take on one new student nurse a year for training. There are practices out there but they don't want to waste money paying for students training when they may not complete the course, and at the end they have very expensive tuition fees to pay as well as wages and examination fees! It all adds up to A LOT to money and they may not get a nurse at the end of it all!

As for paying premium rates I get paid about £7,000 BELOW the nation average wage... not much considering we save peoples pet lives everyday of week often working with uncooperative patients and many different species.

The nurses that i know are all hard working and very passionate about the job and the patients they treat. We often take patients home for care throughout the night at no expense and regularly hand rear kittens and puppies for local charities.

Nurses aren't thanked enough in my opinion, and most clients don't realise the amount of care that goes on behind the practice doors - we aren't in it for the money, we are in it for the patients and personal satisfaction of helping animals recover from sometimes life threatening illnesses.

Thumbs up to all those nurses and student nurse doing a fantastic job!!