VN to VS?

RE: VN to VS?

Gemma Holdsworth — Mon, 03 Aug 2015 16:19:03 GMT

Hi there,

I have had one or two candidates that have gone from RVN to Vet Surgeon. One in particular did not have to study as many years and walked straight in to her first role back at her original practice, not to mention having endless contacts to complete her placements throughout her studies!

The entry contacts at each of the Universities are extremely helpful in advising potential candidates too so use them, that's what they are there for!

Best of luck :)

RE: VN to VS?

steph fursland — Sun, 02 Aug 2015 12:46:15 GMT

Firstly good luck and good on you ;-)

I think the options depend on your other qualifications - if you have a previous science degree then maybe look into the Cambridge graduate programme (you skip the intercalated year - we had people with backgrounds in finance, geneology, statistics etc so quite diverse); if you have less conventional qualifications then Nottingham run an access course which is one year longer than the usual vet course with the first year being a sort of preparation grounding in science etc (one of our nurses, not an RVN but lots of relevant experience, is starting in September). If you fancy going further afield then St George's university in Grenada (www.sgu.edu) has a similar pre-vet and vet course option and they were recruiting fairly heavily from the UK when I was applying.

It is worth calling the admissions departments at all the vet schools to see if they have a programme that might suit you - the admissions people are generally really helpful (it is their job I guess!) Unfortunately be prepared for the universities not to value your RVN experience particularly - at the admissions stage academic and theory qualifications are important to them - but you will reap the rewards later when you start practical work and seeing practice!

The other thing to weigh up is whether you think it will be worth the years of study, fees etc. As an RVN you probably have a very good idea about what you are getting into with regards to the job, but it's also important to consider the fees vs the salary you can expect as a VS (ask SPVS).

RE: VN to VS?

Nicola Smith — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 20:47:42 GMT

I know a nurse that did this. She was a degree nurse then went to liverpool but they let her do it in 4 years versus the usual 5. I also knew another nurse that went to do it at the west indies vet school that used to see advertised as it was cheaper with them - not sure whether she finished as didnt know her that well.

RE: VN to VS?

Sal the 1st — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 20:38:55 GMT

there was somebody I went to college with - first name ?Catherine (was a long time ago) but can't for the life of me think what her surname is otherwise I would check on the register to see if she is still around

I also know a male VN who was going to make the change but didn't in the finish