what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

albatross — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:20:36 GMT

well, it actually did me no good whatsoever (even the certificate doesn't give the percentage, just says pass, so can't even use it to boast about the pass mark - lol)

My enrolment got blocked all the way along the line, and now after losing my job in the TP I am no further forward - a mere nothing in the VN scheme of things! Just like I was back in June .......
I am now totally depressed about the whole SVN idea.

However the email going off to the RCVS about the new regulations, will also mention this as a hope that it can also become one rule for everyone with the new student enrolments next year onwards.
(from an ex, or perhaps almost but not quite SVN).

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

loobylou — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:38:43 GMT

Well done on passing

To me that seems like a ridiculous pass rate, it seems so low!

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

albatross — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:55:03 GMT

well I am trying to make sure the enrolment finally goes through by taking adult numeracy key skills level 2.
They (the VNAC) for some reason have decided that the HND is good enough for the literacy part but not the maths part, and despite the RCVS agreeing my qualfications are enough, and my local college writing a letter to say I have the required skills, I was still forced into the key skills route.
Learndirect (who run the OCR maths and literacy courses) prefer you to do an assessment, try several questions, go on a course to brush up on your missing skills, then take a practice exam, then book the actual exam.
For reasons mentioned on other threads, I needed to get this result through quickly, so I persuaded the local adult learning college to let me just take the exam. They really weren't keen and wanted me to do some coursework first but I insisted (cost £60 for the exam). I took it yesterday after a bit of training using past papers on the internet.
Pass rate 47% (19 out of 40 multiple choice questions in 1 1/4 hours).
What did I get????
97.5% - 39/40
The staff at the centre suddenly realised why I didn't want to mess around with all the preparation works.
And so I'd like to say to the college that wouldn't accept me originally - YAH BOO SUCKS!!! INNUMERATE???? I THINK NOT

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

Snic — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:26:34 GMT

I didn't get maths or science grades at gcse that are required to enrol, so for the science I did the VCA course and for the maths I have just recently done an Adult Numeracy exam which is at level 2 the same level as what gcse's are.

To do this exam I just went to my local college and asked to sit it. It cost £10 and I recieved my City and Guilds certificate in the post just the other day. Like previous people have said, its 40 multiple choice questions and you get 1 hour 15 mins to sit it. Mock exams are available on the net for you to practice, my boyfriend teaches Key Skills though so I had lots of help lol!

I have told that I will have to do some key skills portfolio work for the maths during my VN course but the exam was enough for me to enrol and get started!

Hope this helps! x

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

albatross — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:07:04 GMT

3 1/2 weeks down the line and I'm still no further forward. The college is either closed for the summer hols, or the person who is blocking the sending off of the form is not answering contacts.
My own college is happy to confirm I am eligible and numerate, the RCVS is happy to take my enrolment form with the current quailfications, but the form continues to languish in an in-tray somewhere at the VNAC......
In the meantime I tried to find the route to take a basic skills numeracy course (not that I want or need to really) but that does seem to depend on colleges being back after the summer break too.
with all this and the problems with the TP I'm in, my little dream bubble is beginning to stretch and is ready to pop!

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

Helen Freer — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:18:22 GMT

[quote user="dinkyd"]

This is ridiculous!How can the VNACS get away with this!Wonder if VN times would be interested in this......

Surely it must be up to the RCVS to set entry requirements - is that not the whole point of the RCVS!

Im gobsmacked!

[/quote]

I AGREE

I have been reading the thread with great interest, as I left school in 1985 with 8 O'levels and 3 A' levels. I have done various courses since as well as run my own busines including doing the bookkeeping and I am doing a FdSc in Animal Welfare. The thought of having to do courses in English and Maths because my exams are out of date seems so stupid, when I applied for the FdSc course thay did not tell me my A'levels were out of date. They did ask me to do a short test on numeracy and english to make sure that I would not need and extra help.

Why are VNACS setting their own entry requirements, I thought they were approved/licenced by the RCVS (which sets the entry requirements) and there to help with training to pass the exams and complete the portfolios etc not setting their own courses like universities degrees. You only finish with one qualification VN, as everyone sits the same exams and does the same portfolio.

This will probably mean I will have to do them as well. Is this ageism and knocking those more mature people thinking of training to become VN. Oh well another hill to climb.

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

dinkyd — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:46:42 GMT

This is ridiculous!How can the VNACS get away with this!Wonder if VN times would be interested in this......

Surely it must be up to the RCVS to set entry requirements - is that not the whole point of the RCVS!

Im gobsmacked!

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

Nick Shackleton — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:42:28 GMT

I trained starting in 1997 so they may of changed the rules! But after doing my BTEC I had equal to 8 GCSEs but still had to do the Pre-VN (now ANA or VNA qualification) I would suggest getting in touch with the VN department of the RCVS and check with them

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

lissy27 — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:39:41 GMT

[quote user="Nick Shackleton"]

I don't understand why they dont accept the BEC 1st Diploma in Animal Care plus any other GCSEs, I had 4 GCSEs (english lit, maths and double science) plus my 1st diploma (equal to 4 GCSEs), yet still had to do the Pre-VN. ALthou there are plenty of essay writting, maths and communication etc involved.

I personally think the RCVS should be responsible for ALL applications, at least then you know where you stand with requirements for erollment

[/quote]Hi Nick, i was thinking of maybe going down the route of a BTEC and re-taking some GCSEs like you mention above...but you say you still had to do pre-VN? Ive looked on the RCVS website and it says that the BTEC is accepted(??) Confused now!! I dont want to waste a year doing a BTEC dip if its not accepted at the end of it!

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

Nick Shackleton — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:02:47 GMT

I personally think the RCVS should be responsible for ALL applications, at least then you know where you stand with requirements for erollment

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

albatross — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:45:19 GMT

one problem as I see it, is that you can't pick and choose your VNAC. They need to be in close contact with your TP and hence you have a VNAC that covers a particular area.

Whether you go to them for the course work, or go to another college which does VN training is up to the TP and yourself.
Hence in my situation, rather than living away from home yet another day a week, I have chosen to do my course work back home at the same college where I took my HND.
The TP being 160 miles away cannot use that college for the VNAC and so use the one in their area.

Why different VNAC's have a different rule for being able to enrol, or why they don't go by the RCVS website rule of 5 GCSE's (or equivalent) at any date, or ND plus basic skills I don't know.
And in fact I'd even question the ND plus basic skills as there's lots of English and Maths in the ND as well.

didn't realise when I posted the question that it would open up such a can of worms. Perhaps it's one someone can take to the BVNA meeting???? or a similar event where if they are looking at the whole VN training route they could also get this puzzle sorted so that at least wherever in the country you finally get a TP place, it's the same way of enrolling for all.

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

Avril Louise Jackson RVN — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:19:13 GMT

But it's clearly not the RCVS who are the problem here, it's the VNACs having different rules. However the RCVS have the ability and power to sort this out and they should do. It doesn't seem fair to me that depending on where you live and which VNACs you have access to determines whether or not you get to do the course.

And it seems that no common sense is exercised neither. Someone who has worked years in a financial position surely has a good grasp of maths!! I understand that different universtities have different entry requirements but I wasn't aware that an NVQ from a VNAC in Bolton was any different from an NVQ gained in London like how an English degree might be more respected from Cambridge than it is from Stockport poly!! Maybe the VNACs should start interviewing prospective SVNs and looking at each candidate as an individual if they are going to treat the enrollment process like universities do. Every person has their own differing educational and work experience and different history of skills and attributes that could help with the course. They should either standardise the entry requirements by the VNACs or start interviewing individuals if they are going to be picky. I can't believe that working in a financial background for all them years discounted against someone!! I wasn't aware of any of this when I applied. My VNAC is AC Training and they seem ok and I did my course at Myerscough and everyone in my class but me and one other girl were with mysercough as VNAC and none of them had to have GCSEs less than 5 years old. So I think Mysercough and AC Training must be good VNACs who respect people's qualifications! Go for them! I wonder where this could be brought up as a major issue as I really do think it is a major issue? Any ideas anyone?

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

samantha tully RVN MBVNA — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:59:32 GMT

I did my O levels in 84 and A levels in 86 and they still counted. I also took a refresher AS level biology (even though I have A level biology) before I started but never took the exam!! I got in ok on these - seems strange one rule for one.....that's the RCVS for you - god love them!

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

Laura Ringsell — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 07:38:06 GMT

LOL Lilypads - 2 goats corss then - I agree this has totally got my goat up too. I am glad I have been qualified a wile now as otherwise I would be doing my nut - not a pretty sight. Bloody schemeing VNACS - i had 9 o'levels, 2 a'levles and had been a financial manager for 15 years (with a CSE in Maths) and like i said before was welcomed with open arms onto the degree course but at the time the NVQ was the more respected route so I wanted to do that. And yes was told that not only were my qualificatons too old but as I didn't have an o'level in Maths i had to do the ANA. The fact that I had been looking after the finances of a multi-million £ company was worth nothing - i thought it was a disgrace then and still do but at the time thought -well even if i had the maths it would still be out of date so it is all immaterial.

Anyone out there about to embark on this oh so wonderful but profoundly bonkers vocation (in terms of rules and regulations!) do your research well!!!

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

Avril Louise Jackson RVN — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:37:03 GMT

[quote user="albatross"]

Ok, further update:

the RCVS say that O/A Levels and GCSE's do not expire. As long as you have got the 5 GCSE's or equivalent and it includes Maths and English then that's the pre-requisite they need.
ND or HND are definitely acceptable alternatives.

However the VNAC's can set totally different pre-requisites and they want to ensure that you aren't out of your depth doing the portfolio, and college work.

The problem comes when different VNAC's go by their own rules.
So the VNAC I am only using as a course provider, and also the one where I took my recent HND, is absolutely fine with old qualifications and/or recent higher ND or HND animal or science based qualifcations.

However the VNAC I am using for portfolio etc, is not. They are going by the too old O/A Levels and totally ignoring the recent HND, except that they seem to be ok for the English part but not for the numeracy part, which is odd as it has genetics, nutrition, animal nursing, business studies which all relied on good maths grounding, as well as other modules where it would crop up occasionally.

So now they are all on their summer break, my enrolment form is sitting waiting for people to come back off holiday, for the two colleges perhaps to talk to one another, or a way of getting key skills done quickly and cheaply, and then finally the form can go to the RCVS..... in the meantime I can't start clocking up my hours nor start my portfolio.

[/quote]

Good lord that's unbelievable!! I bet its easier to go and do a degree in medicine at Oxford than do VN course with some VNACs behaving like this! It's a lot of bloody work for an NVQ!

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

A Little TLC — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:42:58 GMT

[quote user="albatross"]So now they are all on their summer break, my enrolment form is sitting waiting for people to come back off holiday, for the two colleges perhaps to talk to one another, or a way of getting key skills done quickly and cheaply, and then finally the form can go to the RCVS..... in the meantime I can't start clocking up my hours nor start my portfolio.[/quote]

That sucks!!!!!

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

albatross — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:34:07 GMT

Ok, further update:

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

Avril Louise Jackson RVN — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:54:53 GMT

Totally agree Fluffy. If you have the relevant qualifications then it's wrong that 5 GCSEs grade A-C is beingstated as the pre-requisite. I think something dodgy is going on here. I've never heard of national qualifications (GCSEs, A-levels, degrees) having to be less than so old in ANY profession for ANY job!

This sounds to me like a money making racket and it has DODGY written all over it!! Oh your GCSEs are more than 5 years old, you have to do this course which costs another £500!! Hmmmm.

I always understood the ANA was for people who didn't have the GCSEs.

You do need a good level of numeracy and literacy to be a good VN but who has proved that levels of numeracy and literacy deteriorate after 5 years? This topic has really got my goat up! So someone who got 8 GCSEs at grade A 6 years ago has to pay to do another course over someone who scraped 5 GCSEs at grade C?!! This cannot be so as I didn't have to do the ANA (i'm now repeating myself and waffling!! :/) It's a money making racket by unscrupulous VNACs surely? Bad very very bad

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

Laura Ringsell — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 07:42:49 GMT

That's astonishing lilypads and I am sorry if i got it wrong. I was told by my old vnac that it was an RCVS req't. If i had known that it was the vnac setting the rules of 5 years then i wouldn't have wasted a year doing the ANA (although not necessarily wasted as it was a good way of getting me back into study mode at 30+!) and would have gone to a different college. Yet again here is a perfect example of how diverse the VN course can be if the entry requirments can differ so widely across the country. My argument at the time was if you have the relevant qualifications then why does it matter how old they are - in a few years will they say if your nursing qualification is > 15 years old you have to do it again!!!! Let's hope not i don't think i could put myself through that again

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

Avril Louise Jackson RVN — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 02:17:15 GMT

It all seems a long time ago now but it was only 2 years ago! I gave my gcse certificates to vnac, they photocopied them and sent them to rcvs then I went to myserscough which isn't my vnac!! lol!! It's a load of crap saying gcses have to be less than 5 yrs old and there's no way RCVS have said that (although they do come up with some weird exam questions). It must be VNACs that are setting these restrictions but lord knows why.

My VNAC is AC Training, my college course provider was Myerscough and I did my GCSEs 14 years ago!! I used my original GCSE certs. I don't know what else to say. Clearly something is going wrong here in people's understanding of how to get into VNing. As someone has said you CANNOT discount national qualifications. Don't know where this 5 year crap is coming from, never heard of it and I maintain that its a VNAC thing not an RCVS thing :/

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

Laura Ringsell — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 16:27:10 GMT

My o'levels and a'levels (see that's how old I am) were out of date when i started college 8 years go and did the ANA to get onto the course and it is not the VNAC that sets the levels. (yes i do agree that alot of 'older' nurses to be probably get put off)

Everything keeps changing so I would agree that contacting the RCVS is the best way to go.

I did the ANA when it had just changed from PreVN there was no college course I did it on my own with the text book and syllabus. Half way through they started talking about key skills which you couldn't do if you weren't going to college and I absolutely paniced and saw my future fall away from under my feet. They had a re-think for that year - put loads of extra stuff for maths and english etc in the exam and thankfully that was the end of that!!!! The silly thing is that I could have got on the degree course quite easily as my a'levels and previous work experience would have counted where my Maths o'level was missing.

This like alot of things nursing will probably regulalry change and the VNACs and the RCVS will have the most up to date information.

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

Royalsuper_fairy — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:05:02 GMT

I got onto the nursing course using just my ND in animal care

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

zookeeper — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:55:01 GMT

I go to MYF College in Aldershot and they state that the G.C.S.E'S have to be no more than 5 years old.

I am just filling out my application to the college for my NVQ 2 and it states please include relevant qualifiacations awarded in the last 5 years, and highest qualification awarded prior to this date.

I am not sure if other VNAC are different?

I know that when I was going to do the VCA correspondance course I would have had to pay £250 per keyskill so would have cost me £500 just for the keyskills.

I did speak to someone from the College of Animal welfare and they were the ones that told me you could only do the Keyskills whilst undertaking another course.

My local college told me that aswell.

I could have done another English and maths test, but it was classed lower than the keyskills and I was told the RVC would not accept this, so my Employer said it was cheaper to pay for the ANA course and the fee included the keyskills aswell

Sarah

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

Fiona Leathers — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:48:20 GMT

My qualifications were over 10 years old when I trained & I didn't have the right qualifications but did have HNC & HND in other subjects. These were posted to the RCVS, who then decided that I had enough qualifications 7 experience to sit the course.

I think this ruling about the qualifications being less than 5 years, is making it more difficult for older people wanting to make a career change! And now older people include those 21+. Imagine being 22 and told your qualifications are out of date!!!

Maybe whoever made up this rule is age-ist! It is a pointless excerise, just to line the pockets of the colleges who are running the keyskills courses. Would you think that someone who went for a job, with maybe 10 years experience behind them would get turned down for further training because their school qualifications (which mean nothing now) were out of date??? Maybe we should go higher & take it to the High Court!!

Re: what actually constitutes pre-requisite qualifcations for RCVS?

Naomi Jackson RVN — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 08:51:01 GMT

I cant believe that people who sat their GCSE's above 5 years ago seem to have done so for nothing. I qualified this year and sat my GCSE's in 1979. Had to send off for proper certificates as proof which cost me but I now have them. Seems I paid for nothing. Wonder if other professions have this attitude. Its as if THEY are making it harder and harder to become a qualified nurse when the country seems to be in short supply. Go figure.