You could do a foundation degree or degree in veterinary nursing.
You can find a list of approved courses on the RCVS website.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- at least 1 A level for a foundation degree
- 2 to 3 A levels for a degree
Veterinary nurse
Veterinary nurses support vets by caring for sick and injured animals.
Average salary (a year)
£18,000 Starter
to£26,000 Experienced
Typical hours (a week)
35 to 40 a week
You could work
evenings / weekends on a rota
How to become a Veterinary nurse
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
University
College
You can also study full time for a Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing at college.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has a list of approved training organisations.
Entry requirements
You'll need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) including English, maths and science
More information
Apprenticeship
You could do an advanced apprenticeship in veterinary nursing. You'll work while you train and you'll complete a Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing as part of the training.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) including English and maths and science
More information
Volunteering and experience
More information
Registration
You'll need to be registered with the RCVS
Professional and industry bodies
You could join organisations like the British Veterinary Nursing Association and Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, for training opportunities and to make industry contacts.
Further information
You can find out more about becoming a veterinary nurse from the British Veterinary Nursing Association.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- the ability to work well with others
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- customer service skills
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- excellent verbal communication skills
- active listening skills
- the ability to work well with your hands
- the ability to use your initiative
- being able to use a computer terminal or hand-held device may be beneficial for this job.
Restrictions and requirements
You'll need to:
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
In this role you could be:
- speaking to animal owners to find out the problem
- taking blood and urine samples from animals
- taking x-rays
- preparing animals for treatment and assisting vets during treatment
- giving injections, medication and removing stitches
- talking to pet owners about how to care for their animals
- taking care of in-patient animals
- supervising and helping to train other assistants
- updating records
Working environment
You could work at a veterinary practice.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.
You may need to wear a uniform and protective clothing.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could take on more responsibility, like practice management, supervising and training new staff, or working in veterinary supplies.
You could also train to specialise in working for a zoological/wildlife park, charity, pharmaceutical company or breeding/boarding kennels.
With further study you could work towards becoming a lecturer or researcher.
Training opportunities
Apprenticeships In England
We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a Veterinary nurse right now.
The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.
Courses In England
City and Guilds Veterinary Nursing Diploma Small Animal 7457-03
- Provider: Solihull College & University Centre
- Start date: 01 September 2019
- Location: Solihull