Are there any equine vets/vet nurses around?

[DeathByChocolate01]

I have been doing some research lately about training to be an equine vet nurse, it sounds like my absolute ideal job and I'm hoping to start a level 3 veterinary nursing diploma next year. There seem to be a couple of different ways of doing the course, depending on whether the student is already employed in a training practice or not - I've heard that places at TPs are very competitive and hard to come by, and have found a college near me that offers a full time course with work placements arranged by the college (so I wouldn't need to have already found a place in a TP), but I was wondering if this kind of course would affect my chances of getting employed afterwards? Is there a particular route that employers prefer their nurses to have taken, or do they not take much notice of the type of course? They both lead to the exact same qualification, so it would only be my route of getting there which was different, IYSWIM.

Another quick question while I'm on the subject - what is the benefit of doing a veterinary nursing Bsc degree rather than just the diploma? Do Bsc graduates have more scope for employment/promotion than those who have only done the diploma? Not that this really matters to me at the moment, I don't have any science A Levels so I don't think I'd be accepted onto a degree course, and I could always do a top-up course after my diploma... just wondering what advantages it would give.

TIA :)

hi there, im a qualified vet nurse and i qualified while working via the old NVQ route. i had just finished a degree in equine science and then decided to train as a VN so the NVQ route was best for me as i didnt want to (or have the funds to) do another degree.

although i just work with small animals i think i may well do my equine top up in future if i moved to a different practice. its an amazing job and i totally love it.

sounds like the best thing for you to do would be to speak to your local college and find out which course would best suit you, TBH finding the work placement is often the hardest thing to do so if the college will help then thats a huge bonus. sounds like the diploma will be your best option, which you can top up to a degree later if you want to. our current sutent nurses are all in varying stages of a foundation degree, which then can then up up to a full Bsc in future if they want to.

as for empolyment options, as long as you are a qualified RVN/EVN employers dont care much how you got there, they care about your attitude, ability to work with a team and care for the patients. so i would choose the course thet will benefit you most. we all have to sit the same exams to get qualified, no matter what route the training took.

i do know that the structure of the training is all changing, so you will be best to chat to the college nearest you about your options.

best of luck with it, its a tough job but the best job in the world

Thanks for your advice :) I've booked in for some open days at nearby colleges over the next few weeks, so will hopefully find out some more then. I'm so excited, I'm going to start looking for voluntary work experience placements soon and I can't wait!