Veterinary nurse training:

A Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN) is a member of the veterinary team, caring for sick and injured pets.

It is a rewarding career, in which you will be responsible for the welfare of patients, assisting veterinary surgeons and supporting and educating owners to help them to care for their pets. RVNs carry out technical work and develop skills in a range of diagnostic tests, medical treatments and minor surgical procedures, under veterinary direction. It is a highly skilled role, and individuals can pursue specialisms and post-graduate qualifications as they become more experienced

Students will train together on veterinary nursing courses, completing the same core units, before having the opportunity to specialise by species later on in the course, to enable them to work in either small animal, equine or mixed practices.

Small animal nurses work mainly with cats and dogs but will also learn to care for smaller pets, such as guinea pigs and hamsters, and sometimes more exotic animals, such as snakes and tortoises.

Equine nurses mainly work with horses, and nurses in mixed practice work with farm animals and horses, as well as pets.

Veterinary nursing is a great career, and many people begin in the vocation after previously enjoying careers in different sectors and retraining. It can be useful to get a foot in the door at a practice by working in a role such as a receptionist or kennel assistant to build some experience in the industry, to help you to secure a student placement.

Gaining work experience or a placement is very competitive, demand often outweighs availability, and you need to stand out from the crowd. But there are some things you can do to help:

• Get as much animal handling experience as possible. Stables, kennels, pet shops, dog training groups, catteries, rescue centres and private zoos all provide invaluable experience.
• Free courses are available through animal charities and vet schools online. Remember to check they are accredited by a well-known educational organisation or the RCVS. Never pay for any online course that is not accredited.
• Stay up to date with what is going on in the industry and stay aware of all vacancies that come onto the market.
• Make sure that your CV is as good as it can be – there are many online tools to help with this. It can be a good idea to visit a local practice to ask for advice on what they are looking for when they read a CV.
• Go to open days at colleges and universities that provide RVN training, and speak to as many people as possible while you’re there – you never know what may come up.

Universities will each have their own entry requirements, and all applications need to be entered via UCAS.

Training takes three to four years, and often include additional subjects, such as practice administration or farm animal care. Much like full time college courses, your degree will include practical training in approved training practices alongside academic studies.

We’re always on the look out for outstanding and caring vet nurses. If you would like to become part of our team of employee owners, please get in touch.

Visit our vet nurse jobs in Kent page or find out why how being an employee owner gives you the input in decision making so you can be the vet nurse you want to be.

Our team benefit from personality profiling which helps to channel their efforts so they get the most satisfaction from their role.

Other veterinary jobs

Interested in training as a veterinary surgeon? Read our advice on how to do just that.