retraining as vet nurse

[TooTabooHasBigShinyBaubles]

I'm being made redundant from my admin job of 2 years.

Looking to get a career, instead of potentially bouncing from one admin job to the next.

There are 2 options one being veterinary nurse. The job I wanted to do when younger but life took a different direction. I did work experience at a vet practice and loved it, watched ops and did mundane stuff too as well as one memorable incident with a greyhound and a nicked artery that resulted in me being caked in blood

Off the back of that I worked as a kennel maid one summer, again I loved it. This was 20 years ago though.

I need to research, Google just gives details o courses without any info of where to start.

So, where do I start? Do I go to my vet practice and do voluntary work or doesn't it work like that? I considered voluntary work at a local rescue centre too, maybe just offer dog walking services? Even if I don't choose this career then its still a good hobby to have I suppose.

thanks in advanve

[HedgehogsRevenge]

Hello, I am a qualified vet nurse. I am currently doing the top up degree as have been out of practice for a few years and want to go into teaching.
There are several ways to train. Full time degree where you go on placement 20 weeks a year (this is now the ideal). Not sure about England but in Scotland the degree is 3 years/4 if doing honours.
Block release at college where you secure full time employment as a student nurse and attend college around 8 weeks per year and sit 1st and 2nd year exams (i did this first time round and personally feel it's the best way to go as the experience in invaluable).
Or college full time (i think 2 years) to gain a diploma.
Not a bad profession to go into as there is currently a shortage of nurses and the wages are slowly getting better.
HTH

[Lonecatwithkitten]

I am a clinical coach in England for both HE (degree) and FE ( day release) student vet nurses.
FE south of the border is day release one or two days per week from practice usually on apprenticeships usually being paid apprenticeship wage ( I pay a lot more, but realise I am very rare).
HE is either a 3 year - foundation or 4 year - honours degree with a total of 60 weeks in practice. Different unis do their placements in different ways for example Hartpury do it as a single 60 week block in the 2nd year, Sparsholt have multiple 2 month blocks and Harper Adams do one 52 week block and then a couple of four week blocks.
Entry requirements for the FE courses are five GCSEs at C grade including maths, English and a science. If you took these more than 3 years ago you will have to do level 2 maths and science again.
Entry requirements for HE are either A-levels or a course such as the National Diploma in Animal care though this is not always the case for mature students if you bring other skills with you.
SVN positions are very difficult to come by as to provide good training you need to devout a good chunk of time to your student so can only have so many at a time. Last year I got two hundred applications for my two positions.

[TooTabooHasBigShinyBaubles]

Thank you both for your replies!

I think FE would be the way to go, I've GCSE's, FE quals and then I'm a qualified NVQ assessor and have done level 3 apprenticeship (related to my job at the time) with level 2 maths and English....all quals are over 3 years old though. Happy to brush up though so that's no problem.

Not that my A1 qualification will help with veterinary care but it shows that I've done stuff after leaving school I suppose.

Thanks again for your help and insight, a lot to think about

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Unfortunately A1 was abolished in nurse training several years ago and those of us who were A1 morphed into clinical coaches.

[TooTabooHasBigShinyBaubles]

As I left my assessor role they were bringing a new standard in, can't remember what it was, was early 2011.

They gave everything an overhaul and I was just getting my head around it all and then left