LCA And Veterinary

meoklmrk91

Okay so I am just about to finish up my LCA this year, it has always been my hope to become a vet and even though I have been told time and time again that it isn't possible with the LCA I still want to find some way to do it.

I have applied to two college for PLC's in small animal care, a stepping stone to becoming a veterinary nurse. The way I have it figured I have two options, I can either do said courses{PLC and Veterinary Nursing} and try to get accepted into a course outside the country, I know that there isn't a snowballs chance in hell of me being accepted to UCD with an LCA. Or I can do the PLC, by the time I am finished I will be 21 and eligible for VTOS meaning I could do my full leaving and work to get the points I need.

Anyone have any experience or knowledge?

spurious

It is possible with the LCA.

It really makes me mad how little some so-called professional educators know about the system in this country. The standard Leaving Cert. is not the be all and end all as regards college/university, not by a long way.

Have you applied to this course?
Make sure the courses you have applied for have links that allow you progress.

meoklmrk91

http://www.mallowcollege.ie/small_animal_care.html, that's the college and course I have applied for. My teacher rang UCD and spoke to them about it, they told her that the only way for me to get in was to do my full leaving as they don't take students on any other grounds i.e. Mature student. I know that it is a really competitive course and I would need to do something with regards to biology as I have never done it before, I left school at 13, medical reasons, and went back at 18, at which point I felt the LCA was the best option to get integrated back into the education system.

spurious

I would suggest you ring Mallow and ask them who their links are with.

People at all levels of Irish education know next to nothing about the LCA.

Don't limit yourself just to UCD though, there are many colleges in Ireland and UK that do Veterinary Studies.

Wisco

spurious wrote: »

Don't limit yourself just to UCD though, there are many colleges in Ireland and UK that do Veterinary Studies.

That's not quite true. UCD is the only college in Ireland that has a veterinary medicine programme. UCD, Althlone IT, St Johns Cork have vet nursing programmes at the moment and I believe DKIT's programme will be accredited soon.
You can get into vet medicine in UCD via the graduate route, although that's very competitive too, and you need to have a previous degree (ie, get a BSc in vet nursing, then apply to UCD after finishing, although you need a high award and have to sit the GAMSAT exam). I know it's a long route, but it is possible and you would know by then if it's the right path for you.
The UK has a number of veterinary programmes (London, Edinburgh, Bristol, and Glasgow among others), but they are all competitive too, so it is pretty tough to get in, regardless of your background, as they can all be pretty picky about who they take since they get so many applicants.
To be brutally honest, if you want a good job in veterinary, animal care courses are unlikely to help you, as vet nurses must now be registered and have vet nursing qualifications, and this is beginning to be enforced in practice (ie, the practice can get into trouble with the vet council if they are employing non-registered nurses to do nursing jobs). The only use I can think of for them is a stepping stone to vet nursing, or other areas of animal care like grooming. On their own, however, they don't give any qualifications suitable for working in vet practice.

meoklmrk91

@Spurious, mallow have also told me that I can't become a vet, they said i can only become a veterinary nurse.

@Wisco, I gave to do the course in mallow before I will be accepted in anywhere else, that's the deal with LCA, St. Johns would probably be my next move after that. I understand how competitive it is but I atleast want to give it a shot. I just don't think I should be denied that just because of my circumstances.

Wisco

If you're seriously considering becoming a VN, my advice is to avoid St John's. The programmes in UCD or even Athlone are MUCH better and you will come out with better practical skills and a better overall education. Also, employers will be probably give you preference with a qualification from UCD. That's not a guarantee of course, but it's what happens in many cases. The other advantage of UCD and AIT is that they are degree programmes, and last I heard, St Johns is not (a level 8 degree is a prerequisite if you are considering graduate entry vet at any stage).
If you have questions about becoming a VN, feel free to PM me.