Veterinary Nursing

Gman21

Hi,
I'm looking for a bit info about the courses In Letterkenny, Athlone and Dundalk IT. They all do veterinary nursing level 7. I have a huge interest in doing one of these courses. Has anyone done any of these courses? If so, how are they?

I dont have enough points to do the veterinary medicine in UCD. Is there much of a difference in the two degrees when you qualify. Whats the main difference between vet nursing and vet medicine. If you qualify from the level 7 degree can you go on to do veterinary medicine course in UCD.

If I qualified I would like to be a farm vet. What's the best way to go?

There is also a level 6 course in Cork, But I don't think that's the same qualification.

Any help would be appreciated.

Whistlejacket

The 3 courses you mention are all 3 year ordinary level degrees in veterinary nursing. There is also a 2 year level 6 course in St. Johns in Cork or a 4 year level 8 degree in UCD. They are all accredited by the Veterinary Council of Ireland which then allows you to register and work as a veterinary nurse after graduation.

You must graduate from 1 of these 5 courses in order to be able to work as a veterinary nurse in Ireland, none of the other level 5/6 animal care courses that are out there are accredited by the VCI.

Veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing are very different careers, just as doctors and nurses that care for people fill very important but very different roles in the medical profession.

If you are really interested in either of them as a career I would strongly recommend that you spend a few weeks observing what the various staff members do in a veterinary practice and talking to them about their careers; as the reality can be very different from how people perceive it. You can also join the IVNA as an associate member -see www.ivna.ie for more details about the Irish veterinary nursing profession.

In relation to progressing to study veterinary UCD, you can't do that with a level 7 qualification, it needs to be a level 8 degree to qualify you for the graduate entry application. Contact UCD for more details but the competition to get a graduate place is really fierce.

If you really want to be a large animal vet you should strongly consider repeating the leaving cert to have the best chance of getting a place (50+ places annually for leaving cert students versus about 5 graduate places).

Both can be highly fulfilling and rewarding jobs, but you have to be really really sure that they are right for you before you commit.

Best wishes with it.

Gman21

Thanks whistlejacket thats a great response. If I completed a level 7 course in letterkenny or Athlone would I then be able to specialize in large animal practices? (farm Vet) Thanks

Whistlejacket

All the Irish veterinary nursing courses have to cover small animals, farm animals, horses and exotics. However, as the vast majority of hands on animal nursing relates to small animals, that's where most of the emphasis is.

Most farm animals are treated on the farm by a vet who calls out to them and the aftercare is then provided by the farmer, so there are only a handful of veterinary nurses who actually care for farm animals on a daily basis. Vets that only treat farm animals rarely employ vet nurses as there isn't really a role for them in this type of practice.

That said, many vet nurses outside Dublin work in practices that have both small and farm animal clients, so while they are directly involved in nursing the small animal patients who are admitted for surgery and fluid therapy etc., they also need to be well informed about farm animals in order to take phone calls from farming clients, schedule calls, prioritise emergencies and supply large animal medication etc. You my also have farmers bringing lambing ewes or sick calves to the practice premises for treatment.

I suppose the bottom line is, as I said previously, if you think it might be the career for you then the best thing to do is pick up the phone and arrange to spend a few weeks in a practice (preferably one that has both farm and companion animal clients), so that you can get a good feel for what the job entails. Springtime is obviously the best time of the year if you want to see a lot of farm animal work.

Also try and make sure that the practice you go to employs some registered veterinary nurses, so you can talk to them about their careers. There are several large practices around the country that cover all these bases but if you can't find one near you then consider going to two or three smaller ones instead.

Good luck with it!