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Is veterinary nursing the right choice??

  • 18-01-2015 6:31pm
    #1
    rebecca_888
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1 ✭


    Hi all,
    Im currently studying in my first year in biological and chemical sciences in UCC. I have always wanted to be a vet but knew I wouldn't get the points in my leaving cert.
    I has it as my first option on my CAO but was offered my second choice of biochem which I accepted in the hopes it would allow me to go on to study veterinary medicine after.

    However now im not so sure i would be ready for veterinary medicine and i think veterinary nursing would be more suited to me. I dont know if I should leave my course now and apply to do Vet nursing next year in UCD or wait till i have finished my current course?

    Another problem is I am reluctant to leave cork and move to dublin to go to UCD. St. John's College offers a Level 5/6 veterinary nursing course in Cork but im not sure if this is what I want as im currently doing a level 7/8 degree? And surely an employer would rather a level 7 rather than a level 6?
    If there are any veterinary nurses out there that could offer me some advice? All i know is I want to end up working in a vets at the end of it all

    Please help all opinions and idea welcome!


Comments

  • #2
    thegreatgonzo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,623 ✭✭✭thegreatgonzo


    Hi Rebecca:-)
    I studied veterinary nursing in AIT so i hope I can help a little. It sounds like you have a lot of decisions to make.
    I suppose the first thing for you to decide is if your heart is set on vet medicine or vet nursing. You could end frustrated as a vet nurse if you felt more naturally suited to a vet role. Have you spent any time at a vets seeing practice? That would help you a lot.
    The next thing I'd ask myself is how you feel about the course you are currently doing and if you are enjoying it. This might seem a very impractical suggestion but I'd be inclined to get your degree first, then get the level 6 qualification in St johns after. Why I'd suggest this is that based on my experience, vet practices in general aren't that concerned if your qualification is level 6,7 or 8 so long as you are qualified. However I think for your own benefit it is better for you to have a science degree as well to improve your employment prospects later on. Vet nursing is very interesting but not well paid, and conditions vary a lot from place to place so it would be good for you to have other options. It's also a very physically demanding job sometimes too which is grand when you are young but maybe not so much later.
    I'd be reluctant to leave a course I was already in unless I absolutely hated it and until I knew how I was going to affected re grants etc.


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