Veterinary nurse

Veterinary nurse job description: Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills | Useful links | Find jobs and courses

Responsibilities of the job include:

• administering drugs, anaesthetics and injections
• preparing animals for surgery
• holding and monitoring animals during operations
• maintaining, sterilising and laying out surgical equipment
• cleaning up after surgery
• undertaking diagnostic tests
• preparing and sending off laboratory samples
• taking x-rays
• caring for, exercising and grooming animal ‘in-patients'
• giving advice to owners about caring for and breeding animals
• keeping records
• writing and filing reports
• acting as receptionist.

Typical employers of veterinary nurses

• private veterinary practices
• animal centres or hospitals
• zoos
• government organisations such as MAFF
• animal welfare organizations and charities such as the RSPCA, Blue Cross and PDSA
• pharmaceuticals manufacturers.

Vacancies are advertised in newspapers and specialist publications such as Veterinary Record. Directories such as the Register and Directory of Veterinary Surgeons and the British Veterinary Nursing Register could be useful for speculative applications. Voluntary work may be available with larger veterinary practices, animal boarding centres or organisations such as the RSPCA, PDSA, Blue Cross etc.

Qualifications and training required

Qualification is by gaining a recognised RCVS award - either the vocational Veterinary Nurse Scheme (VNS) or a four-year veterinary nursing degree. For entry onto the former, candidates must have five GCSEs (grades A-C), including English language and two subjects from maths, biology or physics, or equivalent qualifications.

It is also necessary to be employed by a veterinary practice that qualifies as an approved training centre. For the degree course a minimum of two A levels (grades A-C, including biology and preferably another science subject) are required.

It is essential to possess experience of working in a veterinary practice and previous work experience with animals.

Key skills for veterinary nurses

• caring
• responsible
• reliable
• able to demonstrate a genuine interest in animal welfare and science (particularly biology)
• good team-working
• communication
• interpersonal
• administrative skills