Case Study: Kristi O’Connell
“I have learnt so much on this course and can now confidently carry out skills that I didn’t think I would ever be able to do!”
Kristi O’Connell has been studying the Level 3 Equine Veterinary Nurse Apprenticeship with us. We caught up with Kristi to ask her about her experiences on the course and her advice for anyone considering a career in equine veterinary nursing.
I have been studying the Equine Veterinary Nurse course. I chose this course as I had already been working in an equine setting as a nursing assistant for 4 years and wanted to further my knowledge and be able to provide a higher level of care for patients within our hospital. I grew up around horses when I was a child and have had my own horses for the past 15 years, so this has always been an area I had interest in.
As an older student when I first started the course, I initially struggled getting back into learning (it had been nearly 20 years!) and finding which methods worked best for me to be able to manage the workload and revising for exams. After I had finished the first unit I had settled into a better rhythm and knew what worked best for me. I really enjoyed all parts of this course. It has provided me with so much knowledge and a better understanding of the activities I was already doing as an assistant nurse. Attending practical days at the college where I have been able to meet other students and share experiences has also been beneficial in exploring how they have been applying their new skills in different settings.
I chose the College of Animal Welfare as there are many centres in which you can attend and has great flexibility on booking and sitting exams. Being able to do most of this course from home/work via the online learning and attending online lectures has been beneficial and my preferred way of learning as I am good at managing my time and work better with less distractions. The support from the whole team at the college has been superb! My lecturer has been amazing at delivering the course, keeping it engaging and interactive, and the whole team are very knowledgeable and provide additional support when needed.
My plans for the future are to continue working as a Registered Equine Veterinary Nurse within the charity setting and looking to progress my knowledge further into a more specialised area that I can use within my current role, though I still haven’t quite decided which course to progress onto just yet.
For anyone looking to do the Equine Nursing Course, my advice would be to try and have some good base level knowledge if possible as this really helped give me a head start. I have learnt so much on this course and can now confidently carry out skills that I didn’t think I would ever be able to do!
Making sure you have a good support team around you in the workplace is essential as I wouldn’t be the nurse I am today without my clinical coach and colleagues. Always ask questions, I was always told ‘no question is a silly one’ and this helps broaden knowledge and understanding, especially if you can then apply it into your work. This course is fantastic and I am grateful to everyone who has helped me get this far.
Interested in becoming a veterinary nurse? Find out more here…