VetSkill Level 2 Certificate in Veterinary Care Support

You will undertake the following units, which will cover the relevant practical skills and underpinning knowledge needed to provide a support to the wider veterinary team.

• Legislation and Safe Working Practices
• Animal Health and Welfare
• Animal Environment and Accommodation
• Introduction to Patient Care
• Introduction to Animal Anatomy and Physiology
• Veterinary Care Support

You will create a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate your knowledge, skills and behaviours.

Our online, distance learning courses can be started at any time. You will work through your online course materials at a time that is convenient to you and be supported by a personal tutor.

There are no formal academic entry requirements, however you should:

• Be volunteering, or employed within, a clinical role in a veterinary practice for a minimum of 10 hours per week for the duration of your course and have the support of your practice to undertake the course.
• Be able to provide a reference from a veterinary surgeon or registered veterinary nurse in your practice supporting your application
• Have a registered vet nurse or vet in your practice who is happy to be your mentor throughout your course.
• Be competent in reading, writing and speaking the English language as all course materials and assessments are delivered in English

Fees and funding

Course Fees

• £1,750 – UK students
• £2,375 – Overseas students

Awarding Body Fees - £140

All students or employers are required to pay the awarding body fees in addition to the course fees. Please note that these are recharged at cost and may be subject to change.

CAW Loans2Learn
Course fees must be paid in full before the course begins. If you are unable to do so, we offer a personal loan scheme (Loans2Learn) that can help you to spread the cost into manageable monthly payments over a period of up to five years, subject to eligibility. It can be used to fully, or partially, cover your course fee (but does not cover any awarding body fees, such as enrolment and examination fees which are payable on top). More information can be found here.

LOAN CALCULATOR
The current rate of interest for a CAW Loans2Learn is 9%. Click on the calculator icon to calculate your monthly repayment options based on different repayment term lengths.

Example repayment - a Loans2Learn loan for the full UK course fee of £1,750 over 24 months would equate to monthly repayments of approximately £80 per month (please note this is an indicative price based on current fees and interest rates).

General Advice

Sources of financial help can be found on our student finance page. Before making any financial decision it is recommended that you seek advice from an independent source, for example the Money Advice Service.

If you have not achieved your qualification by the planned end date detailed in your individual learning plan, continued support and course access is available by paying monthly direct debit payments, or applying for a supplementary or increased loan, until certification is achieved.

These are current figures and may be subject to change. The differences in course fees reflect the level of funding that is available as a result of government policies and priorities. These may be as a result of age, employment status, previous education achievements, or location for example, and are outside the control of The College of Animal Welfare.

After you have achieved this qualification, you could look for a veterinary care support role within a veterinary practice if you are not already employed in such a position.

You could also consider going on to train as a veterinary nurse by completing the Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing programme. You would need to have achieved a full Level 2 qualification in Maths and English Language (e.g. GCSE Grade C/4 or above or Level 2 Functional Skills) in addition to this qualification in order to be able to do this.

If you do not wish to go on to train as a veterinary nurse, but are involved in helping veterinary surgeons with the assisting of monitoring of animals under anaesthesia or sedation in your current role as a veterinary care assistant you may wish to look at undertaking the VetSkill VTEC Level 2 Certificate in Assisting Veterinary Surgeons in Monitoring Anaesthetised and Sedated Companion Animals course.

You don’t need to be in paid employment in a veterinary practice to do the course, but you do need to be working as part of a practice team for at least 10 hours a week; this can be done through volunteering.

No, there is no need for the practice you are working/volunteering in to be a TP.

Learners typically support veterinary nurses and surgeons with animal handling, patient care, cleaning and preparation of clinical areas, maintaining animal accommodation, and general veterinary support duties appropriate to their role and experience.

Your mentor will be your main point of contact in practice for support relating to your course. They will carry out tutorials with you to review your progress and plan your ongoing training and assessment needs. They will observe, and provide feedback, on you carrying out practical tasks and assessments.

No. This course is a support qualification and does not qualify you as a veterinary nurse. However, it can act as a progression route towards a level 3 veterinary nursing qualification if you also meet the English and Maths requirements.

Yes. Many students use this course as a stepping stone into veterinary nursing training by gaining practical experience, confidence, and industry knowledge before progressing to level 3 study.

No, as a private further education college fees are applicable to all students. We do, however, have a Loans2Learn scheme that can help you to spread the costs of study into manageable monthly payments.