If you’ve received your GCSE results and are interested in working with animals, see below for some options on what you could do next, and how The College of Animal Welfare could help you achieve your career goals…

Train as a veterinary nurse

If you love animals and are concerned with animal welfare; then becoming a veterinary nurse could be the ideal route for you! Veterinary nurses assist veterinary surgeons in practice, undertaking a range of duties such as taking blood and urine samples, taking x-rays, preparing animals for treatment, assisting during operations, administrative and cleaning tasks and carrying out minor procedures. The main route into veterinary nursing at CAW for those with 5 GCSEs at grade C or above including English Language or Literature, Mathematics and a Science subject, is our Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing, which allows students to train as part of an apprenticeship. Completion of the course qualifies students to apply for professional registration as a Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN). For more information on eligibility criteria please visit our website.

Train as a veterinary care assistant

For those that would like to focus on animal welfare duties outside of surgery within a veterinary practice – such as exercising, grooming and feeding hospitalised animals, monitoring and providing supportive care to inpatients and cleaning and preparing accommodation for animals – training as a Veterinary Care Assistant would be an ideal career path! Veterinary Care Assistants work alongside veterinary surgeons and nurses in order to provide vital nursing care and ensure the wellbeing of small animal patients. Our Level 2 Diploma for Veterinary Care Assistants is an excellent course covering the underlying knowledge needed to thrive in a fast-paced veterinary care environment. Completion of this course, provided relevant qualifications in Maths and English are also achieved, allows students to train as veterinary nurse on the Level 3 Diploma programme if they wish to do so.

Train in animal care

Animal care training is suitable for those looking to find employment in animal care environments outside of veterinary practice; such as a zoo, stables, rescue centre, cattery or kennels. Depending on the role that you choose to undertake, your duties could range from cleaning, feeding and medicating animals, to educating the public on animal welfare and preparing animals for rehoming. Our animal care qualifications allow students to gain on-the-job training whilst earning a wage, and will cover a variety of animal care practices depending on your level of experience within the industry. For more information on careers within animal care you can visit our online career profiles.

Remember that there are many people, organisations and services out there to help you if you’re unsure about what you want to do next. You can speak with a member of our Customer Advice Team (CAT) on 01480 422060 if you’re interested in working with animals and would like an informal chat about post 16 career options.

The College of Animal Welfare is hosting its popular Careers with Animals Day at its centre in Leeds on Saturday 14 October 2016! Whether you’re a school leaver working out your next career move or an adult looking for a career change – don’t miss out on the opportunity to find out more about the training and employment opportunities within the veterinary care and animal care sectors. Entry is completely free of charge! Find out more at www.careerswithanimals.co.uk

For those looking to train as a veterinary nurse, the good news is that there is more than one way to make your dreams a reality! Aspiring veterinary nurses can achieve professional registration with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) through either a university degree or via a level 3 diploma.

The way in which your training is structured and delivered will differ depending on which path you choose to undertake, however both programmes of study offer unique benefits and are recognised as evidence of a high quality education.

Varied learning opportunities is great news for vet nurses to-be everywhere, as it means you can choose the programme of study that is best suited to your circumstances. All this being said; having more than one programme on offer naturally begs the question: which one is right for you?
Let’s take a look at both routes and find out…

Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing / Advanced Apprenticeship

The Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing can be studied by those who are already employed in a veterinary practice, as well as those who have not been able to secure a paid training position in practice.

College sessions offer diverse teaching, learning and assessment approaches catered for the individual needs of learners, enabling you to develop the required knowledge and skills needed to work as a qualified, Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN).

Provided you find suitable employment in a veterinary Training Practice (TP or aTP), the programme can also be undertaken as part of an apprenticeship. The main benefit of studying the diploma as an apprentice is that your training will be paid for by the employer, meaning it would be a debt-free route into the profession. View the latest apprenticeship opportunities at CAW

For those who do not hold the qualifications needed to enrol onto a degree programme, the diploma could be an excellent alternative. In order to apply for the diploma you must have a minimum of 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C (or 9-4) including English Language or Literature, Mathematics and a Science subject.

Another route into veterinary nursing: Study Veterinary Care and Functional Skills

If you do not meet the GCSE entry requirements, other qualifications may be acceptable. For example, at The College of Animal Welfare successful completion of our Level 2 Certificate for Veterinary Care Assistants or Level 2 Certificate in Veterinary Care Support qualification, in combination with a full level 2 qualification in Maths and English (e.g. GCSE Grade A*-C or Level 2 functional skills qualifications), will allow you to apply for the Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing or Advanced Apprenticeship in Veterinary Nursing programmes, subject to employment in a veterinary practice that is approved to train veterinary nurses (a TP or aTP).

Entry onto the diploma programme can be very competitive, take a look at how you can strengthen your application.

Diploma students can qualify as a veterinary nurse in as little as 2 1/2 years, meaning the programme could be the route for if you are perhaps not in the position where you can take the three to four years of study necessary to gain a degree.

If you think this could be the option for you, your next step would be to find a suitable training provider. There are various colleges around the UK that offer this programme, a list can be found on the RCVS website. The College of Animal Welfare offers the Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing programme from centres all over the UK, with intakes starting throughout the year.

Apply to start the Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing

BSc (Hons) Veterinary Nursing / FdSc Veterinary Nursing

For those who would prefer to study at degree level, or are eager to experience the university life for all that it entails; such as moving away from home, mixing with new people and gaining new experiences – undertaking a veterinary nursing degree programme could be for you.

Degree programmes are generally either three or four years in length. During this time you will have the opportunity to undertake work placements in a variety of veterinary practices.

Going to university offers the opportunity to be taught by world renowned clinicians who are experts in their field. If you’re interested in post-graduate opportunities such as training in specialist areas like physiotherapy, or training for a career in teaching, university study is for you.

There are various universities around the UK that offer this programme, a list can be found on the RCVS website. The College of Animal Welfare offers the FdSc Veterinary Nursing and BSc Honour Veterinary Nursing degree programmes in conjunction with universities across the UK. For more information about these courses, including entry requirements and application details, click on the links below…

• BSc Honours Veterinary Nursing with Foundation Year (Middlesex University)
• BSc Honours Veterinary Nursing Degree – Middlesex University (London, Huntingdon or Leeds)
• FdSc Veterinary Nursing – Royal Veterinary College, London

If you would like to have an informal chat with one of our course advisors about which training option would best suit your circumstances, a member of our Customer Advice Team (CAT) can be contacted at admin@caw.ac.uk or on 01480 422060.

Today is Black Cat Appreciation Day (17 August)!

If you’re looking to welcome a new pet into the family, have you considered adopting a black cat? For centuries black cats have faced suspicion as a result of the bad luck they are said to carry with them. They are often overlooked in rehoming centres and can take approximately 13% longer to find their new home than a more colourful cat. For many this means they will never experience life in a loving home – but you could change that.

Your local rescue organisation can talk you through all aspects of cat ownership and find a cat that is best suited to your circumstances. Alternatively, you can search for cats looking for a home in your local area on the Cats Protection website at http://www.cats.org.uk/adopt-a-cat

An app which allows veterinary practitioners to record the vital details behind an anaesthetic procedure has been developed.

Developed by veterinary anaesthesia specialist Alastair Mair, the app aims to put an end to incomplete and poorly penned paper records of anaesthetic procedures. The app allows the digital entry of:

• drugs administered
• physiological parameters – such as heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure
• complications occurring during an anaesthetic procedure

The final anaesthetic chart can be converted to a PDF and attached to patient records.

Mr Mair said: “My motivation for creating the app was borne of my frustration while working in Australia about how many handwritten anaesthetic records were incomplete and poorly filled in.” He added: “[The app] allows storage of thousands of records, therefore allows easy retrieval of records and prevents lost records, which is common with paper records.”

Vetnapp is available for download on Apple iOS devices. Further information can be found at https://goo.gl/Tcd4kv 

For those aspiring to an exciting career working with animals, there’s no better place to start than our annual Careers With Animals Day near Leeds on Saturday 14 October!

Running at our education and training centre in Tingley, the event offers the ideal opportunity to speak to exhibitors from some of the leading animal welfare and veterinary organisations, and gain key ideas and information needed to launch a new career. Whether you’re a school leaver working out what your next move is going to be, an adult looking for a career change, or unemployed and eager to get back to work – everyone is welcome. What’s more, entry is completely free of charge!

A jam packed timetable of careers talks will be held throughout the day, covering everything from veterinary nursing and dog grooming, to veterinary medicine and wildlife conservation. This year’s event boasts another great line up of exhibitors, including African Conservation Experience, Royal Veterinary College, Jerry Green Dog Rescue, PDSA, Cats Protection, SMJ Falconry, Northern Institute for Canine Professionals – and many more!

The event will be held at our education and training centre in Tingley, West Yorkshire (WF3 1DR). Doors are open from 10am until 3pm and entry is completely FREE! For more information please visit www.careerswithanimals.co.uk or call us on 01480 422060.

For those aspiring to an exciting career working with animals, there’s no better place to start than our annual Careers With Animals Day near Leeds on Saturday 14 October!

Running at our education and training centre in Tingley, the event offers the ideal opportunity to speak to exhibitors from some of the leading animal welfare and veterinary organisations, and gain key ideas and information needed to launch a new career. Whether you’re a school leaver working out what your next move is going to be, an adult looking for a career change, or unemployed and eager to get back to work – everyone is welcome. What’s more, entry is completely free of charge!

A jam packed timetable of careers talks will be held throughout the day, covering everything from veterinary nursing and dog grooming, to veterinary medicine and wildlife conservation. This year’s event boasts another great line up of exhibitors, including African Conservation Experience, Royal Veterinary College, Jerry Green Dog Rescue, PDSA, Cats Protection, SMJ Falconry, Northern Institute for Canine Professionals – and many more!

The event will be held at our education and training centre in Tingley, West Yorkshire (WF3 1DR). Doors are open from 10am until 3pm and entry is completely FREE! For more information please visit www.careerswithanimals.co.uk or call us on 01480 422060.

Today is International Cat Day!

Created by The International Fund for Animal Welfare, International Cat Day is a day to celebrate one of the world’s most cherished pets.

Here are some fun feline facts to purrrrfectly start your day:

• A group of cats is called a Clowder.
• A cat has five toes on his front paws, and four on the back, unless he’s a polydactyl.  Polydactyl cats are also referred to as “Hemingway cats” because the author was so fond of them.
• Sir Isaac Newton, among his many achievements, invented the cat “flap” door.
• A cat’s nose pad is ridged with a unique pattern, just like the fingerprint of a human.
• The furry tufts on the inside of cats’ ears are called “ear furnishings”