Veterinary Nurse (Level 3) Apprenticeship - Equine

You will undertake the following units:

• Professional Equine Veterinary Nursing Responsibilities – Professional responsibilities of the student and registered veterinary nurse, including the RCVS Code of Conduct, health and safety in the veterinary practice and legal/ethical duties
• Diagnostic Principles – Key principles of imaging and laboratory techniques to support the veterinary surgeon in diagnosis; including microscopy, endoscopy, ultrasound and radiography
• Equine Veterinary Nursing Care Principles – Underpinning knowledge relating to the care of equine patients in a veterinary environment including anatomy, physiology, fluid therapy, pain assessment and preventative care
• Supply of Veterinary Medicines – Basic veterinary pharmacology and its application, including the prescription, storage and supply of medicines
• Practical Equine Veterinary Nursing Skills – Developing practical skills in RCVS approved Training Practices through the compilation of a portfolio of evidence
• Equine Anaesthesia – The principles of anaesthesia including the preparation for, and monitoring of, equine patients during anaesthesia and sedation
• Equine Theatre Nursing Skills – The principles of theatre practice including surgical instruments, assisting in theatre
• Life Stage and Medical Nursing Care and Support – How the patient’s life stage influences their individual needs. The patient’s response to disease and trauma, reproduction, nursing care of medical conditions, palliative care and euthanasia
• Surgical Nursing and Patient Care – Specialised knowledge in surgical nursing, including pre, peri and post-operative nursing from admission to discharge

How you study

Theory lessons – you will undertake you theory lessons for one day a week via our Live Online classroom. Our Live Online classroom offers real-time interactive lessons that allow you to engage with your tutors and peers. During online lectures you will take part in a diverse range of learning and assessment activities including live chat, group chat, breakout room activities, independent activities e.g. research, polls and Q&A sessions.

Online course materials - our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) provides a wide range of learning resources including interactive online lessons, revision and study support materials, recordings of classroom lessons for you to rewatch, an extensive eLibrary, access to journal articles and career resources.

Practical skills training – you will attend our Huntingdon centre for practical skills training days, there are approximately 10 of these across the programme.

Tutor support – you will be allocated a personal tutor to provide 1:1 support and guidance and be a point of contact throughout your programme.

Virtual reality (VR) – You will be loaned a free virtual reality headset for the duration of your programme that will allow you to use our two exclusive software programmes. The OSCE preparation software will help you to prepare for your OSCEs (practical exams) by creating muscle memory and alleviating exam anxiety. You can practise the OSCE tasks that you may come across in your real exam, such as taking x rays, packaging samples and identifying parasites. Our anatomy software allows you to explore and learn body systems in details. We are the first veterinary nurse college to use virtual reality and we are very excited about the potential application of it.

You will undertake a variety of assessments including online examinations, assignments and case studies and a formative practical assessment. You will also complete an online Nursing Progress Log (NPL), as evidence of practical competence.

Once you have completed these assessments, and undertaken the required amount of training hours, you will be able to undertake the End Point Assessment (EPA). This consists of

1. A Professional Discussion
   The Professional discussion is a structured 45-minute interview between the apprentice and an independent assessor covering a range of knowledge, skills and behaviours through scenario competence-based questions.
2. A Practical Assessment in the form of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

The next available start date is January 2027 (Mondays).

You should have five GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (or A* to C) including English, mathematics and a science subject, or equivalent qualifications. Examples of equivalent qualifications that may be acceptable are:

• Maths and English – Level 2 Functional Skills
• Science – City & Guilds Level 2 Diploma for Veterinary Care Assistants or VetSkill Level 2 Certificate in Veterinary Care Support

Before applying, please ensure you read the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Fitness to Practise: A Guide for UK Providers of Veterinary Nursing Education and Student Veterinary Nurses, which can be downloaded here.

Employment requirements
You need to be living and working in England* in an equine (or mixed companion animal and equine) veterinary practice that is approved by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) as a Training Practice (TP or aTP) earning at least the National Minimum Wage for Apprentices. To complete this apprenticeship within the 30-36 month time frame you will need to be working for a minimum of 30 hours per week, if you are working less than 30 hours a week the length of your apprenticeship will be extended depending on your working hours.

International qualifications
Students with foreign qualifications are required to have their certificates translated using a UK ENIC Statement to confirm if they have previously achieved Level 2 English and Level 2 maths for their apprenticeship. If a student has not previously achieved this, they will need to complete Functional Skills English and/or maths as part of their apprenticeship. More information about how to apply, how it works and prices can be found on the UK ENIC’s website here.

You should have proof of competence in the English Language by holding either the ESOL qualification at levels C1 or C2 or IELTS at a minimum score of 6.0 (with a minimum of 5.5 in each element) where your international qualifications were not taught and assessed in English.

Please note: As our courses include online learning components, students are required to have access to a PC or laptop with a reliable internet connection.

Apprenticeship course fees are payable by the employer. Fees are dependent upon the size of the organisation you are employed in.

Course fees for Growth and Skills (Apprenticeship) Levy Paying Employers
(organisations with an annual pay bill of more than £3 million)

These employers will pay the full apprenticeship amount of £17,000 using their digital account.

Course fees for Non-Levy Paying Employers
(organisations with an annual pay bill of less than £3 million)

These employers will pay 5% (£850 in one payment) towards the cost of the apprenticeship using their digital account.

Please note that apprenticeship fees are fully funded (free) for those aged 16-24 years, working in a non-levy paying organisation.

Awarding Body Fees
In addition to the course fee, employers will be required to pay the RCVS Registration fee of £228 and any resit exam fees should a student need to re-sit an exam.

Remote examination invigilation – It is possible for students to sit their theory exams via remote invigilation (undertaking them at home or work, rather than in a college centre); there is an additional fee of £30 for this. Please note that for a first attempt of any theory exam the college waives the remote invigilation fee, and it is therefore only payable for re-sit exams. This fee is payable in addition to the normal exam fee.

General Advice
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.

On completion of the Level 3 Diploma in Equine Veterinary Nursing and the required number of hours of veterinary nursing training, you will be eligible to apply to join the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ (RCVS) Register of Veterinary Nurses and use the post nominal term, RVN. Entry on the register allows you to legally practise as a veterinary nurse under the direction of a veterinary surgeon.

Yes you will need to be employed in either an equine, or mixed (equine and companion animal), practice and have the full support of your employer.

Yes, successful completion of this qualification, along with at least 1,800 hours of employment or work placement in an RCVS approved veterinary training practice, will allow you to apply to join the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ (RCVS) Register of Veterinary Nurses as an Equine Veterinary Nurse.

No, unfortunately the veterinary practice you are working in must be an RCVS approved Training Practice (TP/aTP). However, we offer a full Training Practice approval service so we can work with your practice to help them become a TP/aTP if they wish to become one.

• Get a foot in the door – many people secure a student veterinary nurse position as they are known to the practice. This could be via work experience, or a change of role from a veterinary receptionist or care assistant, for example.
• Online jobs boards – Keep an eye out on job boards such as the CAW jobs board, Vet Times Jobs, National Apprenticeship Service or more generic ones such as Indeed. The College of Animal Welfare also has an Apprenticeship Vacancy page where you can sign up for new apprenticeship job alerts.
• Contact veterinary practices directly – Introduce yourself, leave your CV and show them how much you would really like an opportunity to train. You can use it as an opportunity to try to gain some work experience too.

Level 2 English and Maths are required to enrol with the RCVS as a student veterinary nurse so unfortunately you will need to have these before you begin the course. We do run online Functional Skills Maths and English courses that take around six months to complete.