VetSkill Level 2 Certificate for Veterinary Receptionists

Over the course of the qualification, you will cover the following units:

1. Assisting with the supply of veterinary products
   You will look at ordering and receiving veterinary medicinal products, and communicating with clients on veterinary products, retail products, veterinary therapies and know when to refer clients for veterinary diagnosis and advice.
2. Maintenance of a veterinary reception area
   During this unit you will look at managing and maintaining the reception desk and waiting area, interpreting basic animal behaviour and supporting clients who are facing the death of an animal.
3. Principles and practice of veterinary reception
   You will look at communicating effectively with clients and colleagues, including making appointments and advising clients of available veterinary services. You will also look at accurately maintaining client, and other business-related, records and processing fees for services.
4. Working safely in a veterinary practice
   During this unit you will look at the hazards and risks in a veterinary practice; understanding the organisational and legal requirements for Health and Safety and be able to act upon hazards in the veterinary practice setting.
5. Essentials of veterinary terminology
   Gain a greater understanding of the structure and meaning of medicinal word parts, and know the meaning of terminology relating to animal form and function, and veterinary clinical practice.

You will complete an online portfolio and undertake a short, multiple-choice question, examination. The examination can either be undertaken at our Huntingdon, North London or Leeds centre, or via remote invigilation from your home/place of work.

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 in, a reception role in a veterinary practice for a minimum of 8 hours per week and have the support of your practice to undertake the course.
• Have a practice manager, head receptionist, registered vet nurse or vet in your practice who is happy to be your mentor throughout your course.

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

• £1,650 – UK students
• £2,275 – Overseas students

Awarding Body Fees - £179

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 £1,650 over 24 months would equate to monthly repayments of approximately £75 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.

On completion of this programme, you will gain a formal qualification that demonstrates your skills and knowledge and will be an important addition to your CV. This will put you in an excellent position when applying for future jobs in the industry.

You might also wish to consider pursuing further study with us by undertaking a related qualification, such as the ILM Level 3 Certificate in Leadership and Management which will help you guide new members of staff and take on more management responsibility at work.

You don’t need to be in paid employment to do the course, but you do need to be working as part of a practice reception team for at least 8 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.

Receptionists can be involved in a variety of tasks such as booking appointments, answering enquiries, completing insurance paperwork and selling products and services.

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, 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.