The course runs for 2 years, with 1 day a week attendance at College, and the remaining 4 in practice. The course includes several exams, assignment work and the completion of a nursing progress log, which spans the full two years of training. Gaining this qualification enables you to register with the RCVS and legally carry out a fuller range of animal care duties in practice as an RVN.

Please note, we are unable to take learners who are volunteering at a practice, as you must be in paid employment.

Modules include:

• Infection control in the veterinary practice
• Applied animal welfare, health and husbandry
• Functional anatomy for veterinary nursing practice
• Principles of veterinary anaesthesia
• Professional relationships and communication
• Principles of small animal veterinary nursing emergency and critical care

We pride ourselves on our facilities at our Pencoed Campus, which include:

• Dedicated small animal centre housing exotics, small furries, rodents, birds and fish
• Large animals: pigs, alpacas, poultry and donkeys
• Fully functioning equine yard
• Dedicated Veterinary Nursing classroom and practical training room
• Laboratory

These programmes are part financed by the European Social Fund through the Welsh Government.

You will be assessed in a variety of ways:

• 2 synoptic online examinations in the first year, set by City & Guilds
• One 3,500 word assignment in year 1
• 1 synoptic online examination in Year 2
• 4 assignments each with a 5,000 word count in year 2
• 3 centre based examinations
• Completion of the work-based NPL over the 2 years of study
• OSCE exams set remotely at the end of year 2