Vet Nursing Degree Offers Licence To Practice

A new Veterinary Nursing degree at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) in Aberdeen will help improve access to training and progression within the sector.

The three-year BSc degree – with the option of a fourth year to gain an honours qualification – will allow students to achieve an RCVS Veterinary Nursing registration and a licence to practice.

The course, which will start in September 2021 at SRUC’s Craibstone campus, is being offered in addition to the Veterinary Care Assistant course introduced by the Veterinary and Animal Science Department this year.

From April 2021, a Professional Development Award will also be offered via distance learning. This three-unit bridging programme, which will cover communications, veterinary terminology and animal biology, is aimed at VCA students, or those with alternative appropriate qualifications, wishing to progress on to degree level.

The focus of the BSc Veterinary Nursing programme, which is also taught at SRUC’s Barony campus near Dumfries, is on small animal veterinary nursing care, with some aspects of exotic, wildlife, and large animal nursing.

Students will gain clinical experience through practical activities taught on campus in the new Veterinary Nursing Skills Centre and a work-based placement with an approved training practice.

The honours year will build on the skills and competencies embedded in the first three years and will develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of a range of subjects including the psychology and physiology of pain, animal ethics, welfare, and genetics.

Professor Neil Foster, Head of the Veterinary and Animal Science Department, said: “At SRUC we pride ourselves on developing graduates who are ready for the workplace.

“These new programmes help to fulfil the British Veterinary Association’s ‘Vet-led Team model’ by providing qualified veterinary assistants and nurses to enhance the work of Veterinary Surgeons.”

For more information about the new courses visit: www.sruc.ac.uk/study