Careers Spotlight: Veterinary Nurse

Veterinary nurses use their technical knowledge and hands on expertise to care for our pets with skill and empathy every single day. It is the perfect job for those looking for a rewarding career making a real difference to the lives of animals.

Veterinary nurses are responsible for working with veterinary surgeons to provide care and treatment to a variety of different animals such as dogs, cats and rabbits. They carry out nursing and technical work and perform a range of important diagnostic tests, medical treatments and minor surgical procedures under veterinary surgeon direction. Beyond technical work, RVNs also educate owners on the welfare of their pets. In many practices they run their own nursing clinics.

In any given day you will find yourself involved in a variety of different tasks, from helping a veterinary surgeon in theatre to advising an owner on the most appropriate method of flea control for their pet. Your regular work may include:

• Preparing animals for surgery and performing minor surgical procedures

• Monitoring anaesthetised animals

• Nursing sick animals and administering medication

• Taking x-rays and carrying out diagnostic tests

• Advising owners on the health and welfare of their pets

• Taking bookings, payments and completing necessary paperwork

• Running nurse clinics, such as diet and grooming consultations

• Four VNs and their animals

• Veterinary Nursing Roles in Veterinary Practice

Outside of the consulting room in veterinary practice, RVNs handle most of the care and attention required by our pets. Their registration with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) shows that they are responsible for their professional conduct and remaining up-to-date with their professional skills and knowledge. 

Veterinary nursing is a natural choice for those with their minds set on working with animals. If you have a passion for animal welfare, then you are likely already familiar with the profession and the important role that veterinary nurses play in raising animal welfare standards.

It’s the perfect job for those looking for a varied, challenging and rewarding career where you will make a difference to the lives of animals every single day.

How to qualify:

University

You can do a foundation degree or degree in veterinary nursing. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has a list of accredited courses.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• at least 1 A level, or equivalent, for a foundation degree

• 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including biology for a degree

College

You can study for a Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing at college.

You'll spend some time in the classroom and periods of training on placement in a veterinary practice.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has a list of approved training organisations offering the course.

Entry requirements

You'll need:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science

Apprenticeship

You can begin your career by doing a Veterinary Nurse Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

The training takes up to 3 years to complete.

Entry requirements

• You'll usually need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science

If you want to learn more about working as a vetinary nurse  click on the links below

Boosting your CV

So what is a CV?  CV is short for Curriculum Vitae and is a short document which summarises your unique skills, character, experience and achievements.  

For students it can feel difficult to know what to write as you haven't had the time to build up the experience that employers always seem to want.

In this section we will look at ways of making your CV stand out for future employers so you can get that dream job.  So far we have looked at  ideas such as attending after school clubs and work experience placements.  This month we consider professional and industry organisations

Professional organisations:

Most specialisations and industries have a professional body, normally an association or institute, which people with the appropriate background, experience or qualifications can join. What can you gain by joining such a body?  Is it worth the membership fee? Will it help your job search? Here are some of the potential benefits that membership can offer.

Professional Recognition

Most institutions have an assessment process that applicants must pass before they are granted membership. This means that, once you have demonstrated that you have the requisite experience, qualifications and skills, you may join the institution and add the appropriate letters to your CV and business card. Membership shows that you have reached a certain level of expertise in your profession, and adds to your credibility.  It also shows that you are serious about your career and professional development. But remember just being a card carrying member of an organization doesn’t mean that this will automatically produce results for you – and you need to analyse the different types of professional bodies or institutes and chose carefully – simply collecting post nominal accreditation when taken to extremes can work counter-productively too!!

Information and Advice

Many institutions have web sites offering members password protected access to industry news, surveys, reports, updates, career information, jobs, and details of events. Some, like the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), offer a comprehensive on-line research facility, with downloadable documents and publications, and a facility for answering questions you may have.

Networking Opportunities

Institutions may have regional networking and professional development events that you can attend, which can be useful for making new contacts and learning more about what’s happening in the sector. National expos and conferences also offer excellent networking and research opportunities. If you wish to raise your profile you can volunteer to join committees and help organise events.

As a recent school leaver you may be able to get a discount on joining these organisations.  Even if you do not join the organisation if you are able to refer to it in your application letter or interview it will show the interviewer that you care about the job and have researched the industry you want to work in, making you a more attractive candidate. 

The link below will help you put together your CV

Help for Parents and Carers

When it comes to education and careers, parents and carers have a large influence on a students choices. As an adult you are expected to have all the answers, but in a constantly evolving world it can be a struggle to keep up with the latest options out there.  In this section we will highlight resources that will help keep you up to date with careers and the choices available to young people.

How to start the conversation

As with so many things knowing where to start when discussing careers is the hardest part. .  The Gatsby Charitable Foundation work in collaboration with the government and schools to improve careers guidance in the UK.  Talking Futures is a website created by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation with the specific aim of helping parents and carers.  The Talking Futures Conversation Cards are a great resource if you want to have a conversation about careers but don't know how to start.

Click on the link below to go to the Talking Futures Conversation Cards.

Current Opportunities

This month we have an opportunity for students who are considering a career in medicine to attend a virtual talk at Kings College London.  In addition to this the logistics company DHL have just opened applications for apprenticeships

DHL Apprenticeships

The apprenticeships roles at DHL Supply Chain have now gone live.  These are for a September 2024 start date and we have a range of programmes available across the UK.

Please find a link to our apprenticeship vacancies page below which provides further information about the programme and details the opportunities we’re recruiting for. Please can we kindly ask that you share this with your students?

https://careers.dhl.com/global/en/dsc-apprentices-uk

If you have any questions or require any further information, please let us know.

Thank you for your support.

Kind Regards

Next Generation Talent Team

Email: EmergingTalent@dhl.com

Website : https://careers.dhl.com/global/en/dsc-nextgenerationtalent-uk

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Medicine at Kings College London

We are getting in touch to let you know about an exciting opportunity for your students interested in studying medicine and dentistry. Applications for our free, online, and national King’s College London Medicine and Dentistry Lecture Series 2024 are now open!

This programme is for students across the UK in Year 11, 12, and 13, who have only attended non-selective state schools since age 11 and are interested in becoming a doctor or dentist.

Please circulate this opportunity to students who you think will be interested.

For over three years this online programme has supported students in accessing the hyper-competitive medical and dental degrees by acting as a hub of support for their questions and queries. Over the course of the lecture programme students will hear from a variety of speakers to help them make the best application to medicine or dentistry possible! Last year’s lectures included the following:

·        Medical and dental specialities: paediatrics, prosthodontics, renal transplant, maxillofacial and many more!

·        Q&A’s each week with current medical and dental students.

·        Support for the application process: UCAT, personal statements, and interviews.

·        September Q&A with key admissions colleagues in the school of medicine at KCL, UCL, St George’s, Queen Mary, and Imperial.

·        A session on other careers in healthcare with six professionals currently working and teaching in the sector (nursing, dietetics, clinical science, etc.)

Lectures will be held on Wednesday evenings at 6-7.15pm. Our first lecture will be on Wednesday 14th February.

For more information and to apply, students should follow this link. The deadline to apply is Monday 15th January 2023.

Finally, here is what some students had to say from last year’s programme:

·        Student from Tower Hamlets: This lecture series has established the pros and cons to medicine and dentistry, but it has also communicated how to overcome these cons in an articulate manner. I feel much more educated in the fields of medicine and dentistry as before watching this series, I was always presented the sugar-coated perspective of these fields, which can create a false interpretation of what medicine and dentistry actually entails. I now know exactly what I want to study (and what to avoid) which is super helpful as it has eliminated all the feeling of indecision and hesitation that I had!

·        Student from Leicester: It has really been effective into giving me an insight into dentistry and medicine, what they entail and also allowed me to really dig deeper and gain more information about different topics within the jobs and allowed me to learn a range of new information much of which I could also include in my personal statement.

·        Student from Bexley: Through hearing about the experiences of various students and professionals, this lecture series has confirmed that I truly want to study medicine. Although the application process can be quite daunting, the lecture series has helped me gain a better understanding of how to write a good personal statement, do well in the UCAT, and be prepared for interviews. As well as this, moderators were always more than willing to provide us with advice and information on various topics and parts of the application process.

·        Student from Milton Keynes: Attending the lecture series was instrumental in confirming my decision to pursue dentistry. The talks given by dental students shed light on their academic achievements in secondary school, their perspective on dentistry as a fulfilling profession, and they emphasized how the importance of patient satisfaction is a valuable aspect of the dental field.

·        Student from Bedfordshire: I’ve always wanted to work in the medical field to help people but did not know what it involved or required. The lecture series has taught me how huge the medical field really is and how different yet important all fields are. It has also opened a door for me to also go and study dentistry in the future also. The lecture series has cemented my aspirations to go and work in the medical field as it is so interesting and rewarding.

I hope to see lots of your students there! Our application form can be found here.

VIRTUAL EMPLOYER ENCOUNTERS

The Careers and Enterprise Company are running a webinar on 14th December from 4:30pm to 5:30pm on how to develop a career as film director.  To learn more please click on the link below.

Virtual Employer Encounters