Student Veterinary Nurse Review

I design and deliver nursing care plans to veterinary patients under the care of the RSPCA with a primary focus victims of abuse. I am a qualified animal behaviour technician and combine a medical and behavioural approach to deliver patient focussed care. I design SOP's and protocols for infection control and audit the practice against human health care standards every 3 months. I train other staff in animal behaviour, laboratory diagnostics, infection control, and anaesthesia.

I was an exceptional case in that I had been working in the field for 17 years prior to getting the opportunity to pursue the apprenticeship and had previous veterinary medicine training, a level 5 behavioural diploma, a BSc in Zoology, and multiple published research papers in related fields so have refreshed skills however few were "new"

The training provider, Capital City College Group were fantastic! Their staff are exceptionally knowledgeable and they adjust content to suit student through a variety of learning techniques. Support in the workplace via line management was good although difficult to gain access to due to time constraints. Support from higher management and general structure was lacking

The training provider would score 10/10. The workplace would realistically score much lower as little time is devoted to the apprenticeship meaning many unpaid hours become necessary

There is no time provided towards training and the number of tutorials and off the job hours had to be fought for and campaigned for by individual students, it was sadly not made a priority

The only fault would be how the team are perhaps too dedicated. They always respond quickly with detailed and accurate advice, each team member has their own specialism and fully covers course content. They are emotionally and professionally supportive

Although I had many of the skills from previous training the team really helped motivate and inspire me, in particular [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyApprenticeship Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] and her in depth knowledge of anaesthesia.

No, these activities aren't made available to clinical roles

No

Pay is below the industry standard with a very high level of burnout and graphic media. The nursing team receive little support and whilst it can be a very rewarding place to work it takes a great toll on the employee and apprentice so would only recommend the employer to experienced and confident peers that have the confidence to defend themselves to local managers

I would advise them to seriously consider the reasons for applying. You will be dealing with graphic media, cruelty and abuse cases, and a high rate of moral injury in exchange for very little reward. The motivation must be understood and specific, you will be making a difference to the most vulnerable animals in the country but you will receive little recognition or reward for doing so meaning the work itself must be the reward for you