Becoming a Veterinary Nurse in Australia 2018/2019

What is a Veterinary Nurse?

Veterinary Nurses are those people who assist Veterinarian Doctor in the performance of their duties or carry out animal health procedures autonomously as part of a veterinary care system. The job role varies throughout the world, and common titles include veterinary nurse, veterinary technician, veterinary assistant and veterinary technologist, and variants with the prefix of ‘animal health’. Besides, the scope of practice varies between countries, with some countries allowing suitably qualified veterinary workers a scope of autonomous practice, including minor surgery, whilst others restrict their workers to simple assisting of the veterinarian.

The Veterinary Nurse Council of Australia (VNCA) defines a “Veterinary Nurse” as one who holds a formally recognised veterinary nursing qualification and maintains their knowledge and skills within the veterinary nursing profession. In Australia, the Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing is considered by the veterinary industry to be the base qualification required for a person who is to provide competent support to a Veterinary Practice with additional qualifications in Diploma of Veterinary Nursing General Practice, Emergency and Critical Care, Surgery and Dentistry as per the Animal Care and Management Training Package. Certificates II in Animal Studies is a progression towards this objective however they do not have identifiable employment occupations.

Becoming a Veterinary Nurse

If Veterinarian Doctor is not your cup of tea, Veterinary Nursing is a way to go. There are flexible entry programs such as Certificate II, III & IV and diploma are available to meet the needs of other students. Starting from Day One when you enter a veterinary practice as a work experience student – right up to the time when you become a Diplomaed Veterinary Nurse, there are qualifications and training resources available to suit your needs.

The national training qualifications also mean that your abilities can now be recognised anywhere in Australia at whatever level you work. You can get these qualifications by having your competence recognised in the workplace. Specifications for competence at the various levels are given in the Veterinary Nursing Training Package materials.

I talked to Excel Education on WhatsApp and after obtaining all the necessary information. Excel Education met me and my parents at Asia Pacific University (Malaysia) to tour us around the campus.

– Mohamad, Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Student at Asia Pacific University Malaysia.

You will also need employment to be able to become competent to the standards required and there is often a shortage of such positions available. This is because many practices employ full-time, qualified support staff, remunerate them well, provide continuing education opportunities and value the contribution that the nurses make to the business. These nurses tend to remain at the practice for a number of years.

The job is a very popular and when a position does become available the employer often fills the position from the files of resumes held or by word of mouth. You should check local and national newspapers for ads under their “professional” or “medical” categories. Send your resume to as many practices as possible, call and/or even take the initiative of presenting yourself in person at a practice for an appointment with the Practice Manager. 

Which Training Organisation to Choose

You should ensure that the training organisation you choose is able to meet your expectation. The training organisation should be licensed to deliver Veterinary Nursing course. The training organisation should be recognised as registered to deliver Nationally Recognised Training and have a Registered Training Organisation Provider number. ASQA is the government organisation that registers and licences training organisations.

The most popular institution for Cert III & IV for Veterinary Nursing program is TAFE NSW: Sydney Institute