For Veterinary Care Assistant students (VCA) the course lasts for 1 year, from September until the end of June.

For Diploma in Veterinary Nursing students (VN Dip) the course last for 2 1/2 years. Year 1 runs from September until the start of July. Year 2 runs from September until the start of July and September until the end of December.

VCA:

  • GCSE’s at Grade D in Maths and English Language and Grade C in Science
  • Suitable reference from a Veterinary Practice
  • Prior work experience is preferred
  • A suitable Veterinary placement to support 2 days a week work placement whilst on the course, totalling 600 hours over the course (offers will only be made once details of a work placement provider have been supplied)

VN Dip:

  • 5 GCSE’s at Grade C in Maths, English and Science plus 2 others

      OR

  • VCA plus English and Maths at Level 2
  • A suitable reference from a Veterinary Practice
  • You must be working at least 15 hours per week in a Veterinary Practice which is prepared to support you through your two years of training, this must be a paid placement (offers will only be made once details of a work placement provider have been supplied)

VCA:

  • 2-3 full days (this depends if you need to study towards maths and English), typically 9am – 5pm

VN Dip:

  • 1 full day, 9am – 5pm
  • The course runs during half terms

VCA:

The modules you will study are:

  • Practical hospital care
  • Assisting the VN/Vet
  • Administrative procedures

VN Dip:

You will study modules such as:

  • Anatomy and physiology
  • Health and disease
  • Diagnostic techniques
  • Theatre practices
  • Hospital care
  • Administrative procedures
  • Laws and legislation
  • Professional registration at Level 4

VCA:

  • 59 assessments in total assessed in a variety of ways ranging from case logs, oral questionings, display work, in class tests and discussions.
  • Work based assessments will be completed in practice by a qualified member of the college team or by a qualified assessor in practice.

VN Dip:

  • 5 x exams sat at intervals throughout the course
  • Range of assignments
  • Nursing Progress Log (NPL) – online practical skills log
  • OCSE’s practical exams

VCA:

  • A regular placement 2 days per week in a small animal or mixed practice
  • You will also be out on block placement for 2 weeks every term

VN Dip:

  • Ideally full-time as an apprentice or a regular placement, recommended 3 days per week in a small or mixed practice
Currently we do not have provisions to support this pathway.

VCA:

We do not stipulate that you must be employed by the practice and you can train on a voluntary basis (you will need to discuss this with your practice).

VN Dip:

Yes – we will require evidence of a paid placement. The placement can only be voluntary for 52 weeks i.e. the first year.

VCA:

Not required for this course.

VN Dip:

A qualified member of the college team will visit the practice to assess the provisions they have to train you. Provided all criteria is met, Reaseheath will grant this status.

VCA:

Not required for this course.

VN Dip:

Unfortunately, normally the practice will send you to their current provider however ask the practice to contact the college directly and we will more than happy to discuss whether or not you will be able to train with us.
Students aged 16-18 do not have to pay tuition fees. Students 19+ are liable to pay full tuition fees and should
discuss their individual circumstances with the Student Finance at their interview following their application.
Dependent upon circumstances there may be bursaries available to you through the college or the awarding
body.

VNA:

There are no exam fees for this course.

VN Dip:

Course fees include registration with the awarding and governing body (RCVS) and one examination fee per paper/OSCE. Resits are charged additionally.
VCA:

The practice is not required to pay any fees to train you

VN Dip:

There are practice fees which will be discussed directly with your practice

If you have found a course you are interested in and are in Year 11 or above you can apply now online. For a step by step guide on the application process visit the how to apply pages on our website. Alternatively, you can download an application form here.

After applying you will be invited in for an interview, where we can discuss in detail your course choice and specific requirements.  A suitable offer will be sent to you in writing, including any specific conditions you need to meet to secure your place in Animal Management. It is important that you confirm is you wish to take up your place as soon as possible.

After the GCSE results are released in August, all applicants will be invited to attend a half day event at Animal Management.  This will be held in the last week in August. This will involve reviewing your entry qualifications (and other conditions you have been asked to meet), confirming your course, agreeing an alternative programme of study where necessary and completing some initial assessments.

See ‘How to get a Placement’ guide for 20 top tips to help you.

Veterinary Nursing is a very popular programme of choice and so offer will only be made to applicants
who have secured a placement. We offer an alternative programme as a back-up in case applicants cannot
find a placement in time. Those adamant about only wanting to study Veterinary Nursing will be refused a
place initially and kept on file until they contact us to confirm they have secured a placement. It is common
for students to study a more generic Animal Management Course with us in the interim until their find
employment within a Veterinary Practice and then reapply for Veterinary Nursing Course a year or two later.
After the GCSEs are released in August, you will need to submit your results to us online (instructions will be
sent to you) and you will be invited to attend a half day event at Animal Management. This is usually held in the last week of August. This will involve reviewing your entry qualifications (and other conditions you have been asked to meet), confirming your course, agreeing an alternative programme of study where necessary and completing some initial assessments.
Once you apply to us, we will base our offer on your predicted results. There are a range of courses on offer in
Animal Management and if you do not achieve the grades for the course you initially applied for, we will review your results following GCSE Results Day in August and suggest an alternative. We will also suggest other courses or departments that may be of interest to you following your results.

If you have any further questions please contact the enquiries team by using our online enquiry form.