Is veterinary nursing for me?
Explore the incredible rewards and opportunities a career in veterinary nursing can give you.
Succeeding as a veterinary nurse
To thrive as a veterinary nurse, you need more than just a love of animals. The ability to communicate well, strong technical skills and a professional attitude are just as crucial.
Your crucial personal qualities
1. You’re a good communicator
The most important quality for any vet nurse is the ability to talk to people. You'll spend just as much time communicating with worried pet owners as you will caring for their animals, whether it's translating complicated medical terms or answering their questions.
Declan, a vet nurse, says: “The skill I use most often in my job by far is safe and clear communication, be it between colleagues or with pet owners, written down or verbally. There is such a monumental importance to ensuring two-way communication remains open, allowing my patients to get the appropriate care they need.”
2. You're hands-on and practical
A lot of your work will involve practical hands-on tasks, such as using technical equipment, administering injections and putting in intravenous lines. To perform these well, you’ll need steady hands and plenty of confidence working with animals of all sizes.
You’ll need to be able to hold animals still, safely and gently, solve practical problems when equipment doesn’t work as expected, and have physical stamina too - as you'll often be on your feet for long stretches.
3. You’re compassionate
Understanding that pets are family members to their owners will help you to support them and communicate with empathy. With time, you’ll find the perfect balance between being professional and showing care and support.
4. You’re a team player
Veterinary care is a team effort. You'll work closely with vet surgeons, sharing your observations and any concerns, and provide support to other nurses during busy periods.
You'll also need to be prepared to jump in and help other colleagues - even if the task in question is not normally your job.
5. You have professional integrity
When you're handling confidential information and making important decisions about animal care, being trustworthy is crucial. Be honest if you don't know something and need support, and always follow rules and procedures carefully.
Taking responsibility for your mistakes while continuing to learn throughout your career shows the professional approach that clients and colleagues will expect.
6. You’re emotionally resilient
As a vet nurse, you’ll be dealing with animals in pain, pet deaths and euthanasia situations, as well as their worried owners. This can be tough emotionally, and it may take time to learn to cope with these more challenging aspects of the job.
7. You have good attention to detail
This might seem obvious, but being accurate is vital in medical environments where small mistakes can have serious consequences. You’ll need to keep precise records, follow exact medication doses, and carefully watch for changes in patients.
Being methodical about procedures and double-checking important tasks like drug calculations can literally save lives.
Your academic background
Science foundation
To succeed as a vet nurse, you’ll need an understanding of animal anatomy and physiology, common diseases and treatments, and basic chemistry for understanding medications.
You'll also need good maths skills for drug calculations and measurements, plus the ability to understand diagnostic test results as you progress in your career.
Hands-on skills
To manage the practical parts of the job, you’ll need to be competent in basic nursing procedures, understand infection control and cleanliness, and have the ability to monitor animals under anaesthetic.
You’ll build your skills in using diagnostic equipment and emergency first aid during your training, but you’ll also need to commit to ongoing development throughout your career too.
Technology skills
With the modern vet practice’s heavy reliance on computers, you'll need to be comfortable with patient records systems. You’ll also be required to add basic data analysis for lab results, an understanding of practice management software and good email and communication skills to your toolkit.
If you’re able to learn new computer systems quickly, this will be particularly valuable as practices upgrade their technology.
Entry requirements
Your academic qualifications
For most vet nursing courses, you'll need five GCSEs at grade C/4 or above, including maths, English and a science subject. Some universities may want A-levels or equivalent qualifications for degree programmes, though requirements vary between different places.
If you don't have the right GCSEs yet, don't worry - many colleges offer access courses or foundation programmes that can help you meet the entry requirements.
Work experience is essential
All training providers will expect you to have work experience in a veterinary environment, to show that you understand what the job involves and are committed to the profession. It also demonstrates that you can handle working with sick animals, while helping you to develop some basic practical skills before starting formal training.
Personal qualities
Since you'll be handling responsibilities that affect animal welfare, employers will be looking for maturity and reliability as key attributes. As a representative of the practice, you must be able to maintain a professional appearance and attitude, while working flexibly at all times.
Professional requirements
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) registration
To work as a vet nurse in the UK, you must be registered with the RCVS. This requires completing an approved qualification, demonstrating practical skills, maintaining professional standards throughout your career, and undertaking continuing professional development (CPD) annually.
Ongoing learning
Once qualified as a Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN), you’ll need to complete at least 15 hours of CPD each year. This ensures you stay up-to-date with advances in veterinary medicine, maintain your professional registration, continue to develop your skills, and can adapt to new techniques and treatments.
Veterinary nursing career case studies
To help you find out more about the diverse career paths available to you, read our new case studies from veterinary nurses in a wide variety of different roles.
Though your own career path will be unique, we hope you will find ideas and inspiration from reading about others.