veterinary nurse apprenticeship salary

Veterinary nurses are one of two key professional roles delivering medical care to animals, the other being veterinary surgeons. To be a veterinary nurse, you’ll need to have successfully completed a course accredited by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).

As a veterinary nurse, you’ll be involved in the hands-on nursing care of a range of animals, providing both emergency and routine healthcare. You’ll work alongside veterinary surgeons to promote animal health and welfare through responsible ownership and play a key role in the education of pet owners.

Types of veterinary nursing

You may specialise in one of these areas in particular, depending on the practice and your own interests:

• general practice (first opinion) – first-line care of animals including vaccinating, neutering, worming and health checking
• emergency practice – practices that typically operate overnight and at weekends seeing urgent and critical cases
• referral practice – specialist practices that tend to see the more complex cases. Examples include orthopaedics, oncology and ophthalmology. In some cases, these may be species-specific, e.g. canine, equine or exotics.

Responsibilities

As a veterinary nurse, you’ll need to:

• confidently handle and restrain animals
• provide nursing care to hospitalised patients, including patient monitoring and health checking, feeding, grooming and walking animals
• administer treatments including injections, tablets, fluids and blood transfusions
• perform diagnostic tests, e.g. blood sampling, urine analysis and x-rays
• prepare animals for surgery and perform some minor procedures, e.g. suturing wounds and dental hygiene
• monitor anaesthesia
• assist veterinary surgeons with operations
• maintain the cleanliness and hygiene of the practice
• communicate with pet owners, gaining their trust and reassuring them about their animal’s treatment
• educate pet owners on animal health, including vaccinations, worming, flea prevention and appropriate nutrition
• support student veterinary nurses undertaking placements
• work to the Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses.

Salary

• At entry-level, veterinary nurses can earn £17,793 to £22,300.
• With up five years’ experience salaries range from £20,388 to £23,550.
• More senior veterinary nurses can earn up to £38,600, with the average salary being around £28,000.

Income data from the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) 2018 Salaries Survey. Figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

As a full-time veterinary nurse, you’ll work an average of 39 to 49 hours per week. However, you may work longer hours depending on your role. You should bear in mind that you may be required to work unsociable hours, including weekends, bank holidays and possibly overnight cover.

Part-time and locum (temporary) work is also an option within this profession.

What to expect

• Every day will bring different challenges but variety is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the role.
• The job is physically demanding. You’ll be on your feet for much of the day and will be involved in lifting and restraining animals.
• Practice hygiene tasks, including disinfecting kennels and sterilising surgical equipment, are an important and integral part of the role.
• As you’re required to be hands-on with a range of animals, bites and scratches are a potential risk.
• You’ll play a key role in supporting pet owners in making (sometimes difficult) decisions regarding their animal’s care and wellbeing.

Qualifications

To practice as a veterinary nurse in the UK, you must hold a qualification accredited by the RCVS. If you’re applying to university, you’ll choose from two possible study routes:

• A foundation degree (FdSc) in veterinary nursing (typically a three-year course)
• A Bachelors degree (BSc) in veterinary nursing (typically a four-year course).

If you already hold a degree-level qualification in another subject, or are looking for a more vocational approach, you may also consider a Level 3 work-based Diploma in veterinary nursing, which takes usually two and a half years to complete. For this option, you’ll need to be employed by a veterinary practice before enrolling on the course.