Bachelor of Veterinary Nursing (third year)

Program Overview

This Level 7 Bachelor of Veterinary Nursing program, offered online in collaboration with EIT, provides students with advanced skills in veterinary nursing. The program covers topics like medical nursing, anesthesia and surgery, animal welfare, wildlife conservation, and emergency care. Graduates have career opportunities as veterinary nurses, educators, and specialists in clinics, hospitals, and research settings.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

This program is the third year of the Bachelor of Veterinary Nursing program, offered online in collaboration with the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT). It is designed for students who have already completed the Level 5 Certificate and Level 6 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing at Otago Polytechnic. The program aims to develop students' critical thinking skills, making them essential members of a veterinary team in clinics or hospitals. Graduates can pursue various roles, including Veterinary Nurse, Veterinary Nurse Educator, Animal Care Educator, and specialist clinic roles.

Outline:

The program is delivered online with some face-to-face teaching. It can be completed full-time in one year or part-time over two years. The program consists of the following modules:

• Advanced Medical Nursing: Develops skills and knowledge for providing advanced medical nursing care to acute and critical patients.
• Advanced Anaesthesia and Surgery: Covers monitoring and managing complex patients under general anesthesia and assisting in advanced surgical procedures.
• Applied Animal Welfare, Behaviour and Training: Focuses on evaluating animal welfare, behavior, and training in New Zealand and globally.
• Reflective Practice and Inquiry for Veterinary Nursing A: Teaches planning work and analyzing and applying research in veterinary nursing practice.
• Wildlife and Conservation: Develops skills and knowledge related to wildlife care, management, and conservation.
• Emergency Care and Response: Covers managing response teams and patients during natural disasters and clinical emergencies.
• Animal Rehabilitation: Focuses on planning patient rehabilitation and monitoring progress.
• Reflective Practice and Inquiry for Veterinary Nursing B: Develops skills and knowledge for critically analyzing research to inform evidence-based veterinary nursing practice.

Assessment:

Assessment methods include:

• Practical workbook completion for on-campus block courses
• Completion of work experience portfolio
• Assignments
• Tests
• Exams
• Observations

Teaching:

The program is delivered online with some face-to-face teaching. Tutorials are scheduled between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday. Students are expected to spend 10 hours of study per course per week, including scheduled classroom time. International students must attend weekly tutorials at the EIT campus in Hawke's Bay.

Careers:

Graduates of this program can pursue a variety of careers, including:

• Veterinary Nurse
• Veterinary Nurse Educator
• Animal Care Educator
• DOC roles
• MPI roles
• Humane Society roles
• Commercial representative
• Medical representative
• Specialist clinic roles
• Veterinary Nursing or Animal Care Researcher

Other:

• Students must complete 160 hours of work experience during the third year of the program.
• Work experience must be completed in at least two different veterinary practices, unless the student is currently employed at a veterinary clinic.
• Students are responsible for finding their own work placements, with assistance from program staff if needed.
• Work placements are recommended to be in two or three-week blocks.
• Students must maintain a portfolio with evidence of completion of practical assessments and clinical skills.
• Regular communication with the Program Coordinator is required to discuss progress on workplace requirements.
• A memorandum of agreement is drawn up between the work placement facility, the student, and EIT to define rights and responsibilities.

• Domestic fees
Third year Standard $7,674

International fees

Third year Standard $25,000 The tuition fees shown above are approximate only. There may be a slight fee increase per year once Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) rules and guidelines are applied. These fees also don’t include additional costs or living costs.