Masters Degrees in Veterinary Nursing, United Kingdom

Why this programme

◾This is the first fully online postgraduate qualification designed specifically for RVNs currently being delivered in Scotland. The part-time and online nature of the programme means it is ideally suited to individuals who are in full-time employment.
◾The University of Glasgow’s School of Veterinary Medicine is ranked 2nd in the UK (Complete University Guide 2016).
◾The University of Glasgow ranked top amongst UK Vet Schools in the National Student Survey (2016) with 98% overall student satisfaction, and the School of Veterinary Medicine combines both teaching excellence and a supportive learning environment.
◾The programme reflects the need for tomorrow’s RVNs to be involved in lifelong self-directed learning. It supports RVNs to become adaptive to the dynamic care environments that they work in, supports their delivery of quality care, and promotes the use of best practice techniques.
◾The programme offers specialist education in veterinary nursing which encompasses a core set of specialised skills, knowledge and competencies, supplemented by a choice of additional specialised areas including research, education, business management, ethics and best practice.
◾Close involvement of experts from different fields of veterinary nursing and the wider veterinary industry in the planning and delivery of courses ensures that the programme is current and relevant.

Programme structure

The MSc Advanced Practice in Veterinary Nursing comprises three components:

[[Three core courses (Year 1) ]]
◾Introduction to research and evidence based veterinary nursing
◾Clinical governance in veterinary medicine
◾Developing evidence informed practice through independent learning

Three optional courses (Year 2)

◾Promoting best practice in veterinary nursing
◾Animal and veterinary ethics
◾Introduction to teaching and assessment in veterinary nursing
◾Introduction to statistical methods
◾Introduction to veterinary business studies

Dissertation (Year 3)

The programme is delivered fully online using a range of learning and teaching approaches including lectures, seminars, tutorials, work-based learning and project work. You will have the flexibility to tailor the subject of many of your assessments and final dissertation to disciplines or specialisms that are relevant and of interest to you and/or your future career.

The online and part-time nature of this programme, and the flexibility this route offers, makes it ideally suited to individuals in full-time employment.

Core Courses:

Introduction to research and evidence based veterinary nursing

This course will introduce students to the concepts of theoretical and practical research. It will cover what research is and why it is carried out, the basic elements of the research process, different types of research (quantitative and qualitative) using relevant examples from veterinary nursing/medicine. Following on from this, students will be shown how to access research, how to find and evaluate evidence, carry out literature searches, utilise evidence in their own writing / studying and how to develop their own research questions.

Clinical governance in veterinary medicine

This course will enable veterinary nurses to learn from an industry expert to develop their knowledge of the key concepts underlying clinical governance in veterinary practice. Students will learn skills than can be directly applied to practice including how to perform audits and monitor performance and outcomes in their own clinical environments and how these skills can be applied if their practice undergoes accreditation or awards assessment.

Developing evidence informed practice through independent learning

This course enables veterinary nurses to learn theoretical frameworks of reflection and develop practical skills in personal reflection. Such skills allow the student to identify any deficits in an area of individual interest or specialism, which can then be addressed through independent learning using evidence informed practice.

Optional Courses:

Promoting best practice in veterinary nursing

This course allows students to develop best practice in a particular area of interest or specialism through independent learning by reviewing and assimilating the appropriate literature, which will then be disseminated to others using written and verbal techniques. This course will develop students’ knowledge and understanding of the different techniques that can be utilised to disseminate best practice. They will also learn skills in how to disseminate best practice such as writing for journal publications and delivering oral presentations.

Animal and veterinary ethics

This course will enable students to develop their knowledge of key concepts underlying animal and veterinary ethics. Participants will also improve their ethical reasoning skills by learning to utilise a logical approach to decision making when faced with ethical dilemmas.

Introduction to teaching and assessment in veterinary nursing

This course aims to provide veterinary nurses with the knowledge and skills to create an effective learning environment for individuals within the veterinary nursing profession. Students will analyse strategic learning theories and models of teaching in order to synthesise knowledge and adapt one's own teaching practice. The course will cover delivery of teaching, evaluation of competencies, and self-reflection allowing for research to be utilised and adapted to create a teaching, learning and assessment plan. Individuals will also cover key transferable skills which will influence teaching practice. A proportion of the course will focus on the teaching and assessment of clinical skills, and how it can be practically implemented and utilised within one’s own practice, and in an academic environment.

Introduction to statistical methods

This course assumes no prior knowledge of statistics. It covers graphical and numerical methods of displaying and summarising data along with the use and interpretation of confidence intervals, significance tests (t tests, chi-square tests, etc.), correlation and linear regression. Students get hands on experience of using appropriate statistical software to carry out these analyses.

Introduction to veterinary business studies

This course will enable students to develop their knowledge of core business concepts and how they apply to the veterinary industry. Participants will learn skills that can be utilised in practice from a variety of areas, including business strategy, marketing, finance and human resources.

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This programme provides a framework for postgraduate study which offers Registered Veterinary Nurses (RVNs) the opportunity to advance their knowledge, improve research skills, and practice evidence based veterinary nursing. The programme is flexible and allows individuals to directly align their studies to areas that are of interest to them, or are directly relevant to their current or future roles. The programme is intended to meet the needs of anyone seeking a flexible and adaptable route to a successful postgraduate degree, or who wish to undertake postgraduate-level study for continual professional development purposes at an advanced level.

Why this programme

● This is the first fully online postgraduate qualification designed specifically for RVNs currently being delivered in Scotland. The part-time and online nature of the programme means it is ideally suited to individuals who are in full-time employment.

● The University of Glasgow’s School of Veterinary Medicine is ranked 2nd in the UK (Complete University Guide 2016).

● The University of Glasgow ranked top amongst UK Vet Schools in the National Student Survey (2016) with 98% overall student satisfaction, and the School of Veterinary Medicine combines both teaching excellence and a supportive learning environment.

● The programme reflects the need for tomorrow’s RVNs to be involved in lifelong self-directed learning. It supports RVNs to become adaptive to the dynamic care environments that they work in, supports their delivery of quality care, and promotes the use of best practice techniques.

● The programme offers specialist education in veterinary nursing which encompasses a core set of specialised skills, knowledge and competencies, supplemented by a choice of additional specialised areas including research, education, business management, ethics and best practice.

● Close involvement of experts from different fields of veterinary nursing and the wider veterinary industry in the planning and delivery of courses ensures that the programme is current and relevant.

Programme structure

The MSc Advanced Practice in Veterinary Nursing comprises three components:

[[Three core courses (Year 1) ]]

• Introduction to research and evidence based veterinary nursing
• Clinical governance in veterinary medicine
• Developing evidence informed practice through independent learning

Three optional courses (Year 2)

• Promoting best practice in veterinary nursing
• Animal and veterinary ethics
• Introduction to teaching and assessment in veterinary nursing
• Introduction to statistical methods
• Introduction to veterinary business studies

Dissertation (Year 3)

The programme is delivered fully online using a range of learning and teaching approaches including lectures, seminars, tutorials, work-based learning and project work. You will have the flexibility to tailor the subject of many of your assessments and final dissertation to disciplines or specialisms that are relevant and of interest to you and/or your future career.

The online and part-time nature of this programme, and the flexibility this route offers, makes it ideally suited to individuals in full-time employment.

Please refer to the website for information on

Core and optional courses

,

Studying online

and

Career prospects

http://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/advancedpracticeinveterinarynursingonline/#/

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The RVC Graduate Diploma in Professional and Clinical Veterinary Nursing is a unique distance-learning advanced veterinary nursing diploma for practising registered veterinary nurses.

If you are currently employed in practice and looking to study from home, the Diploma will help you to develop valuable knowledge and skills to take you to the next level of your career.

Under the microscope

The Diploma is managed and taught by leading veterinary professionals who are recognised by employers both within the UK and internationally. We focus on developing critical thinking, using both theory and its practical application, enabling you to become better equipped to care for your patients.

Our learners come from a wide range of veterinary practices around the world. Whether you work in a first-opinion practice, a charity clinic or a large specialist referral practice, you will all share an ambition to excel in the veterinary field and a desire to improve animal health and welfare.

We welcome applications from individuals with the dedication to commit to the course and progress the professional role of the vet nurse in the veterinary profession. You will need a high level of motivation and, in return, we promise a rich and rewarding experience during your time with us.

The course

The Graduate Diploma in Professional and Clinical Veterinary Nursing consists of modules that run consecutively through the academic year. At the start of the course, you will study a 'pre-requisite bridging short-course', which involves learning contemporary study skills, and includes a compulsory Orientation Week.

In Year One, you are required to study the following core modules:
- Evidence-based veterinary nursing
- Problem solving in veterinary physiology
- Professional studies

In Year Two, you will study three elective clinical modules.

How will I learn?

The Graduate Diploma is delivered through flexible online learning via the RVC’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) – ‘Learn’. This means you can work towards the qualification at your own pace and can schedule your study around other aspects of your personal and professional life.

Each module has a subject specialist assigned as module leader. They act as your personal tutor, helping you navigate through the module and setting a series of collaborative tasks, assignments and online discussion activities. All of these will contribute to your specialist knowledge and learning.

Learning outcomes

During the programme you will:
- Benefit from exposure to some of the best clinical specialists in the UK
- Join a network of like-minded individuals all striving to enhance the professional status of the veterinary nurse
- Become better equipped to influence the health of animal patients within your care
- Learn to apply new solutions and approaches to often complex problems at work
- Have the potential to publish work developed as part of your course studies (see Published papers of previous students)
- Develop an appetite for lifelong learning.

In addition, your practice will benefit from your motivation and ability to make an enhanced contribution to the workplace.

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The course
The programme is typically delivered on a blended-learning part-time basis, studied over three academic years, with students completing the taught modules within the first two years and completing the Masters Research Project within an individually negotiated timescale over one to two years. The programme is designed to be flexible; applicants may not wish to enrol for an MSc but to study some of the modules as part of a Continuing Professional Development Programme. One or more triads of modules will be delivered over a year to make up a post-graduate certificate (PgC) in a particular topic area. Individual modules could be studied for CPD, six modules studied for a PgD or six taught modules plus the research project for the MSc.

How will it benefit me?
Veterinary nursing is now a recognised profession with registration and responsibilities. One is Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Several hundred qualified veterinary nurses have trained through the degree route and more have studied other animalrelated degrees. There are also an increasing number of RVNs who have completed the Dip AVN. Although there is a wide range of CPD courses and events provided around the country, this is an opportunity to develop advanced knowledge and skills in areas of veterinary nursing which are not covered in depth in most undergraduate syllabuses, and achieve a postgraduate award.

Careers
Learning new skills is important in a profession, whether it is to develop confidence and skills in general practice or to be part of a team in a specialist or referral practice. The MSc modules have been chosen to enhance skills in developing and expanding fields of veterinary practice, and to complement and build on the more generic skills found in the undergraduate degrees and Dip AVN.

A clinical MSc in Veterinary Nursing would also develop the CV of those with an interest in teaching. We are being encouraged to nurse from an 'evidence base'. To establish an evidence base in veterinary nursing people must be willing and able to determine evidence and to publish it. The research project element of the MSc aims to develop and support those with an interest in this field.

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The programme fulfils the need to support Veterinary Surgeons who treat both companion and large animals. The Veterinary Physiotherapist (VP) can provide this support during an animal’s recovery from injury or surgery as well as in preparation of the athletic animal. Considering the number of animals owned and cared for in the UK and a general wish for high standards of animal health and welfare, there is now a growing need for well-educated and highly qualified, accredited VPs to provide this sort of service.

The course

We have a long history of successfully delivering animal science-related courses in conjunction with animal healthcare organisations, for individuals and their employers. This programme is another example of collaboration, this time with the National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists (NAVP). Delivery, therefore, will be provided by colleagues from Harper Adams, technical specialists who are members of NAVP and also specialist external academics.

The programme fulfils the need to support veterinary surgeons who treat both companion and large animals. The veterinary physiotherapist (VP) can provide this support during an animal’s recovery from injury or surgery as well as in preparation of the athletic animal. Considering the number of animals owned and cared for in the UK and a general wish for high standards of animal health and welfare, there is now a growing need for well-educated and highly qualified, accredited VPs to provide this sort of service.

This programme is delivered on a part-time basis and studied over three academic years, with students completing the taught modules within the first two years and completing the Masters Research Project within an individually negotiated timescale over one to two years.

Please note that the course begins in July.

How will it benefit me?

Veterinary physiotherapy is now well established as a mainstream treatment and offers the opportunity to become part of a growing professional community. Successful completion of this programme will provide individuals with more extensive opportunities for graduate employment as a VP in the animal health sector by developing the specific scientific, technical and business skills required. On successful completion, students will gain a recognised Higher Education postgraduate qualification as well as professional membership to NAVP, which is recognised by both practising veterinary surgeons and lead sector insurers as valid providers of specialist veterinary physiotherapy.

Application process

Applications for entry in 2013 close on 15th March 2013. If you would like to apply for a place, please complete and return the application form to:

Heather Hogan
Postgraduate Office
Harper Adams University
Newport, Shropshire, TF10 8NB

There will be two interview/open days held in January and April where individuals will be selected from the applications received. The first one in January will be for those applications received before the 3rd December 2012; the April open day will be for all those applications received before the final closing date.

If you are shortlisted for one of the interview/open days we will be in touch with a date and time.

A waiting list is also kept in case applicants decline, or fail to take up, their offer.

Further information

For course structure information select the 'Course structure' tab, or download our Frequently Asked Questions PDF.

Due to the course being a part time course only, Harper Adams are unable to accept International Students who will require a Tier 4 Visa. If you require more information on this please visit the UK Borders Agency website.

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