Looking for more information visit: Introduction | Course Content | Fees and Payment Plan | Entry Requirements | Career & Outcomes |

Prerequisites for ACM40418 Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing

Students must hold a Certificate II in Animal Studies OR hold a relevant Certificate III or higher level qualification in an animal science discipline OR can demonstrate equivalent skills and knowledge in a relevant animal science discipline (more information here) to any of the above qualifications. If you do not have any of the above pre-requisites you will need to complete our Certificate II in Animal Studies

When and how can I apply?

If you meet the pre-requisite requirements for ACM40418 Cert IV in Vet Nursing as outlined then simply register your interest here. The next online eLearning intake will be in February 2019 and on-campus intake will be in February 2020.

Register your interest

If you do not meet the above pre-requisites for the future ACM40418 course, enrol today in

• ACM20117 Certificate II in Animal Studies
• ACM30117 Certificate III in Animal Studies
• ACM30117 Certificate III in Animal Studies at the RSPCA WA.

Demonstrating Equivalent Skills and Knowledge (equivalency)

If you think you are able to demonstrate the equivalent skills and knowledge from previous studies or workplace experience that are obtained via the Certificate II in Animal Studies, you can apply for equivalency as part of our pre-application and application process. Here's how it works:-

1. If you have successfully completed one of the AVT recognised animal care qualifications listed below - you will need to submit your Certificate and completion documents such as a Statement of Attainment during the application process.
2. If you have completed an alternative qualification that may be equivalent - you will need to submit your Certificate and completion documents such as a Statement of Attainment during the pre-application process. We will review your documents prior to application.
3. If you have relevant skills and knowledge as a result of workplace experience - you will need to submit an application for equivalency review as part of our pre-application process. A fee of $185 applies.

For more information about equivalency please read below.

Does meeting the pre-requisite requirement guarantee entry?

Meeting the compulsory pre-requisite or equivalency does not guarantee entry into ACM40418 Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. Once pre-requisites have been met, prospective students may then apply for entry in to ACM40418 and are subject to the course selection criteria as described below>>

What are examples of skills you need to demonstrate equivalency?

Equivalency of the pre-requisite qualification, Certificate II in Animal Studies may include relevant employed or voluntary (work experience) positions in a range of animal care facilities.  For example, having worked in an animal care facility or veterinary hospital for at least 1 year and performing tasks that include:

• basic care of animals, including feeding, exercise, grooming, washing of animals
• understanding of basic animal care needs i.e. diet, fleas, worms etc
• cleaning/ hygiene procedures of the animal’s environment, eg cage, enclosure, bedding, stable
• handling animals regularly using appropriate handling and restraint methods and can identify basic animal behaviour signs
• observing and recording animals’ behaviour
• providing treatments and medications as instructed
• following Occupational Health and Safety guidelines with an understanding of hazards in the animal care industry,
• Ability to identify basic health care concerns in animals i.e. canine cough, ringworm, cat flu etc
• working in a team environment
• interacting with clients/owners of animals

What types of animal related workplaces are relevant?

Examples of animal care related workplaces where you will need to demonstrate at least a minimum of 1 years’ experience within the last 12 months include:-

• Animal shelters
• Kennels
• Catteries
• Sanctuaries
• Veterinary practices
• Pet shops
• Animal research facilities
• Other areas of animal care work where the student is completing tasks under supervision.

Unfortunately, caring for your own pets at home or hobbies and interests with animals is not adequate experience.

What other animal science related qualifications are relevant and are deemed equivalent to the Certificate II in Animal Studies?

The following nationally recognised qualifications (AVT recognised) are examples of related qualifications that can be deemed equivalent:-

• ACM30117 Certificate III in Animal Studies
• ACM30217 Certificate III in Animal Technology
• ACM30317 Certificate III in Captive Animals
• ACM30417 Certificate III in Companion Animal Services
• ACM30617 Certificate III in Pet Grooming
• ACM40117 Certificate IV in Animal Control and Regulation
• ACM40217 Certificate IV in Captive Animals
• ACM40617 Certificate IV in Pet Styling
• ACM50117 Diploma of Animal Technology
• ACM50317 Diploma of Horse Stud Management
• ACM50417 Diploma of performance Horse Management:

Examples of other qualifications involving animals may include commencement or completion of degrees in areas such as:-

• Animal Science
• Zoology
• Animal Conservation
• Animal Management

What evidence do you need of my work related experience and qualifications?

In order for us to ascertain whether you meet the prerequisites and are therefore eligible to apply for the ACM40418 Certificte IV in Veterinary Nursing, you need to provide evidence which is relevant and current and may include:

• formal qualification documents including a certificate and results listing all units studied
• relevant work history, whether that be voluntary or employed work (including description of the workplace, position held, duties undertaken, duration and supervisor details)
• references from relevant employers and supervisors

We may or may not also need to carry out verbal or written testing of certain subjects/units to help us with the assessment of your application for exemption from completing ACM20117 Certificate II in Animal Studies. Fees apply.

Selection criteria for the Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing

Our graduates are sought after by Veterinary Practices throughout Australia. One of the reasons for this is our selection process. For this reason, places in the AVT Veterinary Nursing course are highly competitive and limited. Unfortunately, this means meeting the pre-requisite requirements does not guarantee you will be accepted into the course. Once you have met the pre-requisite requirements for the Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing, your application will then go through our normal selection process.

In selecting students for our programs, our main consideration is your aptitude for working in this particular field. Although experience in an animal-related industry is a prerequisite, when selecting students, we also consider other criteria as outlined below.

1. Academic ability

We look for evidence of your ability to study at the Certificate IV level. This may be based on your completion of school or other studies. We do not apply strict rules on what schooling you need to have completed and all students can present evidence of their ability to show equivalency to this level.

It is recommended that you have completed or have equivalent language, literacy and numeracy at a year 12 high school level. Throughout this course, you will be required to read and interpret workplace policy and procedures, perform moderate level calculations and exercise various forms of workplace communications.

For students that do not have evidence of previous studies we may ask you to complete one of our own aptitude assessments that may allow you to demonstrate your ability. These assessments are designed to assess your language, literacy and numeracy skills. We may ask you to take some further background studies if we feel you need extra study experience.

2. Your suitability to Veterinary Nursing

We are looking for students with the commitment and personality that would likely support working in the industry. A professional, mature, positive, hard working attitude with good interpersonal skills are what veterinary employers are looking for in a veterinary nurse.

There is a large practical component to the course that will require you to be physically involved with the restraint of animals, handling of animal feed e.g. large bags of food of up to 15 kg, and you may need to to stand for extended periods of time.

You will only be offered a place in our courses if we genuinely feel you have a good chance of gaining employment in the industry once you have gained your qualification.

If we are not able to offer you a place at the time of your application, we will advise you on the best plan for you to be considered at a later time.

The selection process will also take into consideration the quality of the application and how the prospective student performs during a formal interview.

Entry via RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning)

In addition to the normal entry process outlined above, if you already have significant animal care and veterinary nursing skills and experience it is possible you may be eligible for our RPL program. Find out more information about our RPL program here

Looking for more information visit: Introduction | Study Modes | Course Content | Fees and Payment Plan | Career & Outcomes |

Course Fees

What are the course fees and what does it include?

Our fees reflect the quality of the continuous tuition and support you receive throughout the program. Pricing and payment plan options depend on course delivery option chosen as shown below. See the fees section of our policies page for more specific information on fees.

Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing	Full-time (on-campus)	Supported Online
Duration	1 year	Max of 2 years studied at your own pace
Delivery	Classroom and practical	Online theory plus practical work placement. Non-mandatory practical on-campus workshops
Attendance	2 days on-campus, 2 days practical training per week	Not required. Student schedules practical training to suit, ideally 1 day per week
Enrolment
AVT Pre-organised work placement (if not currently employed)		Perth Residents
Work Practical Placement guide (to assist you in securing a work placement)	n/a	Non-Perth Residents
Learning guides (23 units)		Available online
Text books
One-on-one mentoring via phone, email, skype
Face-to-face mentoring		Perth Residents
Excursions and incursions		Perth Residents
Assessments and certification (on successful completion)
Workplace practical insurance cover
Access to purpose built training facilities		If attending workshop training sessions
AVT vet nurse practical kit including:
High quality medical grade stethoscope
Nurses fob watch
Digital thermometer
Surgery attire and name badge
Flexible Payment Plan options
Fees (non-funded students)	$15,400	$7,400
Fees (funded students)^	$2,002 - $4,226 ^See important note below, subsidy and concession may apply.	$1,279 - $3,502 ^See important note below, subsidy and concession may apply
	Apply Now	Apply Now

 

Important note ^

The Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing is eligible for government subsidisation under the Jobs & Skills WA program for both our Full-time On-Campus and online study modes. The fee range shown above is indicative and includes subsidised and full fee paying costs. All fees shown are subject to change at any given time. Subsidised places are limited and are subject to availability. The Student tuition fees are indicative only and are subject to change given individual circumstances at enrolment. Additional fees may apply such as student service and resource fees.

To be eligible for the subsidised fees students must:

• Be over the age of 18 years old in the year of enrolment
• Have primary residence in Western Australia
• Have a valid USI (Unique Student Identifier)
• Be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or hold an approved temporary visa subclass
• Students not eligible for government subsidised fees will be subject to the full fee tuition cost of $15,400 for 2019 on-campus full-time enrolments.

Payment plans

Payment plans generally run for 10 or 20 months depending on how long you have nominated to complete the course.

Credit transfers and fees

Course costs will be reduced where credit transfers apply. For more information about Credit transfers visit our RPL page here.

Looking for more information visit: Introduction | Study Modes | Course Content | Entry Requirements | Career & Outcomes |

Outcomes

On successful completion you will be awarded the nationally recognised qualification, ACM40418 Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing.  You will receive a statement indicating completion of the individual units of study.  You will also be invited to attend our graduation ceremony held in Perth in December every year where you will be formally presented with a certificate. At this ceremony, top achieving students are also recognised and receive both commendations and prizes.

Job Outcomes

On completion of your course the most common career path is directly into a Veterinary Nursing role in a veterinary practice. You could also find yourself working in a zoo, shelter, local council, laboratory, farm, office, or even on the road as a pharmaceutical or food company representative. Alternatively, you may choose to pursue higher level qualifications such as a Diploma in Veterinary Nursing or even a Bachelor of Science.

Here's just a few examples of the types of roles Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing qualified nurses find themselves in:-

• Veterinary nurse
• Veterinary surgical assistant
• Veterinary receptionist
• Practice manager
• Veterinary nurse in a specialist or emergency centre
• Representative for animal related pharmaceutical or nutrition companies
• Animal welfare officer
• Zoo veterinary assistant
• Vocational educator

For more information on Vet Nursing careers and other animal care careers read our article Top 6 Animal Care Careers >>  

Skills Outcomes

Some of the skills you will be able to apply in practice once qualified include:-

• Nursing and monitoring patients
• Administering medication
• Surgical preparation and assistance
• Taking blood samples
• Monitoring anaesthesia
• Taking x-rays (radiography)
• Laboratory processing
• Dental procedures (scale and polish)
• Emergency and critical care nursing
• Nurse consultations providing behavioural advice, nutrition management, dental care, puppy school instruction, wound management and post operative care.
• Customer service and client education

Looking for more information visit: Introduction | Study Modes | Course Content | Fees and Payment Plan | Entry Requirements