The student will evaluate and strengthen their analytical and leadership skills and critical thinking. It will facilitate the development of knowledge, skills and attributes that will assist veterinary nurses in practice as their roles expand and evolve, thus ensuring competent long-term practice. The program also provides an opportunity for newly qualified and experienced veterinary nurses to continue their education by earning a level 8 rating.

The goal of this program is to provide graduates with the knowledge, skills, and attributes to perform extended or advanced veterinary nursing roles, such as critical care, laboratory diagnostics, management, and leadership, or to conduct research in the field.

The Advanced Analytical Techniques module will better prepare veterinary nurses for new and more advanced techniques in clinical analysis and provide them with career options within the broader field of “science”, including commercial veterinary testing. Students will also have an elective choice between Shelter Medicine and Herd Health and Biosecurity, allowing them to exercise a preference for further specialization in the care of companion or production animals.

The research methods and modules of the research project will provide students with skills for evidence-based practice and prepare them for further study at the graduate level. Clinical governance and evidence-based medicine will complement the academic research modules by focusing on assessing the evidence and evaluating its application to the clinical care setting. In the Emergency and Critical Care Nursing module, students earn an integrated and professionally recognized qualification, RECOVER CPR.

The leadership module will differentiate between effective leadership and management. Students will assess their own leadership style and practices and identify interventions that help them provide more effective leadership within a clinical care setting.