Scotland is known for its love of animals, and Scotland’s Rural College has just become one of only two higher education institutions in Scotland to offer a degree in veterinary nursing.

Welcoming its first class next month, the course will enable students to earn their Licensed Veterinary Nurse diploma from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).

Scheduled to be highly competitive, the course will include instruction within the on-site theater and clinical skills labs to ensure that hands-on patient care remains a key component of the curriculum.

Students will benefit from SRUC’s cutting-edge research on animal behavior, welfare, ethics and genetics through education from specialist scientific researchers, adding an additional dimension to the knowledge required for the care professional. modern veterinary nurses.

The BSc in Veterinary Nursing will be the first degree course of any kind at SRUC’s Barony Campus in Dumfries, where the animal care training center, stables and a working farm will provide students with valuable hands-on experience with a wide variety of domestic animals and livestock. .

In addition to a one-year internship at a licensed veterinary practice, each student will also spend a three-week rotation at the Small Animal Hospital at the University of Glasgow to provide essential experience in a specialist setting.

Professor Nick Sparks, Dean of the Southern and Western Faculty of SRUC, said: “We are very proud to announce our new Diploma in Veterinary Nursing. Firms need more qualified nurses because their expertise plays an extremely valuable role in the industry.

“We look forward to welcoming the first batch of veterinary nursing students to our Barony campus, where they will enjoy exceptional education and unique access to a wide range of animals in a stunning rural setting. “

Andrea Jeffrey, Chair of the VN Training Committee at RCVS, added: “We are very pleased to offer Scotland’s Rural College provisional accreditation for their new BSc in Veterinary Nursing – Veterinary Nurses are an integral part of any veterinary team, and we welcome the opportunity to welcome a new cohort of Licensed Veterinary Nurses (RVNs) over the next several years. ‘

The first batch of students will begin their studies on September 10, while the initial deadline for next year’s applicants is January 15, 2019.

To find out more, visit www.sruc.ac.uk/bscvetnursing.