Meet Emma:
I was 28 years of age when, two years ago, I started training to become a veterinary nurse in the UK.
Before this, I was on my way to becoming a solicitor. I was working five days a week in a busy office, working weekends to pay for law school and attending college two nights per week. It was about three years into the training when I realised that it wasn’t for me.
What I wanted to do was to work with animals, something I had wanted since I left school (12 years earlier!!).
There were a lot of hurdles to overcome before I started nursing. For starters, I did not have a C or above in English, maths or science.
Being a mature student, I found it harder to enrol on certain courses. Advertised apprenticeships were always for 16-18-year-olds. I had to look specifically at adult courses.
I had to resit my maths GCSE and find a way to obtain an A-C equivalent in science. Luckily I had a communication key skill from a law qualification that I used, as an English equivalent.
My advice here is if you are unsure you have the correct qualifications to enrol on a veterinary nursing course, call or e-mail a college and ask them to check your qualifications. I e-mailed all my qualifications over to a college support worker who was very helpful.
I enrolled in an online animal nursing assistant course (SJS Training) and when completed, gave me an equivalent of three GCSEs grade A-C including science.
Self-studying was hard, but I found it easy to manage as I do not have children and, therefore had more free time to myself at home. I think being older also helped with this as I am more interested in studying now, compared to when I was a teenager.
It took me two years to get a job in a vets after handing my notice in at the solicitors. I printed off a list of veterinary training practices in Liverpool, from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), and went to every training practice in North Liverpool to hand my CV and cover letter in.
Finally, I received an e-mail from the head nurse of my current practice asking me to come in for a chat. I went along and discussed starting Saturday work, but unfortunately, it was never arranged.
However, later in the year, a job position came up at the same practice, for a client care co-ordinator (receptionist). I sent my CV in and was successful with the interview. I worked on reception for two years before enrolling at Lite Ltd College as a student veterinary nurse.
Working as a receptionist for those years, gave me time to complete the animal nursing assistant (ANA) course and get my ANA qualification and badge.
I was really nervous when I finally started college to do veterinary nursing. I was 28 and worried that I would be the oldest and that no one would want to talk to me.
However, there was an age range in all the classes I attended, from school leavers to people older than me. I found that no one ever mentioned my or others’ age negatively.
The college tutors did mention a couple of times that being older may help when we interact with clients. This I agree with. I was also worried that because I was new to the veterinary profession, everyone would know more than me. But we were all in the same boat.
A couple of girls from college commented on how the ANA and veterinary care assistant (VCA) course really helped them learn the terminology and understand the basics of nursing. I agree and recommend anyone to do either of these courses if they are looking for a way into veterinary nursing. Just make sure it is a properly accredited course and not a £30 one from Groupon!
Having no children has been a plus for me in terms of free time. As well as working full-time in practice, I put a lot of extra time into studying at home, filling out paperwork, recording my nursing progress log (NPL) online and doing assignments.
My time was (and still is) taken up looking after my two lovely dogs. They have helped me with learning anatomy, practicing bandaging and restraining!
I am currently waiting to sit my final exam. COVID-19 has made working in practice a lot harder and more stressful. My studies have also been interrupted as a result of this. College classes were given online via Zoom.
Because of this, we did not get a chance to go over practical tasks such as suturing. This is why I am really grateful I have an amazing team behind me who actually take the time to show me how to do things.
The vets let me scrub in and stitch up, and the nurses are always willing to show me how to do things. Sometimes students can be given the smallest jobs and all the cleaning jobs, but luckily, my work has never been like that.
I think being older and working in a vets before starting nursing has had its benefits. I feel that being older helped me to clearly decide that this career definitely was what I wanted to do.
I have seen many younger people come for work experience and decide it wasn’t for them. During my initial time there, as a receptionist, I experienced life in practice and got to know all of the team very well.
I urge anyone who is having thoughts about starting a career in veterinary to pursue it, whether as a receptionist, nurse or vet. Although it can be demanding at times, the job satisfaction is worth it.
The low pay does not bother me that much, as I have realised that a higher wage for a stressful job with no satisfaction wouldn’t be any better.
If you are older, do it. If you have no qualifications, do it. There are things you can do to overcome hurdles that try to prevent you from qualifying. I am an example of this.
I was 25 with the wrong GCSEs and two law qualifications. Now I am so close to qualifying. I always say you are never too old to pursue a career you dream of. I cannot wait to finally, after all these years, become a qualified veterinary nurse.
You can connect with me on IG.
Hi, I’m Sophie!
I worked with Emma when she was a receptionist during my time locumming as an RVN. She will make a fantastic nurse!
***A lovely little update; Emma passed her final exams and became a qualified veterinary nurse in February 2022!
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