Veterinary Nursing Students

There are two routes to becoming qualified as a Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN): vocational (college) training or higher education (university degree) qualification. Both routes lead to registration as a veterinary nurse with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). More information can be found here.

We are currently accepting applications from degree student veterinary nurses at St Anne’s Vets – here’s some more information about what a placement might look like for you at our practice.

Opportunities available for student nurses and working hours

Our nurses work a mixture of early and late shifts. e.g. 7.30-4.30pm, 8-5pm, or 10.30-7.30pm. Degree students usually focus on animal handling and lab work first before moving on to kennels, reception and anaesthesia.

What do we expect from our student nurses and what can they expect in return

Degree students will be allocated a Clinical Coach, who will be an experienced RVN. We ensure that we allocate 1 hour per week for private sit-down study time for each student and coach.

Our entire nurse and vet teams are available to assist with training, and a thorough induction/shadowing process will be completed before shifts are completed alone. New degree students will gain a lot of experience in our lab, including running tests and microscopy and we are lucky enough to have access to endoscopes.

Once settled in, degree students will take part in the normal rota, whereby they will have an opportunity to gain experience in all areas of practice, including anaesthesia.

We are a large team and, therefore, require our degree students to be comfortable in approaching and communicating with new people. Degree students do have strict practical log deadlines as we therefore expect students to take responsibility for managing their own workload and practical logs.

Travel and accommodation

There is plenty of on-street parking in the area, though students need to allow an extra 15 minutes to find a space. We are a 10-minute walk from Eastbourne train station.

Degree student nurses experience

We are always seeking to take on students that we feel are the 'right-fit' for our team, rather than focusing solely on the level of experience.