Nurse, Veterinary Technician and Paraprofessional Certificates

Who are these certificates for?

• Nurse Certificate
  The ISVPS NCert is suitable for qualified veterinary nurses. Veterinary nurses practicing in the UK should be on the RCVS register, have the post nominal RVN (Registered Veterinary Nurse) and be able to provide their unique registration number. Likewise, veterinary nurses based in Ireland should be regulated by the Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI) and able to provide a unique VCI number.Delegates who have qualified as ‘Veterinary Nurse’ but not within the UK or Ireland will be eligible for the ISVPS NCert if they can prove they have a recognised qualification (E.g. provide a qualification certificate).
• Veterinary Technician Certificate
  The ISVPS VTCert is suitable for qualified veterinary technicians. Delegates who have qualified as a ‘Veterinary Technician’ will be eligible for the ISVPS VTCert if they can prove they have a recognised qualification (E.g. provide a qualification certificate).
• Veterinary Paraprofessional Certificate
  The ISVPS VPPCert is suitable for veterinary nurses who have not attended formal training and therefore do not have a supporting certificate but have been working in practice in a veterinary nurse/technician role prior to the programme start date. All delegates must be working in veterinary practice or a clinical setting for the duration of the programme and certificate completion.

  Within the UK, delegates must have worked in practice for a minimum of two years prior to the programme start date due to the structured role of the veterinary nurse in the UK.

  Outside the UK, delegates must have worked in practice for a minimum of two months prior to the programme start date.

  To achieve the ISVPS VPPCert, all three of the eligibility documents below should be provided:

  • a recent CV – this should demonstrate that the delegate has been working within a veterinary practice prior to the programme start date
  • a signed letter from their employer stating that they are working in a veterinary practice in a nursing/technician role
  • a self-statement letter explaining any nursing experience and the relevance of taking the programme to the delegate’s career
  • 1. Complete the course
    The first step to achieving the NCert, VTCert or VPPCert is to complete the modular training programme with an approved training provider. It is essential that throughout the programme the delegate undertakes extended reading around the programme syllabus.
  • 2. Pass the assessments
    • Candidates must submit a written assignment related to their chosen field of study. In most cases, this is a case report written on a case they have nursed in clinical practice.
    • Candidates also sit a 60-minute Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) exam and a 90-minute Online Applied Knowledge Examination (OAKE) to assess application of clinical knowledge.

    Full details of the assessment requirements and deadlines for each qualification are made available for candidates once they have started the programme and are registered with ISVPS. Please contact english@isvps.org for further details.

  • 3. Celebrate your success!
    On successful completion of your assessments, you will be awarded the NCert, VTCert or VPPCert with a personalised certificate and your name will be included in the ISVPS register of Certificate holders.