Vicky
Lewis

"I had a great experience at Brackenhurst campus studying my FdSc Vet Nursing degree. There was a lot to learn but the course was very interactive, being both classroom and practical based. Everyone is working toward the same goal to be a qualified Veterinary Nurse and earn their place on the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons register, so your course mates will make really incredible long-time friends. The quality of the subjects delivered was great and the subjects were all varied to give a wide range of veterinary nursing knowledge."

"The top-up course was based online, part-time, over 2 years... don’t be fooled there is still a lot of work to do! The lecturers really excellent in making this online course very interactive and interesting for their students. The quarterly contact days where we went onto the campus for practical days were great as we could use the knowledge we had gained form our online lectures and demonstrate our new skills to our lecturers. The support from our lecturers was so amazing, especially via email at all hours of the day and night."

"I cannot speak more highly of the lecturers I had, they were all fantastic. All the lecturers really knew their chosen topic and were very enthusiastic about their subjects. This allowed students to be gripped by subjects that hadn’t previously interested them. Every lecture was interactive and interesting and I always felt I could go and talk to my tutors about any problems I had and always got extra help when I needed it. If it wasn’t for the care and encouragement of my lecturers I couldn’t have progressed as far as I have done!"

"The equipment and variety of animals available to learn with was really impressive. Everything from large farm and equine to tiny lizards and insects were on site to experience working with, which allowed students to determine which field of nursing they most enjoyed."

"I currently work in a veterinary hospital, referral emergency practice in Yorkshire. I am the Training Lead for the student nurses, meaning I am clinical coach to around 10 students at any given time of year. I also support the Animal Nursing Assistants with their training and career progression into vet nursing. During my time on the course, I also competed my OSCE examiner training (nursing final exams) and my AFHEA certificate. I am currently working toward my VetsNow Emergency and Critical Care Certificate while working full time."

"The best part for me was the campus. It’s smaller than the other campus’s and everyone is doing an animal / environmental type course so everyone has similar interests. You tend to know everyone on site and it’s a great family feel. The sports teams were great – I was a netball captain and social secretary in my time and loved the Wednesday nights out in Nottingham! I have made friends for life on the sports teams, in my flat and on my course."

"My top tip would be to gain all the relevant experience you can working with animals and in veterinary practice prior to submitting the application for the course. This way you’ll have so much real life experience everything will fit into place in your mind because you have experienced it all already. Get yourself organised with colour pens, note books and revision cards. Don’t buy a Netflix account because you’ll end up binge watching rather than studying!"