ACM30122 Certificate III in Animal Care Services

If you’re employed in a clinic as a veterinary nurse and have at least 12 months of experience, you don’t. You can apply for the Cert IV through ‘direct entry’ which is where we assess that you have the same skills and knowledge as someone who has finished a Certificate II in Animal Studies/Care.

When you’re not already employed, then it’s your pathway to meet Cert IV entry requirements. 

This ACM30122 Certificate III in Animal Care Services (Animal Care) is designed to give you a giant head start with your ACM40418 Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing qualification. Once you complete the Cert III, which is an 18 month course, you are eligible to enrol in the Cert IV provided you have secured a job working in a vet clinic (many of our students do get jobs during their Cert III).

You’ll receive lots of credits once you graduate from your Certificate III, which will shorten your Certificate IV study time and cost.

We start student intakes off in the first week of every month. Spaces are limited on each intake, so it’s advisable to get your application and enrolment in quickly if you’re keen to start asap.

We look at applications every day and process acceptance emails. Once you receive your enrolment pack, the enrolment process can take a few days to complete. You can scan and email your enrolment form to speed it up.

Each student studies differently.

Most students need to dedicate around 10-15 hours per week to their studies.

We’ll give you a suggested timetable to guide you through completing your studies within the 18 months allocated. If you need, you’re able to extend your course past this, but be aware a fee will apply.

Some students finish the course in under 18 months, you can too if you wish. The trick is time management. Put dedicated study time aside each week and it’s achievable.

The ACM30122 Certificate III in Animal Care Services (Animal Care) is a ‘blended’ course. This means there is an online or distance component as well as a practical hands-on component in a veterinary clinic or other approved animal care workplace.

Our online student ‘Learning Centre’ along with our printed resources means you can study from where you like. Sunny day? Pop outside and study whilst watching the dogs play.

We’ll give you a timetable to help you structure your study plan. We recommend allowing dedicated time each week to ensure you stay on track, but it is self paced. So there is no stress of missing a deadline.

Once the course starts, you’ll receive printed learner’s guides, which will guide you through your studies and prepare you for assessments. You will also need to purchase a veterinary nursing textbook (allow around $130). You’ll also have access to the extra study resources available via our ‘Learning Centre’ online.

In the Learning Centre, you’ll find:

• Learning activities to help you remember everything
• Interactive learning modules
• Videos showing you how to perform tasks
• Recorded lectures to learn even more
• Links to upload your assessments.

Each subject contains various assessment tasks:

• Expect to complete written assessments like assignments, case studies, and reports.
• We include multiple choice learning activities so you can check your own learning throughout the course.
• Workplace-based assessments for practical skills will be completed during your Work Placements and involve some video assessments and a logbook. We provide comprehensive instructions on what to include, so don’t feel stressed about having to video yourself performing tasks.
• On average, expect to submit one short assessment or learning activity task each week to stay on track. Larger assessment tasks are required towards the end of the course.

We also run optional workshops around the country, where you can get more practice and experience. Boost your resume and learn more towards your qualification at the same time.

Assessments are not only about assessing you, they are a valuable learning tool. As you complete them, you’ll learn more than just going through the reading materials alone.

We use a range of assessment types and match these to what is the best way to capture your new skills and knowledge.

Written Assessments

Every subject has some form of written assessment. We use short answer questions, scenarios and short case studies about the patients you nursed in your clinical placement.

Our Nurse Educators will provide thorough feedback on your assessments, including hints and tips and further learning opportunities. Anytime you need help with an assessment, you just contact the Nurse Educators through our Student Assist options.

Clinical Skills Assessment

Veterinary Nursing is a practical job, so we must assess your clinical skills.

In the clinic, you’ll be recording your participation in various tasks and nursing care through short forms called Key Skills. These showcase what you’ve been learning in the clinic and will be ‘signed off’ by your Clinical Mentor. You’ll also complete some case diaries, with photos of you performing skills and short descriptions.

Lastly, to ensure you graduate with the quality expected of ACVN Nurses, you’ll also submit some short videos of you performing vet nursing tasks. Again, Nurse Educators will provide thorough feedback on your learning and skills. Don’t be daunted by video assessment, they are a relaxed form of assessment. We love it when students leave in their bloopers. We provide full instructions. Some can be done at home to free up clinic time for more learning.

Alternatively, we can send in a Nurse Educator to perform a workplace assessment. This option does attract extra fees and you may need multiple visits across the course. Unlike video assessments where you can restart and try again if something doesn’t go to plan, your workplace assessment is a final assessment. Many students find video assessment less daunting than having a Nurse Educator watching their every move in clinic.

We’re about veterinary nursing. Full stop. We live and breathe it.

For us, training veterinary nurses is not just about money. It’s how we can ensure best practice nursing care for animals everywhere. We’re here for the animals.

At ACVN, you have a name not a student number. We get to know all our students really well and love sharing in your achievements.

We care about you and your career. We want you to be job ready, employable and enjoying a long career in veterinary nursing. Some of our graduates love us so much, they’ve come to work for us.

Our student to educator ratio is the envy of many colleges. Because of this, your assessments are marked quickly and the feedback you receive is specific to you and designed to help you learn. The Nurse Educators are available to help you when you need it.

At our college, you’ll be a part of a group of students who are considered amongst the best in the country.

Yes! Becoming a qualified and employed veterinary nurse is your goal. The Cert III is your pathway into the Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. It allows you to meet entry requirements for the Cert IV and study subjects that credit over at the same time. This means Cert IV is cheaper and shorter.

The Cert II in Animal Care does not provide the same level of credits, so you’ll have more work to complete to gain your Cert IV.

Many of our students obtain employment as a direct result of their studying our Certificate III in Animal Care Services. ACVN Nurses and graduates are highly sought after by many employers. They love the level of knowledge and skill you’ll graduate with. Of course, there’s more to landing a job than just qualifications – all the standard rules about presentation and personality still apply.

Employers love ACVN nurses.

This will depend on what version of the Certificate III in Animal Care Services you have completed. We have had several versions over the years incorporating different units and subjects.

Generally speaking, the Cert IV is around 35% cheaper and study time of just over one year instead of two – if you have completed your Certificate III with ACVN.

Yes and no. Confused?

All training providers award qualifications with a standardised name – like the ACM30122 Certificate III in Animal Care Services (Animal Care). There are rules we all follow about the minimum requirements for graduation.

What differs is the education you get during the course. Each providers course content, assessments, delivery and support varies. No two providers deliver the exact same course. It’s just the name that’s the same.

We find many employers will actively seek out our graduates as they love the level of knowledge and ability our students have. In fact, we have several employers who will call us to advertise jobs to our students directly.

Comparing providers is a little like comparing fruit. Apples and oranges are very different – despite both being fruit. If quality and employability is what you want from your studies, then you want to be an ACVN Nurse.

Some students are lucky to have credit transfers from their previous studies. As each provider can choose different units to make up a qualification, each student has different credits, even if they completed the same qualification. Confused? Don’t worry. We can handle it all for you.

To apply credits, and work out your cheaper course cost and reduce study plan, we need to see the official transcript showing your units and results. This could be on the back of your certificate, or a separate document. You can also obtain a copy from the training provider.

Shoot this through to us and we’ll work out your personal study options.

Yes! We absolutely welcome overseas students, as long as you are remaining in your home country. If you wish to come to Australia to study, you’ll need to find a CRICOS registered provider. These are the only institutions approved for international student visas.

We have had students in many countries including America, Canada, Singapore, Japan, China, Portugal, Cyprus and South Africa, just to name a few.

Please check out our Overseas Student Information page for more details.

We’re here for you, for your entire course and beyond graduation. Once you graduate with us, you become an ACVN Nurse. The most trusted veterinary nurses out there.

Once you enrol, we’ve made it very easy to get help.

As a student, you’re our number one priority. It’s why we’re here.

Student Assist is our student support program and it’s manned by Nurse Educators. This means if you need help – you’ll get it quickly. You won’t have to wait days or weeks for an educator to help you.

We can help you understand something that you’re not sure about, help you find things, give you motivational support, help with an assessment or feedback. Basically anything you need course wise, we can help you with.

Phone

Student Assist has dedicated phone lines that go straight through to the Nurse Educators. You can call for help on weekdays between 8am and 5pm.

Email

Send us an email any time to the dedicated student support email, and we’ll answer it when we’re in the office. We check this email several times throughout the day, so most emails are replied to in under 24 hours. Weekends we even pop in to check for urgent problems.

Live Chat

Perhaps you have a super fast question and don’t want to call? We have Live Chat! This is like an instant messenger service where you can type your questions and we can reply in real time during business hours.

Facebook

If social media is part of your life, we have an active student Facebook group for you. It’s exclusive to our current students and grads. Our Nurse Educators are also in there and are known to answer questions at all times of the day or night.

Absolutely!

The ACM30122 Certificate III in Animal Care Services (Animal Care) is a nationally recognised training course, delivered in conjunction with The University of Queensland, trading as UQ Skills, RTO ID: 1511. This means it is accredited throughout Australia.

Many countries accept Australian accredited courses and recognise them as official qualifications.

There is no official international accreditation for veterinary nursing courses.

International course accreditation schemes are just paid advertising and are not a guarantee of quality, career outcomes or recognition by official bodies. They’re purely a marketing tool.

In Australia, a qualified Veterinary Nurse is someone who has obtained a Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. Your Certificate III is your first step in reaching this goal.

The short answer is no. The subjects and units have been carefully selected by ACVN to be the same as what is delivered in the Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing, so your Cert IV course is shorter and cheaper.

Veterinary Nurse Solutions, trading as the Australian College of Veterinary Nursing (‘ACVN’), has a third party arrangement with UQ Skills which is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). UQ Skills is a business within the University of Queensland under the Faculty Science. In this arrangement, UQ Skills is the ‘Principal RTO’.

For more information about our third party partner UQ Skills, go to:
https://uqskills.uq.edu.au/about-uq-skillsor
https://training.gov.au/Organisation/Details/1511

At all times, the Principal RTO is responsible for the quality of the training and assessment you will receive in compliance with Standards for RTOs 2015, and for the issuance of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) certification documentation. These Standards set out the requirements that an organisation must meet in order to be an RTO and ensure the integrity and quality of nationally recognised training provided by registered training organisations.

What does this mean for students?

Who are students enrolled with?

Students are enrolled with UQ Skills as the principal RTO.

Who do students do training and assessment with?

All training is conducted by ACVN on behalf of UQ Skills, the principal RTO. All learning and assessment materials are developed by ACVN and approved by UQ Skills.

Who do the trainers and assessors work for?

All trainers and assessors are employed by ACVN, but are approved by UQ Skills.

What if a student needs to make a complaint?

In the first instance you can provide feedback and make a complaint directly to us, ACVN at info@vetnurse.com.au. You are also able to make a complaint or provide feedback directly to the Principal RTO, UQ Skills directly, at: uqskills@uq.edu.au.

Who issues qualifications and statements of attainment?

On successful completion of all course requirements students are provided with the appropriate qualifications and statements of attainment issued by the Principal RTO, The University of Queensland, trading as UQ Skills, RTO ID: 1511.

What if a student needs to have a qualifications or statement of attainment reissued?

Students can contact either ACVN and we can assist you to organise this. You are also able to directly contact UQ Skills to obtain a new copy of a certificate.

Veterinary Nurses are a smart bunch. It’s a job where you’re always learning. Lots of knowledge is needed, but it’s also very hands on. Those puppies and kittens need lots of pats in between all the nursing after all.

Your course will ensure you’re gaining the best knowledge to nurse the animals under your care. But to take care of animals you need to get your hands dirty.

Clinical placement is your chance to put your new knowledge to use. Course requirements also stipulate that you must complete practical based assessments.

Until you have a go at doing things like administering medications or performing a physical examination, your skill level won’t match your knowledge level. Getting the opportunity to practice is what clinical placement is for. Once you’re confident, you can then do your practical assessments.

ACVN Nurses are known for their immense skill and knowledge. It’s why when you graduate you’ll be employable right away. They’re known for this because our course has plenty of clinical experience to really cement your knowledge.Without boring you with lots of scientific studies, real world clinical experience trumps every time.

Veterinary Nursing is a practical job. To be the best veterinary nurse you can, you need to ensure you get plenty of hands on experience in a real veterinary clinic.

You’ll learn much through the Learning Centre and your study resources, as veterinary nursing also requires plenty of knowledge on animal care. You’ll get to put this knowledge into practice when you’re on your clinical placement.

Across the course, you’ll complete 20 days (150 hours) of clinical placement in a veterinary clinic near you. If you’re already employed in a clinic, you can use that instead.

We recommend completing your clinical placement as two lots of two week placements. Your study plan will tell you when the best time is to do this, but we are flexible.

Fitting clinical placement around jobs, family and other commitments is possible. You can structure your placement however it suits you and the clinic. Some students do one day a week, or four one-week blocks. We’re flexible on this.

During your clinical placement, you are covered by The University of Queensland insurance.

It’s important that you are proactive about finding your own placement – this is a quality potential employers are looking for! They want motivated individuals on their teams so we encourage students to contact clinics themselves. It looks much better than your ‘teacher’ or ‘mum’ doing it for you. Many of our Cert III student are lucky enough to secure a job out of their placement. Treat placement as a way to showcase your awesomeness.

We do have a Placement Assistance Program in place if you are struggling to locate placement in your area. This includes professionally written cover letters and resumes, as well as utilising our network of Registered Training Clinics. We also offer incentives and thank you gifts to clinics on your behalf.

We require all students to secure their own placement either prior to, or early in the course.

A part of the experience with ACVN is our level of support. Whilst locating placement is ultimately your responsibility, we won’t leave you high and dry if you’re struggling.

All students are provided with lots of information on the most effective ways to approach clinics. Your CV is checked by our own in-house specialised recruitment educator. We even have a dedicated website full of information for clinics – check out clinical.partners.

Job hunting is a skill, and placement hunting should be considered job hunting (after all you might get employed instead of getting placement!).

If you still need help, we have a placement assistance program available to you once you meet eligibility. This includes professionally written cover letters and resumes, as well as utilising our network of Registered Training Clinics. We also offer incentives and thank you gifts to clinics on your behalf.

We want our graduates to stand out from the crowd, our reputation as having the best veterinary nursing courses depends on it. ACVN Nurses are known for their skill, knowledge, passion and drive. How you find placement is the first impression the clinic will have of you. Make it a good one. Be the dedicated and proactive person they want to hire.

Congratulations!

Nothing needs to change study wise, other than letting us know so we can update our records.

Many of the Cert III subjects are also in the Cert IV. This means you just keep on studying and graduate from the Cert III. After graduation you can enrol in the Cert IV and with all your credits you’ll just keep on going with the new Cert IV subjects.

Easy!

They sure do!

Vets and practice managers love our graduates and courses so much they contact us all the time looking for our students for placement positions and jobs.

We’ve built up a great reputation for well trained nurses. It’s why being an ACVN Nurse is the best option for your career.