FOUNDATION CERTIFICATE IN VETERINARY ASSISTING

We will start you off in your course within a week of receiving your enrolment and payment.

You’ll have 12 months to complete your course work.

Each student studies differently.

Most students need to dedicate around 8-10 hours per week to their studies.

We’ll give you a suggested timetable to guide you through completing your studies within the 12 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 12 months, you can too if you wish. The trick is time management. Put dedicated study time aside each week and it’s achievable.

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.

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.

In your printed resources, you’ll find all the reading material and references you need to successfully pass the course.

We also run optional workshops around the country, where you can get some hands on practice and experience at veterinary nursing tasks. Boost your resume.

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 and the feedback you receive will help you grow your knowledge even more.

Written Assessments

Every subject has some form of written assessment. We use short answer questions and scenario based assessments.

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.

Practical Assessment

Veterinary Nursing is a practical job, so we also assess some of the clinical skills you’ll need in a vet clinic. But don’t worry, you can do these from home.

To ensure you graduate with the quality expected of ACVN Nurses, you’ll also submit some short videos of you performing vet nursing tasks, or do these live over Zoom with one of our friendly Educators. Nurse Educators will provide thorough feedback on your learning and skills. Don’t be daunted by the practical assessments, they are a relaxed form of assessment. We love it when students leave in their bloopers. We provide full instructions on what you need to include.

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! 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 our 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 & Zoom

You can get a same day appointment with an Educator for help via the phone or a video call on Zoom. Video calls have the added advantage of sharing screen, and demonstrating practical skills. You can arrange 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, but we do ask for 2 business days.

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.

No. But that doesn’t mean its not top quality – it still follows the same subjects that are delivered in the accredited courses, but we’re not constricted to the training package requirements.

You will receive internal credits into our accredited courses (nationally recognised training) if you wish to undertake one of these in the future with us. Many students use the non accredited courses to decide if they want to commit to the full accredited course. Internal credits are available for 2 years post graduation. Other providers may recognise your work with us through their recognition of prior learning pathways.

Nationally Recognised Training (or accredited training) follows a prescribed training package, detailing what skills and knowledge a student must demonstrate, to have the qualification issued. Each training provider designs their own course  content and assessments to meet this.

Non-accredited training does not have the restriction of having to follow a training package. Instead the education provider defines the syllabus to meet what their students needs, then designs their course content and assessments to suit.

Whether something is nationally recognised training or not does not indicate course quality, just whether it follows a training package or not. All our courses, regardless of whether accredited or not, exceed industry expectations for knowledge depth gained.

What about international accreditation?

It is important to note here 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. That’s why we don’t subscribe to that model.

You will receive internal credits into our accredited courses (nationally recognised training) if you wish to undertake one of these in the future with us. Internal credits only apply where the subject is included in the course you wish to enrol in and only cover the theory components – you may need to complete practical components in your placement.

Many students use the non accredited courses to decide if they want to commit to the full accredited course. 

Internal credits are available for 2 years post graduation.

Other providers may recognise your work with us through their recognition of prior learning pathways.

In Australia, a qualified Veterinary Nurse is someone who has obtained a Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. This course can be used as a stepping stone to reaching that goal.

The short answer is no. The subjects have been carefully selected by ACVN to reflect the aims of the course. But, if you have a particular interest in other subjects or short courses we offer, just ask us if we can package it in. Be aware there may be additional fees if you’re adding in more subjects.