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Bachelor of Veterinary Nursing

Bachelor

Take your passion for veterinary nursing to the next level. This programme will set you up for registration as a veterinary nurse, enable you to increase your critical thinking, and provides plenty of research opportunities to develop and further your career.

Key details

Degree Type

Bachelor

Intake Months

Feb

Domestic Fees

$7,500 per year

International Fees

$25,377 per year

About this course

The Bachelor of Veterinary Nursing is an extension of two current veterinary nursing programmes.

First Year: Your first year is the same as our New Zealand Certificate in Animal Technology (Veterinary Nursing Assistant), where you can learn the fundamentals of animal nursing, with lots of opportunities to put theory into practice within select clinical environments.

If you have already completed the New Zealand Certificate in Animal Technology (Veterinary Nursing Assistant), you automatically meet the entry requirements for the second year of the Bachelor of Veterinary Nursing (dependent on placement numbers).

Second Year: This is the same as our New Zealand Diploma in Veterinary Nursing, where you'll have the opportunity to gain registration as a veterinary nurse, and develop technical skills and medical knowledge through practical experience to become an effective veterinary nurse within a professional team.

If you have already completed the New Zealand Diploma in Veterinary Nursing, you automatically meet the entry requirements for the third year of the Bachelor of Veterinary Nursing.

Third Year: You'll take your registration one step further by extending your research and critical thinking. You can also choose to work on a real-life research project for a veterinary nursing organisation in Aotearoa New Zealand or overseas.

Graduates of the NZ Diploma who wish to enter the third year of the Bachelor of Veterinary Nursing are able to enter in Semester 2.

Highlights

You'll have lots of work experience; in your first two years you'll complete at least 480 hours of work experience, and you can also extend this in your third year
You'll have the opportunity to do your placements in interesting organisations ranging from the New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine at Auckland Zoo, to a specialist veterinary hospital, to your community first-option veterinary clinic.
You'll build advanced technical skills through a significant amount of clinical practice at your choice of external clinics across Aotearoa
On successful completion, you'll meet the requirements for both the New Zealand Certificate in Animal Technology (Veterinary Nursing) and the New Zealand Diploma in Veterinary Nursing, and will be eligible for registration with the New Zealand Veterinary Nursing Association at the end of your second year
You'll develop an advanced understanding of what's considered best practice in a clinical environment, and the ethical and welfare implications of veterinary care
You'll have lots of opportunities to conduct exciting and cutting-edge research, including a collaborative research project in an area of your interest
You'll learn from experienced lecturers who are knowledgeable in veterinary medicine /science, animal health and welfare, microbiology, genetics, and animal behaviour
You'll benefit from a varied learning approach that includes practical sessions, group work, online/small group tutorials, and one-on-one supervision

Entry requirements

What you will need to study this programme.

Domestic students

Academic requirements

You must have completed at least one of the following:

New Zealand Certificate in Animal Technology (Veterinary Nursing Assistant) (cross-crediting is available), or
New Zealand Diploma in Veterinary Nursing (cross-crediting is available), or
NCEA entry requirements;
- NCEA requirements are a minimum of 42 credits achieved at NCEA Level 3 or higher, including:
- 14 credits in an approved subject
- 14 credits in another approved subject (view a list of approved subjects on the NZQA website)
- 14 credits from up to 2 other subjects.
- a minimum of 8 credits achieved at NCEA Level 2 or higher in English or Te reo Maori (4 in reading, 4 in writing), and
- a minimum of 14 credits achieved at NCEA Level 1 or higher in Mathematics or Pangarau.

And meet one of the English entry requirements;

University Entrance Literacy: 10 credits at Level 2 or above in English or Maori (5 in Reading, 5 in Writing); or
Evidence of English language proficiency as outlined in the NZQA Rules on the Unitec English Language Requirements for International Students Web-page.

Don't meet these Academic requirements?

If you don't meet the academic criteria, our Bridging Education Programmes can help you qualify. Simply apply online, and we'll discuss your next steps.
If you don't meet the above criteria, special or discretionary admission may apply; your eligibility will be determined at the interview.

Non-academic requirements

You need to provide 4 supporting documents with your application.

Include a 1-page overview that outlines:

what do you consider the role of a veterinary nursing assistant to be
why you wish to study this programme, and
any animal-related experience you have had.

Fill in the following forms:

Referee details form
Ministry of Justice criminal conviction history form
Medical declaration form

Note on referees: One referee needs to be an employer where you have worked with the public and one from a teacher (or similar), who can talk about your character.

For more information, download the programme regulations (PDF 337 KB)

International students Academic requirements

Applicants must be at least 16 years of age when they begin their studies, and they should meet the country-specific admission requirement or have completed one of the following:

New Zealand Certificate in Animal Technology (Veterinary Nursing Assistant) (cross-crediting available) or
New Zealand Diploma in Veterinary Nursing (cross-crediting available).

And English entry requirements;

If English is not your first language, you will also need at least one of the following qualifications:

An equivalent of IELTS (Academic) with minimum band scores of 6.0 with no band score lower than 5.5 or
University Entrance literacy: 10 Credits at NCEA Level 2 or above in English or Maori (5 in reading, 5 in writing)
Evidence of English language proficiency as outlined in the NZQA Rules on the Unitec English Language Requirements for International Students Web-page.