The north’s first undergraduate courses for veterinary nursing are to welcome students from September.
Two new degree courses, Veterinary Nursing and Advancing Animal Healthcare and Practice, will begin at Ulster University’s Coleraine campus.
They are the first courses of their kind in Northern Ireland and are aimed at meeting the growing demand for skilled veterinary professionals.
The full-time four-year BSc (Hons) Veterinary Nursing degree will include an embedded placement year in a veterinary practice, and students will be able to apply to become a registered veterinary nurse with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons upon successful completion.
The part-time BSc (Hons) Animal Healthcare and Practice degree, meanwhile, is an opportunity for registered veterinary nurses to “advance their career and enhance their knowledge, skills and competencies through a locally delivered upskilling programme”.
Stormont’s agriculture and environment minister Andrew Muir welcomed the new courses at an Ulster University event on Wednesday, and said they would lead to the “further advancing” of the north’s “high animal health and welfare standards”.
Ulster University vice-chancellor, Professor Paul Bartholomew said: “Establishing ties with veterinary practices and collaborating with the wider sector will be the cornerstone of this degree programme, which will ultimately produce a pipeline of graduates ready to meet workforce requirements.
“We look forward to welcoming the first group of veterinary nursing students in September, who will complete their course in the setting of our semi-rural Coleraine campus enjoying its relaxed outdoor atmosphere and surrounding natural beauty.”
