17 Feb 2021
The seven students proved their knowledge in a range of topics and have embarked on their second year of training.
Rachael Buzzel
Job Title
Liphook head clinical nurse Rosina Lillywhite.
A new school for equine veterinary nurses is celebrating as its first intake of students has passed its end-of-year exams with flying colours.
The seven students from VetPartners Equine Nursing School – which opened in September 2019 and is based at Liphook Equine Hospital in Hampshire – proved their knowledge in a range of topics, including equine anatomy and physiology, infection control, reproduction and neonatal care, animal welfare, and health and husbandry.
Following their first-year success, the students have embarked on their second year of training. Study units will include:
On completion of the second year, successful students will be rewarded a City and Guilds Level 3 Diploma in Equine Veterinary Nursing, and will become qualified equine VNs eligible to register with the RCVS.
VetPartners – made up of 142 vet practices in the UK – is the first veterinary group to set up a school of veterinary nursing.
The school was launched to ensure equine VNs receive the best possible training, and equip them with the skills and knowledge that will allow them to make the most of their potential.
Students benefit from using the facilities at Liphook and visit the veterinary hospital on block release for six weeks each academic year, which enables them to study while continuing to work at their own practice.
However, as has been the case for many students over the past year, more of the learning has taken place online due to lockdown.
Liphook’s head clinic nurse and head of centre at the equine nursing school Rosina Lillywhite said: “They [the students] have worked very hard and have had to overcome the extra challenges COVID-19 has created. I’m really impressed with how they have coped with the changing educational environment.
“I wish them all every success in their second year of studies and hope we can welcome them back to Liphook Equine Hospital very soon.”
A new intake of eight students has enrolled into the equine nursing school, with VetSkill becoming the new awarding body of the two-year diploma.
