Veterinary Support Assistant

Module 1: The Roles of Members of the Veterinary Team

• Roles and responsibilities of Veterinary Surgeons.
• Roles of the Veterinary Nurse.
• Roles of the Student Veterinary Nurse.
• Essentials of the legal system.
• Individual character and conscience.

Module 2: Anatomy and Physiology of Dogs and Cats

• Animal cell structure and cell function.
• Basic structure and function of the nervous system.
• The endocrine system.
• The digestive system.
• The urinary system.
• The respiratory system.
• The cardiovascular system.
• The circulatory system.

Module 3: Health and Safety Within the Veterinary Practice

• Principles of health and safety.
• Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995.
• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) 2002.
• Hazardous Waste Regulations, 2005.
• Manual Handling Regulations, 1992.

Module 4: Infection Control in the Veterinary Practice

• The role of infection in animal and human health.
• Principles of disease transmission in veterinary practice.
• How to maintain a clean clinical environment.
• Main groups of disinfectants.

Module 5: Veterinary Nursing Support of Diagnostic Techniques

• Running a laboratory in a veterinary practice.
• Emergency procedures.
• General safety measures.
• How to collect and prepare urine, faecal and blood samples.
• How to carry out common laboratory tests.
• Test results.

Module 6: Understanding Veterinary Pharmacy

• Principles of pharmacy stock management.
• The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
• Principles of safe dispensing.
• Medication terms used in Pharmacology.
• Absorption rate.
• Drug formulations.

At the end of this course successful learners will receive a Certificate of Achievement by ABC Awards and a Learner Unit Summary (which lists the details of all the units you have completed as part of your course).

The course has been endorsed under the ABC Awards’ Quality Licence Scheme. This means that Open Study College has undergone an external quality check to ensure that the organisation and the courses it offers, meet certain quality criteria. The completion of this course alone does not lead to an Ofqual regulated qualification but may be used as evidence of knowledge and skills towards regulated qualifications in the future. The unit summary can be used as evidence towards Recognition of Prior Learning if you wish to progress your studies in this sector. To this end the learning outcomes of the course have been benchmarked at Level 3 against level descriptors published by Ofqual, to indicate the depth of study and level of difficulty involved in successful completion by the learner.

The course itself has been designed by Open Study College to meet specific learners’ or employers’ requirements. ABC Awards’ endorsement involves a robust and rigorous quality audit by external inspectors to ensure quality is consistently met. A regular review of courses is carried out as part of the endorsement process.

ABC Awards is a leading national Awarding Organisation, regulated by Ofqual, and the Welsh Government. They have a comprehensive portfolio of over 650 Ofqual regulated qualifications on the national Qualifications and Credit framework (QCF). It has a long-established reputation for developing and awarding high quality vocational qualifications across a wide range of industries. As a registered charity, ABC Awards combines 180 years of examination and assessment expertise but also implements a responsive, flexible and innovative approach to the needs of our customers.

Renowned for excellent customer service, and quality standards, ABC Awards also offers over 600 Ofqual regulated qualifications for all ages and abilities post-14; all are developed with the support of relevant stakeholders to ensure that they meet the needs and standards of employers across the UK.

Paper Based Version

The course comes to you as a paper-based pack delivered by courier.

You will be given guidance through the Study Guide on the nuts and bolts of studying and submitting assignments.

Postal assignments cannot be accepted without prior permission from the tutor.

The course contains a number of assignments which your tutor will mark and give you valuable feedback on. We call these Tutor Marked Assignments (TMAs). You need only send the TMAs to your tutor for comment, not the self-assessment exercises which are also part of the course to help you gauge your progress.

This course can be taken over a 12 month period but you can complete it as fast or as slowly as you wish.

You will have access to a tutor via email who will mark your work and guide you through the course and will assist you with any problems you may have. In addition you will be supplied with a comprehensive Study Guide which will help you through the study and assessment process.