Veterinary Support Assistant at QLS Level 3

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 be given the option to receive a Certificate of Achievement from the Quality Licence Scheme and a Learner Unit Summary (which lists the components the learner has completed as part of the course).

The course has been endorsed under the Quality Licence Scheme.  This means that Kendal Publishing Ltd has undergone an external quality check to ensure that the organisation and the courses it offers, meet defined quality criteria. The completion of this course alone does not lead to a regulated qualification* but may be used as evidence of knowledge and skills gained. The Learner Unit Summary may be used as evidence towards Recognition of Prior Learning if you wish to progress your studies in this subject. 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 demand/complexity involved in successful completion by the learner.

The course itself has been designed by Kendal Publishing Ltd to meet specific learners’ and/or employers’ requirements which cannot be satisfied through current regulated qualifications.   The Quality Licence Scheme endorsement involves robust and rigorous quality audits by external auditors to ensure quality is continually met.  A review of courses is carried out as part of the endorsement process.

The Quality Licence Scheme is part of the Skills and Education Group, a charitable organisation that unites education and skills-orientated organisations that share similar values and objectives. With more than 100 years of collective experience, the Skills and Education Group’s strategic partnerships create opportunities to inform, influence and represent the wider education and skills sector.

The Skills and Education Group also includes two nationally recognised awarding organisations; Skills and Education Group Awards and Skills and Education Group Access. Through our awarding organisations we have developed a reputation for providing high-quality qualifications and assessments for the education and skills sector. We are committed to helping employers, organisations and learners cultivate the relevant skills for learning, skills for employment, and skills for life.

Our knowledge and experience of working within the awarding sector enables us to work with training providers, through the Quality Licence Scheme, to help them develop high-quality courses and/or training programmes for the non-regulated market.

*Regulated qualification refers to those qualifications that are regulated by Ofqual / CCEA / Qualification Wales

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.