You'll develop your skills as an advanced veterinary nursing practitioner in your chosen area of specialisation. You’ll learn how to utilise the latest research and cutting-edge industry knowledge to evaluate your current practice, introduce new protocols and work with your team and your clients to maximise the welfare of patients in your care. You will develop an area of research that will advance knowledge in your chosen area of practice. You'll have the opportunity to develop skills in communicating your research findings to other members of your practice team and to wider, non-specialist audiences.

An important part of these qualifications is working with your fellow learners to share experiences, problems, and solutions. Your learning community, although online, will use peer discussions to maximise collaborative learning. Assessment strategies will relate strongly to the practice context, enabling you to use your prior knowledge and experience, together with new learning, to produce work that is applied and relevant to your situation.

You'll be invited to join our veterinary-specific ‘community of practice’ which aims to share knowledge with and between practices and to consult veterinary professionals regarding areas for future research.

Successful completion of your modules will enable you to gain a Postgraduate Certificate award (pass, merit or distinction) after completion of 60 credits, or the full MSc award (pass, merit or distinction) after completion of 180 credits.

Core modules: Year one

Advanced Veterinary Nurse Practitioner (15 credits)

This module will develop your professional ethical knowledge as well as your ability to reflect and evaluate your own practice to support your role as a clinic-based, community or referral advanced nurse practitioner in either equine or small animal practice.

Applied Research in Veterinary Practice (15 credits)

This module will provide you with the necessary skills and resources to evaluate current literature in your chosen discipline, to formulate research questions and answer them, and to work with a variety of research methods and statistical approaches.

Core specialist modules: Postgraduate Certificate

Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Equine Veterinary Nursing (Diagnostic Imaging and Rehabilitation)

Equine Veterinary Diagnostics (15 credits)

This module will involve evaluation and comparison of currently used methods of diagnostic imaging, together with approaches to management of these diagnostic methods, patient positioning for a variety of conditions, and effective liaison with clients.

Rehabilitation of the Equine Veterinary Patient (15 credits)

Looking at factors that may influence rehabilitation post-injury or disease, together with techniques such as physiotherapy in returning the equine patient to full fitness, this module will prepare you to plan and evaluate rehabilitation programmes for individual patients.

Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Equine Veterinary Nursing (Critical Care)

Equine Anaesthesia and Analgesia (15 credits)

As well as evaluating current techniques for anaesthesia in a variety of equine patients, and the role of the advanced veterinary nursing practitioner in preparing for and monitoring these patients, you will consider the latest developments in pain management for equine patients.

Equine Intensive Care Nursing (15 credits)

This module will provide the opportunity to review and evaluate equine intensive care techniques in the clinic, including care for emergencies; it will also prepare you to offer intensive care to patients in the community, through effective liaison with clients.

Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Nursing (Clinical Nursing and Client Support)

Clinical Nursing of Patients with Long-Term Conditions (15 credits)

In this module, you will evaluate the role of the advanced veterinary nursing practitioner in supporting patients with long-term medical conditions, in terms of planning, monitoring and evaluating ongoing care, and including the roles of other members of the team.

Communication and Client Support in Veterinary Practice (15 credits)

The fundamental role of communication, with other team members and with clients, will be explored in this module. Topics will include the provision of nurse clinics, specific communication techniques, and support for clients during end-of-life care.

Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Nursing (Perioperative Nursing and Patient Safety)

Perioperative Surgical Nursing Care (15 credits)

The role of the advanced veterinary nursing practitioner in providing optimal care to surgical patients before, during and after surgery will be explored using evidence from current research. Topics will include patient monitoring during anaesthesia and recovery, and liaison with clients during patient admission and discharge.

Clinical Audit and Patient Safety in Veterinary Practice (15 credits)

This module will consider factors influencing patient safety, including human factors and the role of team communication. It will highlight the important role of clinical audit in evaluating and improving patient safety in practice.

Core modules: Year two

Applied Research Practice (30 credits)

Students will gain experience of exploring literature, understanding and utilising research methodologies, and data analysis aligned to their specific area of interest. This process will lead to the design, completion and write-up of a preliminary research project where dissemination of research outputs will also be covered to develop scientific communications skills.

Optional modules: Year two

Any TWO of the specialist modules on any of the Postgraduate Certificate pathways that you have not previously studied (30 credits).

Core module: Year three

Postgraduate Dissertation (60 credits)

Students will develop and implement a research project with the support of an individual supervisor to guide and support them to undertake this innovative piece of research.