VETERINARY nursing was established as a recognised profession in Ireland in 2005. There are now five established training courses in Ireland: a two-year option in St. John’s College Cork, three-year degree courses in Dundalk, Athlone and Letterkenny Institutes of Technology and a four-year honours degree in University College Dublin.

Graduates of all these courses are eligible to register with the Veterinary Council of Ireland and work as a registered veterinary nurse (RVN). It is illegal for a person who is not a RVN to perform ‘acts of veterinary nursing’ on an animal. These are procedures that require specialist training to protect the safety and welfare of the animals involved. Examples include surgical assistance, the administration of anaesthetics and intravenous fluids and the taking of x-rays.