Veterinary technician to veterinary nurse
A veterinary technician already meets 72% of what the veterinary nurse role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
45/ 100
1 How much of what a veterinary nurse is expected to do is already part of a veterinary technician’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the veterinary nurse role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A veterinary nurse role treats 32 of its required skills as things a veterinary technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- anatomy of animals
- animal behaviour
- animal welfare
- animal welfare legislation
- apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting
- assess animal behaviour
What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 44 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A veterinary nurse role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a veterinary technician background worth leading with.
- already held assist in administering veterinary anaesthetics handling and moving
- already held assist the veterinary surgeon as a scrub nurse handling and moving
- already held prepare animals for anaesthesia handling and moving
- already held prepare animals for veterinary surgery handling and moving
- already held prepare environment for veterinary surgery handling and moving
- already held prepare veterinary anaesthetic equipment handling and moving
All 44 carried skills, including the 32 the veterinary nurse role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn provide nursing care for animals in recovery required
- still to learn provide nursing care for hospitalised animals required
- still to learn administer treatment to animals required
- still to learn handle veterinary patients required
- still to learn manage animal welfare required
- still to learn supply veterinary medicine required
- still to learn animal recovery procedures required
- still to learn first aid for animals required
- still to learn hospitalised animal nursing care required
- still to learn provide mentorship required
- optional, not held handle customer complaints optional
- still to learn evaluate information in the field of veterinary nursing required
- optional, not held apply numeracy skills optional
- still to learn protect health and safety when handling animals required
- still to learn manage clinical environments required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a veterinary nurse role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 animal recovery procedures study this
- 02 provide nursing care for animals in recovery practise this
- 03 provide nursing care for hospitalised animals practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 44 skills that carry over
- already held anatomy of animals knowledge
- already held animal behaviour knowledge
- already held animal welfare knowledge
- already held animal welfare legislation knowledge
- already held apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting skill
- already held assess animal behaviour skill
- already held assist in administering veterinary anaesthetics skill
- already held assist in general veterinary medical procedures skill
- already held assist the veterinary surgeon as a scrub nurse skill
- already held biosecurity related to animals knowledge
- already held collaborate with animal related professionals skill
- already held control animal movement skill
- already held environmental enrichment for animals knowledge
- already held handle veterinary emergencies skill
- already held maintain veterinary clinical records skill
- already held manage animal biosecurity skill
- already held manage infection control in the facility skill
- already held manage personal professional development skill
- already held monitor the welfare of animals skill
- already held physiology of animals knowledge
- already held practise veterinary professional codes of conduct skill
- already held prepare animals for anaesthesia skill
- already held prepare animals for veterinary surgery skill
- already held prepare environment for veterinary surgery skill
- already held prepare veterinary anaesthetic equipment skill
- already held provide first aid to animals skill
- already held provide support to veterinary clients skill
- already held safe work practices in a veterinary setting knowledge
- already held signs of animal illness knowledge
- already held support veterinary diagnostic imaging procedures skill
- already held support veterinary diagnostic procedures skill
- already held treat animals ethically skill
- already held animal production science knowledge
- already held cope with challenging circumstances in the veterinary sector skill
- already held deal with challenging people skill
- already held follow work schedule skill
- already held maintain administrative records in the veterinary office skill
- already held maintain stocks of veterinary materials skill
- already held make decisions regarding the animal's welfare skill
- already held manage veterinary practice waiting area skill
- already held plan schedule skill
- already held process payments skill
- already held understand the animal's situation skill
- already held veterinary terminology knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held administer appointments optional
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held administer appointments optional
- optional, not held apply numeracy skills optional
- optional, not held handle customer complaints optional
11 held skills the veterinary nurse role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assist in the administration of fluids to animals skill
- not needed by the target role calculate rates per hours skill
- not needed by the target role communicate by telephone skill
- not needed by the target role execute working instructions skill
- not needed by the target role follow work procedures skill
- not needed by the target role follow written instructions skill
- not needed by the target role interview animal owners on animals' conditions skill
- not needed by the target role maintain professional records skill
- not needed by the target role maintain work environments in a veterinary practice skill
- not needed by the target role monitor condition of hospitalised animals skill
- not needed by the target role take advantage of learning opportunities in veterinary science skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn animal recovery procedures required
- still to learn first aid for animals required
- still to learn hospitalised animal nursing care required
Common questions about this move
Can a veterinary technician become a veterinary nurse?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A veterinary technician already covers 72% of what a veterinary nurse is expected to do: 44 skills carry over, 32 of which the veterinary nurse role treats as required.
What skills does a veterinary technician need to become a veterinary nurse?
13 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is animal recovery procedures.
How hard is the move from veterinary technician to veterinary nurse?
Its learning distance is 45 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.