The BSc in Veterinary Nursing aims to produce graduates with excellent professional skills in the field of veterinary nursing. The programme’s mission statement is to serve Ireland and the wider world by training veterinary nurses to the highest standards by developing sound knowledge, understanding and practical skills to work effectively as part of a veterinary team and within allied sectors. The curriculum is designed to provide the graduate with a sound academic foundation on which to build a career in veterinary nursing practice through the development of her/ his intellectual, creative and practical skills. The programme comprises a broad-based programme of education relating to the animal and veterinary sectors. The programme develops students’ critical, scientific, and vocational understanding of the veterinary nursing profession, thus equipping the graduate with a broad range of analytical, therapeutic, and experimental skills. Clinical training links the academic aspects to veterinary nursing practice for companion, exotic, farm, and equine species. The programme will contain the following forms of teaching: lectures,tutorials/ seminars, specialist external speakers, practical classes in & outside the laboratory, literature based research, database/ website/ computer assisted learning, case studies, work placements and creation of a portfolio of practical evidence. As students progress through the programme there will be increasing reliance on student-centred modes of learning, and emphasis placed on the development of critical thinking skills. The importance of lifelong learning to refine and enhance professional abilities is also emphasised.

• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing or other media, providing coherent and logical arguments in the support of decision-making.
• Contribute to the development of protocols to guide the provision of quality veterinary healthcare and capitalise on the potential for health improvement through the development of health education & promotion strategies.
• Critically analyse, interpret and report data (including research data) and appraise its value for veterinary healthcare delivery.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the regulatory, legal and ethical frameworks within which veterinary professionals operate.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical concepts and bodies of knowledge underpinning the subject of veterinary nursing.
• Learn independently, and use critical self-reflection to appraise, evaluate and enhance professional practice.
• Manage professional and therapeutic relationships with the client and veterinary patient.
• Manage the healthcare environment, equipment and materials for clinical investigations and procedures in a range of veterinary practice settings.
• Provide hands-on nursing care across a spectrum of animal species, including companion animals, horses and farm animals.
• Safely and accurately perform veterinary nursing clinical procedures, including various medical and minor (non-invasive) surgical tasks, laboratory diagnostic tests, radiographic techniques and anaesthetic monitoring.
• Select and implement a range of quality assurance and risk management strategies to create and maintain a safe clinical environment.
• Work effectively in the clinical care setting, both autonomously and also as a member of the healthcare team.

Undergraduate final and penultimate stages (stage-weighted) - The award GPA is the weighted average of the grade points awarded for the final successful attempt at those modules which have been completed and passed to satisfy the credit requirements of the final and penultimate stages, where the grade points of final stage modules are weighted by a factor of 7 and those of penultimate stage modules are weighted by a factor of 3.