What is the difference between a vet and a veterinary nurse

Internal medicine: This specialty is for advanced diagnostics that are needed to assess the causes of a pet's behavior. Specialists in internal medicine perform tests such as blood work and urine samples to determine what condition a pet may have.

Anesthesia and analgesia: In animal healthcare, professionals sometimes use anesthesia to ensure an animal is unconscious during surgery or analgesia to make sure a conscious animal doesn't feel pain during a procedure. Vet nurses and techs who choose this specialty learn to administer anesthesia or analgesia to animals before and during surgeries to help keep them comfortable. Zoological medicine: This field focuses on the health and wellness of exotic or uncommon pets.

These specialists can also work at a zoo with zoologists. Research: Vet nurses or techs in this specialty conduct research and organize animal resource programs to study the physiology of specific breeds and species of animals.

Their research helps the scientific community learn more about how to care for pets. Veterinary behavior: Professionals who choose this specialty focus on studying animal behavior to better understand them. Veterinary behavior specialists seek to determine why animals perform specific actions or make particular sounds, which may help veterinarians treat animals more effectively. Clinical pathology: Clinical pathology vet techs and nurses analyze an animal's blood and study its endocrine system.

This helps them diagnose animals and prescribe the right medication for animal patients. Clinical practice: There are three types of clinical practices in the veterinary field: canine and feline, exotic companions and production animals.

Vet nurses and techs in this specialty typically assist veterinarians with exams and post-operative care. Dermatology: These specialists study animals' skin and fur to help vets determine a diagnosis. They can also help educate owners on how to care for their pets, including providing tips for bathing, grooming and applying topical treatments. Equine care: This specialty refers to medical care for horses. Specialists may perform duties involving caring for a horse, including dental care, exercise and diet planning and rehabilitation after injuries.

Physical rehabilitation: Vet nurses and techs who focus on this specialty typically learn to care for animals that are undergoing physical therapy after an accident or illness. This may include providing assistive devices or exercising the animals to help them regain mobility. Veterinary nutrition: In veterinary nutrition, specialists aim to provide adequate nutrition for animals by helping owners maintain a healthy diet for their pets. Specialists may develop diets to adjust an animal's weight and create nutrition plans to help animals grow strong and healthy.

Ophthalmology: Vet techs and nurses who focus on this specialty learn how to treat animals' eye conditions, such as blindness or cataracts. Surgery: Surgical vet techs and nurses assist veterinarians with in-patient procedures like surgery.

They often specialize in additional surgical fields, such as cardiology or neurology. Diagnostic imaging: Vet nurses and techs who are diagnostic imaging specialists learn to capture and interpret x-rays and radiology images.

This helps them diagnose fractures and internal conditions in their animal patients. There are, however, more gateways to becoming a nurse than being a vet. Nursing training is much more vocational, with time spent in both practice and the lecture theatre; and there are two major routes.

The Diploma is a vocational qualification, usually run by agricultural and rural FE colleges. The degree courses are the Higher Education route, and are much more academic courses although much of the material is similar. In most cases, you will be splitting your time between work which may be unpaid in a Training Practice, and academic study at a University or College. That said, the exact requirements vary from course to course, and there may be some leeway for mature students. Your email address will not be published.

Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

If am trained as a surgeon from another country and has an experience in practise what steps would be followed for me to be allowed to practice in the UK. However, it is really important that you contact the RCVS as soon as possible to discuss it — it usually takes a minimum of 8 weeks to register. Username or Email Address. The Vet and the Vet nurse are very similar to the doctor and the nurse, both are important people in the medical setup. In a general aspect, we could see it as if Vets are in charge of diagnostics and nurses are in charge of treatment.

Therefore, it is very important that they work as a team, in fact, the best partnerships in practice always have a very close relationship between the veterinarian and the nurse. Some procedures that Nurses can take care of could be: monitor anaesthetics, care for patients who are in the wards and look after drips, small procedures like stitching wounds, medications, catheter placement, among others. The nurse has a preventative role in the practice. Often the nurse in good practices will be talking about nutrition, worming, flea and other ectoparasite treatments.

Pet owners can develop a strong and close relationship with a nurse, perhaps at the time of acquiring a puppy, to monitor the diet and ensure that the puppy does not grow too fast and put on weight during its year of development. The idea is for vet nurses to facilitate the work of veterinary doctors and be the first face the customer sees.