(Work) Experience and Supplementary Assessment Questionnaire Guidance
Understanding the veterinary profession
Within your SAQ we are looking for evidence that you understand the different career paths / job roles that are open to you within the veterinary profession as a vet or vet nurse.
We encourage you to try to get a balanced/complete view of the potential roles and career paths within the professions to support completion of the SAQ.
Experiences covering both Vet Nursing and Vet Surgeon roles/career paths
- Have a look at these career pages to give insight into roles and career paths within different organisations
- Check out the job adverts to give insight into the types of roles which may be available to you once you graduate
- Spend time in clinical vet practice
- Speak to veterinary professionals including vet nurses, vets and support staff
- Watch veterinary / animal TV shows, for example:
- Overseas e.g Bondi Vet / Dr Oakley Yukon Vet
- UK e.g. Yorkshire vet / Supervet
- Look at Vets Stay Go Diversify for vet and vet nursing roles beyond clinical practice: Search for Jobs - VSGD - Vets Stay Go Diversify
Additional Veterinary Nursing specific experiences
Have a look at the following veterinary nursing specific careers pages:
- Vet Nurse Futures ***HIGHLY RECOMMENDED***
- RCVS you want to be a nurse
- BVNA
Additional Veterinary Surgeon specific experiences
- Virtual work experience course ***HIGHLY RECOMMENDED***
Have a look at the following veterinary surgeon specific careers pages:
Hear first-hand what it’s like working in the veterinary profession:
Listen — Podcast A Vet
The Uncharted Veterinary Podcast | Podcast on Spotify
Inspecting VN careers - Professionals (rcvs.org.uk)
Other relevant experiences
We would also encourage you to gain experiences which will give you an opportunity to develop skills and knowledge relevant to the programmes including those which help you develop people skills and animal handling skills and/or those which help you gain an understanding of the contexts in which humans and animals live and work. It's important to note that we do not expect you to possess these skills or knowledge before joining the course. However, engaging in these activities will allow you to assess your enjoyment of these crucial aspects of the program/profession and aid in determining if it aligns well with your interests and goals.
Part time jobs/volunteering
- Dog training
- Dog walking
- House/Cat/Dog sitting
- Working on a farm e.g. helping with milking or lambing
- Working in pet shop / garden centre with associated pet area
- Working in stables
- Catteries / Kennels
- Working at a dog groomer
- Any part-time job/volunteer role which involves working with members of the public for example work in retail, hospitality or reception works
Visiting public events, such as
- Crufts
- Local dog or horse shows
- Country fairs
- Horse trials
Useful for vet school applicants as it allows them to gain an understanding of the diverse activities in which animals are involved.
