Bristol Veterinary School has been granted full accreditation by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) for its second veterinary nursing degree; Veterinary Nursing and Companion Animal Behaviour, which will start in September 2018.

The programme partners with the Animal Welfare and Behaviour group in the Bristol Veterinary School and will enable students to be at the forefront of new developments in animal behaviour and clinical veterinary nursing.

The programme will allow entry into the RCVS Register of Veterinary Nurses, and will also fulfil the academic requirements for Certification as a Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CCAB) by the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Through practical training graduates will also have the opportunity to attend behaviour cases, which will contribute to the Level 1 practical requirements for Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB) accreditation.

At the point of graduation, students will have achieved a Bachelor of Science with Honours (BSc Hons) degree, as well as being a registered veterinary nurse equipped with the specialist knowledge associated with the recognition, prevention and treatment of problematic behaviours in companion animals.

The veterinary nursing undergraduate programmes at Bristol are unique within the UK as all students spend 21 weeks in their third year on clinical rotations within in the small animal referral hospital of Langford Vets, including surgical and medical wards, diagnostic imaging, and intensive care. In addition, students undertaking this new programme will spend time working with a Clinical Behaviourist.