Student Veterinary Nurse Review
at RSPCA
Level 3 Apprenticeship
Healthcare
London
Review Submitted: April 2025
Overall Rating
2.6 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
3/5
-
Overview of Role
2/5
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Skills Development
2.4/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
2/5
I design and deliver nursing care plans to veterinary patients under the care of the RSPCA with a primary focus victims of abuse. I am a qualified animal behaviour technician and combine a medical and behavioural approach to deliver patient focussed care. I design SOP's and protocols for infection control and audit the practice against human health care standards every 3 months. I train other staff in animal behaviour, laboratory diagnostics, infection control, and anaesthesia.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
The training provider, Capital City College Group were fantastic! Their staff are exceptionally knowledgeable and they adjust content to suit student through a variety of learning techniques. Support in the workplace via line management was good although difficult to gain access to due to time constraints. Support from higher management and general structure was lacking
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
2/5
I was an exceptional case in that I had been working in the field for 17 years prior to getting the opportunity to pursue the apprenticeship and had previous veterinary medicine training, a level 5 behavioural diploma, a BSc in Zoology, and multiple published research papers in related fields so have refreshed skills however few were "new"
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
2/5
The training provider would score 10/10. The workplace would realistically score much lower as little time is devoted to the apprenticeship meaning many unpaid hours become necessary
How much support do you receive from your employer?
1/5
There is no time provided towards training and the number of tutorials and off the job hours had to be fought for and campaigned for by individual students, it was sadly not made a priority
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
5/5
The only fault would be how the team are perhaps too dedicated. They always respond quickly with detailed and accurate advice, each team member has their own specialism and fully covers course content. They are emotionally and professionally supportive
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
3/5
Although I had many of the skills from previous training the team really helped motivate and inspire me, in particular [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the Higherin Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] and her in depth knowledge of anaesthesia.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
1/5
No, these activities aren't made available to clinical roles
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend RSPCA to a friend?
No
Why?
Pay is below the industry standard with a very high level of burnout and graphic media. The nursing team receive little support and whilst it can be a very rewarding place to work it takes a great toll on the employee and apprentice so would only recommend the employer to experienced and confident peers that have the confidence to defend themselves to local managers
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to RSPCA?
I would advise them to seriously consider the reasons for applying. You will be dealing with graphic media, cruelty and abuse cases, and a high rate of moral injury in exchange for very little reward. The motivation must be understood and specific, you will be making a difference to the most vulnerable animals in the country but you will receive little recognition or reward for doing so meaning the work itself must be the reward for you
