Certificate in Avian Wildlife Healthcare (Veterinarian) (Level 7)
If you are a qualified Veterinarian who is being presented with sick or injured avian wildlife, this programme will give you the skills to administer medicine and/or surgery. You will graduate with the ability to provide optimal standards of welfare and outcomes for avian wildlife patients, plan and manage anesthesia, manage medical diseases, and perform diagnostics and surgical procedures on avian wildlife patients.
Domestic
About the programme
Are you a qualified Veterinarian who is increasingly being presented with injured or sick avian wildlife during your daily practice?
This course, offered in collaboration with the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital, is the only one of its kind in New Zealand aimed at Veterinarians and offers a unique development opportunity.
Learning mainly online, you’ll be able to gain skills and knowledge in avian wildlife healthcare, with a focus on medicine and/or surgery. Content will include avian anatomy and physiology, trauma procedures and supportive care, post-mortem and pathophysiology, soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery, and contextual aspects of law and ethics.
A five-day practical placement at the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital, one of New Zealand’s only avian healthcare providers, will enable you to get some fantastic hands-on practice.
Graduates will have the skills, knowledge and capabilities to:
- Ensure optimal standards of welfare and outcomes for avian wildlife patients
- Plan and manage anaesthesia for avian wildlife patients
- Manage medical diseases in avian wildlife patients
- Perform diagnostics and diagnostic imaging and interpret results for avian wildlife patients, and
- Perform surgical procedures on avian wildlife patients.
International
About the programme
Are you a qualified Veterinarian who is increasingly being presented with injured or sick avian wildlife during your daily practice?
This course, offered in collaboration with the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital, is the only one of its kind in New Zealand aimed at Veterinarians and offers a unique development opportunity.
Learning mainly online, you’ll be able to gain skills and knowledge in avian wildlife healthcare, with a focus on medicine and/or surgery. Content will include avian anatomy and physiology, trauma procedures and supportive care, post-mortem and pathophysiology, soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery, and contextual aspects of law and ethics.
A five-day practical placement at the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital, one of New Zealand’s only avian healthcare providers, will enable you to get some fantastic hands-on practice.
Graduates will have the skills, knowledge and capabilities to:
- Ensure optimal standards of welfare and outcomes for avian wildlife patients
- Plan and manage anaesthesia for avian wildlife patients
- Manage medical diseases in avian wildlife patients
- Perform diagnostics and diagnostic imaging and interpret results for avian wildlife patients, and
- Perform surgical procedures on avian wildlife patients.
What You Study
Courses
You’ll do five foundational, compulsory courses, totalling 40 credits.
| Course | Name | Description | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course 1 | Avian Wildlife: Health Introduction and Triage for Veterinarians |
Learn how to provide species appropriate husbandry under the appropriate legal and ethical frameworks and to determine initial diagnostic and supportive care requirements for avian wildlife. > Interpret legal and ethical frameworks in relation to avian wildlife healthcare. > Apply knowledge of anatomical and physiological features, nutritional ecology and husbandry to veterinary clinical practice in a range of avian wildlife species. > Plan veterinary care for the supportive care of avian wildlife patients. |
8 |
| Course 2 | Avian Wildlife: Anaesthesia |
Learn how to safely and effectively anaesthetise avian wildlife patients. > Create a plan to safely anaesthetise and effectively monitor avian wildlife patients. |
17 |
| Course 3 | Avian Wildlife: Wildlife Hospital Practicum for Veterinarians |
Demonstrate and reflect on the common clinical procedures, diagnostic imaging and surgery techniques required to be carried out in hospitalised avian wildlife patients. > Perform common clinical and surgical procedures undertaken by veterinarians for hospitalised avian wildlife patients. > Perform radiographic and endoscopic procedures for diagnosis in a clinical environment for avian wildlife patients. > Critically reflect on development of clinical skills in the avian wildlife context. |
9 |
| Course 4 | Avian Wildlife: Diagnostic Imaging and Surgery |
Utilise diagnostic imaging and surgical techniques effectively in avian wildlife patients. > Evaluate the application of a range of diagnostic imaging methods for avian wildlife species. > Evaluate the application of common soft tissue surgical procedures for avian wildlife patients. > Evaluate common orthopaedic surgical procedures for avian wildlife patients. |
8 |
| Course 5 | Avian Wildlife: Diseases and Clinical Pathology |
Effectively manage avian wildlife diseases. > Plan the diagnosis, treatment and management of a range of avian wildlife diseases. > Evaluate haematological, biochemical and cytological responses to physiological and pathological conditions for avian wildlife patients. > Evaluate post-mortem procedures for avian wildlife species.
|
8
|
Practical placement
A five-day practical placement will be held sometime during November to February to coincide with the busy season. This will give you a fantastic opportunity to develop your skills.
A surgical practicum in Dunedin will be arranged once class numbers are ascertained for the surgical elective.
Please note: This session will be coordinated by you and your tutor as only one to two students can be accommodated at one time. This will ensure the best experience for each student.
Workload
Your workload
All of your study is highly-structured, guided and self-directed and you will need to have good time management skills. You should typically aim for around 12.5 hours of study per week. You’ll be required to engage with the online resources and activities, and complete assessments and the practical placement.
Entry
Entry requirements
You must have the following:
- A Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Level 7) or equivalent.
- Registration with the Veterinary Council of New Zealand.
English Language requirements
- New Zealand University Entrance OR
- Overall Academic IELTS 6.0 with no individual band score lower than 5.5 (achieved in one test completed in the last two years), OR
- Acceptable alternative evidence of the required IELTS (see here for NZQA proficiency table and here for list of recognised proficiency tests).
If you need to improve your English Language skills, we offer a wide range of English programmes.
Prior learning
If you have extensive knowledge and skills due to practical experience in this area, enquire about our recognition of prior learning process at vetnursing@op.ac.nz. You may have already gained credits towards this qualification.
Selection process
If the number of applicants exceeds the available places, a waitlist will be used to ensure preference is given to applicants in order of application.
Fees
Domestic fees
International fees
Student loans and allowances
Please note that students studying this programme are not eligible for student loans and allowances.
Additional costs
> Photocopy and printing costs for personal work and assessments.
> Travel, accommodation (if required) and food costs associated with attendance at animal facility work placements.
Tuition fees
The tuition fees shown above are approximate only. There may be a slight fee increase per year once Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) rules and guidelines are applied. These fees also don’t include additional costs or living costs.
Student Services Fee
For most students, your tuition fee shown above includes a Student Services Fee – also known as the Student Levy. This compulsory fee covers your access to the student services we offer. This cost is tailored depending on how you're studying.
The international tuition fee does not include your Student Levy. This will be calculated when you enrol with us.
Click below to find out more about the Student Levy costs and services provided.
Fees Free
The Government has announced that Fees Free for the first year of study or training will finish at the end of 2024. A final-year Fees Free policy will replace it, starting from 1 January 2025.
If you are a first-time tertiary learner in 2025, you may be able to get Fees Free for your final year of study or training. If you are eligible, you will need to apply for your entitlement through IRD from 2026 onwards.
For more information about the transition from first-year Fees Free or the final-year Fees Free policy, visit FeesFree.govt.nz.
Study Grants for international students
We have a range of Study Grants to support our international students.
