Certificate in Avian Wildlife Healthcare (Veterinary Nurses) (Level 6)
This course is ideal if you are a qualified Veterinary Nurse who is increasingly being presented with injured or sick avian wildlife during your daily practice. Offered in collaboration with the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital, this programme is the only one of its kind in New Zealand and offers a unique and specialised professional development opportunity. You will gain a sound knowledge of avian wildlife healthcare, with a focus on patient support and management.
Domestic
About the programme
Are you a qualified Veterinary Nurse 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 Veterinary Nurses and offers a unique professional development opportunity.
Learning mainly online, you’ll be able to gain skills and knowledge in avian wildlife healthcare, with a focus on patient support and management. Content will include avian anatomy and physiology, trauma procedures and supportive care, imaging, 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
- Manage nursing care for avian wildlife patients with medical diseases
- Perform, or assist veterinarians with diagnostics and diagnostic imaging for avian wildlife patients
- Assist veterinarians in the management of avian wildlife anaesthesia.
International
About the programme
Are you a qualified Veterinary Nurse 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 Veterinary Nurses and offers a unique professional development opportunity.
Learning mainly online, you’ll be able to gain skills and knowledge in avian wildlife healthcare, with a focus on patient support and management. Content will include avian anatomy and physiology, trauma procedures and supportive care, imaging, 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
- Manage nursing care for avian wildlife patients with medical diseases
- Perform, or assist veterinarians with diagnostics and diagnostic imaging for avian wildlife patients
- Assist veterinarians in the management of avian wildlife anaesthesia.
What You Study
Courses
| Course | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Course 1 Level 6 8 credits |
Avian Wildlife: Health Introduction and Triage for Veterinary Nurses |
Gain the background knowledge you need to provide initial supportive care to avian wildlife. > Apply legal and ethical frameworks to avian wildlife health care. > Apply knowledge of anatomical and physiological features, nutritional ecology and husbandry in a range of avian wildlife species to nursing avian wildlife. > Plan supportive veterinary nursing care for the avian wildlife patients. |
|
Course 2 Level 6 4 credits |
Avian Wildlife: Anaesthesia |
Learn how to safely and effectively support the veterinarian in the management of safe anaesthesia in avian wildlife patients. > Discuss the role of the veterinary nurse in the safe anaesthesia of avian wildlife patients. |
|
Course 3 Level 6 8 credits |
Avian Wildlife: Wildlife Hospital Practicum for Veterinary Nurses |
Demonstrate and reflect on the common clinical procedures and diagnostic imaging required to be carried out in hospitalised avian wildlife patients. > Carry out common clinical procedures undertaken by veterinary nurses to support hospitalised avian wildlife patients. > Assist the veterinarian with performing and radiographic procedures for diagnosis in a clinical environment for avian wildlife patients. > Reflect on the development of your own veterinary nursing clinical skills in the avian wildlife context. |
|
Course 4 Level 6 8 credits |
Avian Wildlife: Diagnostic Imaging |
Learn how to support the veterinarian in the use of diagnostic imaging in avian wildlife patients. > Discuss a range of diagnostic imaging methods for avian wildlife. > Discuss the role of the veterinary nurse in diagnostic imaging of avian wildlife species. |
|
Course 5 Level 6 8 credits |
Avian Wildlife: Diseases |
Learn to effectively nurse avian wildlife diseases. > Create avian wildlife veterinary nursing care plans for patients with specific diseases. |
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.
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
- New Zealand Diploma in Veterinary Nursing (Level 6) or equivalent.
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* for domestic learners
If this is your first time doing tertiary study, or your first tertiary study was covered by the Targeted Training and Apprenticeship (TTAF) initiative, you may be able to get up to $12,000 of your fees covered for one year’s study or two years’ training.
All the details and criteria are on the Fees Free website and you can check whether you’re going to be able to access Fees Free by entering your National Student Number.
If you can access it, we’ll organise your fees with the Tertiary Education Commission when you’re enrolled to study with us. This funding doesn’t include additional costs or living costs.
* Please note: The Government has advised that they intend to change the Fees Free policy from 2025. The details of the change are yet to be confirmed. We'll update this information as soon as we can with any new details. The Fees Free policy for 2024 is unchanged.
