Dick White Academy

PROSPECTUS 2016/17

WELCOME MESSAGE

If you are wishing to pursue a career in animal care, I invite you to read this prospectus and consider joining one of the courses offered by the Dick White Academy.

After many years of running a veterinary referral centre, I am well aware of the value of well trained veterinary nurses and nursing assistants and support staff. As a means of ensuring a sustainable source of dedicated professional staff, we have established the Academy to provide first class training with the aim of preparing learners to make a much needed and valuable contribution to the veterinary profession.

Our goal is to support the professional developmentof our learners through a combination of high quality teaching and exposure to a range of clinical facilities and experience.

This prospectus should provide you with the information needed to decide whether the Dick White Academy is the right pathway for you, but if you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Professor Dick White

Founder, Dick White Academy

At the Dick White Academy (DWA) we aim to provide the very best advice, guidance,

training and support to help our learners on their learning journey. Our goal is to

ensure that our learners have the best possible opportunity to succeed in their

studies, to achieve their aims and to have a rewarding and memorable experience.

Pastoral Care

All of our learners have a Clinical Coach or Mentor to guide them through their study programmes. Frequent tutorial sessions are organised to discuss Individual Learning Plans (ILP) and any issues or problems that may arise.

Keeping Learners Safe

The Academy has a responsibility to provide a safe learning environment in which to study. We provide a team of fully trained safeguarding personnel available at all times to help with any safeguarding concerns that learners or their employers may have.

Financial Support

The Academy can arrange government funding via the Apprenticeship Scheme to assist learners with costs related to attending College. A learner’s eligibility will be assessed according to their personal circumstances and the course that they are studying.

Learning Support

The Academy prides itself on the provision of high quality support to individuals with learning difficulties, disabilities or other additional needs. By providing appropriate support, the Academy strives to enable all learners to reach their full potential.

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Equal Opportunities

The Academy is proud of its diversity and welcomes learners from all backgrounds. We operate a clear policy of equal opportunities for all and treat all learners and staff fairly irrespective of ethnic background, gender, sexuality, physical ability or age. The Academy does not tolerate discrimination of any kind and actively promotes good relations within its exciting and diverse community.

Dick White Academy Prospectus 2017

• Learners are our number one priority. We want them to be happy, successful and well-prepared for their future career. Above all, we want all of our learners to reach their full potential.

• Our learners have unprecedented access to a team of Veterinary Specialists, Clinicians, Residents and Nurses.

• We provide strong pastoral care and support, encouraging and valuing everyone. We pride ourselves on an environment that’s safe and secure.

• We are a great stepping stone to employment or higher education and can give a learner the qualifications, employability and communication skills they need to succeed.

• All members of our support team are recognised for outstanding achievements in their fields.

• We are constantly striving to innovate and improve and we have created a facility that genuinely puts the learner at its heart.

• Studying at DWA allows learners to develop their skills, obtain a recognised qualification while continuing to work in practice.

WHY DWA?

LEVEL 2 DIPLOMA: VETERINARY CARE ASSISTANT (10 MONTHS)

The Level 2 Diploma for Veterinary Care Assistants (VCA) is a day-release course that is undertaken alongside employment. The course is for those looking to gain a formal qualification in veterinary care.

The course will provide learners with formal theoretical and practical training aimed at providing efficient and professional skills in practice.

Learners who complete this course will have a greater understanding of anatomy, physiology, handling, how to assist veterinary professionals effectively, the environment in which they are working, administrative duties and other essential skills.The course also prepares those learners that want to progress to the Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing (RVN)

Attendance: By choosing to study with the DWA, learners will attend the college on day release and will be supported by our permanent course tutors. The course will give learners access and support from a range of Veterinary Specialists at the Dick White Referrals Clinic.Course materials: will be supplied via the DWA.Duration: 10 months (including Functional Skills).Start Date: The course has 2 intakes throughout the yearProgression: Level 3 Diploma Veterinary Nursing (RVN - Registered Veterinary Nurse)

COURSES ON OFFER

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Dick White Academy Prospectus 2017

Completion of the Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing qualification will allow learners to apply for professional registration as a Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN) with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).

Run on a day release basis, learners who are employed in a veterinary practice can undertake the programme as part of an apprenticeship that is approved to train veterinary nurses.

All of the DWA veterinary nursing lectures are given by registered veterinary nurses with access to Specialist consultants. This means that learners will have access to those with Specialist qualifications that no other veterinary nurse training facility is able to offer. We believe this will allow learners to develop into skilled nurses able to support their practices and patients to the highest possible standard.

In addition to the academic support from the team at DWA, learners will gain significant industry experience in an RCVS-approved veterinary practice, either a Training Practice (TP) or an auxiliary Training Practice (aTP). The practical elements of the training will help learners to better understand a fast paced veterinary environment and will prepare them for the real responsibilities that come with their chosen career.

Attendance: Day release. The learners will spend the rest of their time gaining practical experience in veterinary practice.Duration: Two years, plus time to finish the collecting of evidence for the Nursing Progress Log (NPL).NPL and exams: Work-based clinical skills will be recorded using an electronic Nursing Progress Log (NPL). Learners’ NPLs will provide a record of all the clinical skills they have learned, practised and reached competence in.

Learners will also undertake a number of different examinations and assessments by the RCVS. The DWA courses will include RCVS written and practical examinations, Academy examinations, assignments and work based assessments.

Start Date: The course has 2 intakes throughout the year.Entry requirements: You must have a minimum of 5 GCSEs at grades C or above, including English Language, Mathematics and a Science subject. If you do not meet the GCSE requirement, there are alternative qualifications that may be acceptable.

LEVEL 3 DIPLOMA: VETERINARY NURSING (TWO YEARS)

• Learners will need to apply directly to the DWA to attend a course

• Once an application has been received, the DWA will contact the learner and employer to arrange an interview and discuss training requirements

• The Academy will then arrange for funding (where appropriate) and inform the learner of the charges that are applicable. Please see the funding section for more information

• The DWA will liaise directly with the learners’ practices to arrange training for clinical coaches and training practice registration (TP)

• Course materials and a timetable will be sent to the learner prior to starting at DWA

• The learning begins

• Regular reviews with the learner take place throughout the year

HOW DOES IT ALL WORK AND JARGON BUSTING?

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Dick White Academy Prospectus 2017

The VNAC is a Veterinary Nursing Approved Centre. VNACs are organisations inspected and approved by the RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons). The purpose of the VNAC is to manage veterinary nurse training and assessment. VNACs are educational colleges. The VNAC alongside its affiliated training practices (TPs) provides training and assessment for learners.

The VNAC must meet nationally agreed standards of assessment and teaching and, in this respect, is accountable to the RCVS. In order to achieve this, the VNAC supports and monitors the teaching and assessment within its TPs. This process is called internal verification.

Each practice approved by the DWA will be allocated a Quality Assurance Supervisor (QAS)

A clinical coach is either a veterinary surgeon or registered veterinary nurse working within the practice who agrees to ‘mentor’ the learner through their training. They will be responsible for supporting the learner and supervising the completion of the Nursing Progress Log (NPL). This represents formalisation of standard clinical practice whereby senior staff provide ongoing

who will carry out an annual approval visit and monitoring visits to the practice. The QAS will be a point of contact for the practice.

The DWA’s aim is to provide a service that meets the quality assurance arrangements required by the RCVS and awarding body, while providing a commercially viable training option for practices wishing to raise the skill levels of their staff.

The DWA offer a first class service with highly trained and experienced personnel who are committed to supporting both the practice and the learner. As the UK’s first nursing academy to have access to a Specialist referral centre, learners will have unrivalled access to experience and expertise.

mentoring to their less experienced colleagues.

Clinical coaches will need to attend a one-day training course which will cover the use of the NPL as well as lots of best practice information and tips on coaching/mentoring their learner. Coaches/mentors will then be required to attend a standardisation event every 12 months.

WHAT IS A VNAC/TP?

WHAT IS A CLINICAL COACH?

Course fees are a set price and are payable monthly to the DWA. The academy will arrange appropriate funding for each learner on an individual basis, subject to eligibility. Below, we have outlined the course fees, which do not include the potential funding which each learner may be entitled to under the Apprenticeship Scheme. Any deficit in funding will be met by the learner and/or the employer.

For example:• If a learner is entitled to a percentage of funding,

they or their employer will be asked to pay the remainder in monthly installments.

• If a learner is not entitled to any funding, they or their employer will be responsible for the full course fees payable in monthly installments.

Government apprenticeship funding will be discussed with each learner and their employer after we have received an application form.

FUNDING

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Dick White Academy Prospectus 2017

£1,300 (dependent on funding)

£4,000 per annum (dependent on funding)

LEVEL 2 DIPLOMA: VETERINARY CARE ASSISTANT (10 MONTHS)

LEVEL 3 DIPLOMA: VETERINARY NURSING (2 YEAR COURSE)

COURSE FEES

£1,300 (dependent on funding)

Please complete the Application Form available on our website:

www.dickwhiteacademy.co.uk

For further information, contact Daniel Hogan: djh@dwr.co.uk.

£4,000 per annum (dependent on funding)

HOW TO APPLY

LEVEL 3 DIPLOMA: VETERINARY NURSING (2 YEAR COURSE)

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Dick White Academy Prospectus 2017

www.dickwhiteacademy.co.uk01638 572 012

Dick White Academy