Vet nursing or vet physiotherapy?

[xMoodyMarex]

At the moment I'm not fully decided on what I'd like to do as a career, and was just wondering if there are any vet nurses or vet physios on here?

I finished my A levels last year in biology, psychology and sociology, and did tons of work experience to get an idea of what I'd like do. I spent 2 weeks volunteering at a zoo, 2 weeks at 2 different small animal vets, 1 week at a mixed vets and another week at a large animal vets. I also got some experience at a stud (both horse and dog), a bit at a kennels and cattery, and then some milking, lambing and assisted with sheep shearing. After all this, I'm still so stuck!! I enjoyed my time at the vets practices, and have considered vet nursing, however it seemed that a fair amount of night shifts and weekend work was involved, on top of already very demanding hours. I do not mind this, however, are there any vet nurses on here that still have the time to keep horses as a hobby?

I'm also considering vet physiotherapy at undergraduate level, however I've heard that ideally you should do human first and then go onto veterinary after? I've applied to Harper Adams and Moreton Morrell (only places that offer it at undergrad level) and have been rejected from Harper already. I'm currently retaking my biology A level (it is a C at the mo) , and waiting to hear back from MM. The only thing I'm concerned about is graduating to find that people will only allow a physio to treat their horse who has trained in human physio first? Any thoughts on this??

Sorry for the long post, but any advice would be really appreciated Thank you!

Also- forgot to add that I haven't applied to do vet nursing at degree level, as would be willing to relocate in order to do it the apprenticeship style route (I've noticed there are a few vacancies about, for those willing to move areas).

 

[blitznbobs]

Physio pays a lot better if that's a consideration but most (all?) horse physios were human physios first.

 

[Auslander]

To become an ACPAT physic - you need to be a human physio first. I know there are non ACPAT physics who will disagree with me, but I personally feel more comfortable using an ACPAT physio working on vet referral

 

[only_me]

Most people prefer to have a vet physio that trained as a human first. This is the ACPAT physio. I know I prefer only ACPAT physios.

It sounds as though you like the variety of work and vet nursing might be better suited if you enjoy caring for animals, vet physio would be mainly horses and dogs.

Vet physio you would be self employed mostly and irregular hours whereas with nursing you would be employed, I would imagine working as a vet nurse would be more regular hours/shift work and regular pay. Depends on which you prefer!

 

[Ella19]

Difficult one, with vet nursing you can pretty much get a job anywhere, but pay is poor and job progression is minimal. That's why you don't find many vey nurses over 40yrs old. I left veterinary when I got to nurse and practice manager as the wage was what I hoped to earn when I left uni, not 6yrs down the line! In small sa practice there was no scope for progression.

I now work in insurance instead.

 

[Goldenstar]

To become an ACPAT physic - you need to be a human physio first. I know there are non ACPAT physics who will disagree with me, but I personally feel more comfortable using an ACPAT physio working on vet referral

Me too I will never use anyone else now .

 

[Goldenstar]

Meant to add if you go down the physio route the ACPAT route means you have the option of working on humans as well so you have two income streams which leaves you less exposed to something like a foot and mouth attack .
And also the option of going back to humans if it fitted in with your life say when children where small .
My ACPAT physio does the horses and their riders ,very beneficial .

 

[xMoodyMarex]

Thank you for all your posts Out of interest would you be more inclined to allow a physio to treat your horse who had first done a Bsc in an animal science and then gone on to do the Masters in veterinary physiotherapy at Harper Adams? I've heard it is quite hard to get onto this course. My mum is a MCSP human physio, and she enjoys what she does, but has advised that I don't train as a human physio first, as my interests lie very much within treating horses and dogs. It seems ACPAT is the preferred route though!

 

[only_me]

I'm an MCSP as well, and I would prefer ACPAT

There are also no course fees for human physio which is always a win lol. The cost for harper adams is 8.5k for 2 years with one weekend a month learning and its not clear if placements are included, whereas the upgrading route (so moving from human to animal) is done at liverpool or hartpury.
Liverpool is 9k but does include placements. It also appears quite an in-depth course on quick glance.
Hartbury's website isn't overly helpful on course fees and placements unless you email director.

Massive benefit of doing ACPAT is that you can work as a human physio privately whilst training to become ACPAT. Another one is that you can treat the owners/riders as well as horses It also gives you more flexibility; it mightn't be a consideration now but when you are 60+ you mightn't want to work with horses as much and can do more human physio.

I don't know anything about animal science degrees but I do know that people use horse physios that get the best results; interestingly the two physios for GBR's team are both ACPATs
The vet physio degrees as an undergrad are relatively new whereas the ACPAT was established a while ago, so it all may change in the future but horsey folk can be very traditional

 

[xMoodyMarex]

Difficult one, with vet nursing you can pretty much get a job anywhere, but pay is poor and job progression is minimal. That's why you don't find many vey nurses over 40yrs old. I left veterinary when I got to nurse and practice manager as the wage was what I hoped to earn when I left uni, not 6yrs down the line! In small sa practice there was no scope for progression.

I now work in insurance instead.

Out of interest, what qualifications are needed to work in insurance? Would you say it's best to get experience and work your way up, or is there a certain type of degree employers look for?

 

[xMoodyMarex]

I'm an MCSP as well, and I would prefer ACPAT

There are also no course fees for human physio which is always a win lol. The cost for harper adams is 8.5k for 2 years with one weekend a month learning and its not clear if placements are included, whereas the upgrading route (so moving from human to animal) is done at liverpool or hartpury.
Liverpool is 9k but does include placements. It also appears quite an in-depth course on quick glance.
Hartbury's website isn't overly helpful on course fees and placements unless you email director.

Massive benefit of doing ACPAT is that you can work as a human physio privately whilst training to become ACPAT. Another one is that you can treat the owners/riders as well as horses It also gives you more flexibility; it mightn't be a consideration now but when you are 60+ you mightn't want to work with horses as much and can do more human physio.

I don't know anything about animal science degrees but I do know that people use horse physios that get the best results; interestingly the two physios for GBR's team are both ACPATs
The vet physio degrees as an undergrad are relatively new whereas the ACPAT was established a while ago, so it all may change in the future but horsey folk can be very traditional

Thank you very much for all your advice It definitely seems ACPAT is the way to go! I've noticed that Writtle College are now offering vet physiotherapy, in addition to Liverpool and Hartpury, so it seems to be a constantly growing area!

 

[luna88]

Just seen your post im a vet nurse and have plenty of time for my horses vet nursing yes it poorly paid long hours but job satisfaction out ways all of the bad points but its a vocation not a job and ur heart must b in the zone as so to speak and also u end up with all the animals no one wants! Lol

 

[xMoodyMarex]

Just seen your post im a vet nurse and have plenty of time for my horses vet nursing yes it poorly paid long hours but job satisfaction out ways all of the bad points but its a vocation not a job and ur heart must b in the zone as so to speak and also u end up with all the animals no one wants! Lol

Thank you for your post! Vet nursing does seem to have loads of job satisfaction, and all the vet nurses I met whilst on work experience seemed to really love their job. I think I'll keep a look out for any student vet nurse vacancies, but at the same time pursue my vet physio application, as vacancies for student nurse training seem to be quite hard to come about!

 

[crazyhorse37]

I am a physiotherapist. I work with humans, but actually qualified with the intention of becoming a veterinary Physio. You not only have to qualify as a physio first, but then do 2 years in human first (or at least you did when I qualified). I actually disagree with your mum about not needing the human first. Physiotherapy is about finding out about symptoms and then using this to work out what structure is the problem before you treat it. With humans you get a lot of this information subjectively (through talking). When you are first learning, this info is invaluable and teaches you a lot about the conditions. As you become a more experienced physio you learn to 'see' problems more easily and need less subjective information, honing your skills. This time, I think allows you more time to learn about the conditions with patients that can talk to you before you transfer your skills to animals. BTW have you also looked at the RVC conversion course? By the time I got round to conversion I was enjoying what I was doing and had seen a lot of my friends in the horse industry lose their love of horses. As a result I put it on the backburner as I wanted horses as my hobby. The beauty is you have a profession when you qualify as a physio even if you don't convert.

 

[AmyHack]

I did a degree in animal science with the intention of going to vet school after. I can't afford to go back to uni now so im doing vet nursing training 'apprenticeship'. Only thing I would say is that most collages won't take you on unless you've got a placement and placements are very hard to come by. You've got a better chance of you are able to do voluntary hours but if you need to be paid it will be hard to find somewhere to do it. If you're re-taking your a levels what about trying to get into vet school, you sound like you've got enough work experience. Don't know much about vet physiotherapy but it sounds fab

 

[khalswitz]

Defo go down the ACPAT route - it ultimately gives you more options, even if you decide never to do human again once you qualify to do animals. I personally always use ACPAT.

 

[only_me]

I am a physiotherapist. I work with humans, but actually qualified with the intention of becoming a veterinary Physio. You not only have to qualify as a physio first, but then do 2 years in human first (or at least you did when I qualified). I actually disagree with your mum about not needing the human first. Physiotherapy is about finding out about symptoms and then using this to work out what structure is the problem before you treat it. With humans you get a lot of this information subjectively (through talking). When you are first learning, this info is invaluable and teaches you a lot about the conditions. As you become a more experienced physio you learn to 'see' problems more easily and need less subjective information, honing your skills. This time, I think allows you more time to learn about the conditions with patients that can talk to you before you transfer your skills to animals. BTW have you also looked at the RVC conversion course? By the time I got round to conversion I was enjoying what I was doing and had seen a lot of my friends in the horse industry lose their love of horses. As a result I put it on the backburner as I wanted horses as my hobby. The beauty is you have a profession when you qualify as a physio even if you don't convert.

You no longer need 2 years working after graduating. It is desirable to have some experience but not essential any more

 

[Ernie2001]

I am a vet nurse. I have two horses and no money. It is poorly paid, long hours and can be physically and emotionally exhausting. I am currently looking at a career change so I have more time and money to spend with my horses. I love being a nurse but the negatives are unfortunately outweighing the positives. It can also feel very frustrating as there is little scope for promotion etc.

 

[hjohnson93]

Im a vet nurse and absolutely adore my job. I have a horse and manage to keep him on part livery. However I do still live at home so have very few outgoings. Pony is very old and I will continue with this situation until he sadly leaves us.
I cannot rate nursing enough, it truly is the best job in the world!

 

[flow]

Hi I have to agree with Ernie regarding veterinary nursing. I too am a small animal veterinary nurse. I have one horse and nurse full time. I struggle financially to keep a horse and house but also struggle time wise. I have to have a sharer as I do on call and late nights which don't suit the routine of my mares. I feel there is little career progression and money is poor. For the hours you put in and the physical and emotional strain I generally think we are under paid. The problem is I don't know what else I would do instead of nursing but I know I can't stay In it forever. It is also a big physical strain. I have developed carpal tunnel, I have a terrible back and my knees
Aren't too good due to being on the floor wrestling with dogs all day. Dont get me wrong I get to work with animals everyday which is most people's dreams and I get to be involved in some amazing things. It is a varied day to day job and iv met some amazing colleges along the way. It's just deciding what you want from your job/ career. To be honest if I had my time again I think I would still nurse
However I think I would look at the university route as this gives your more
Options
Later on for future studying. If your interested you should look into what it can offer you x

 

[xMoodyMarex]

I did a degree in animal science with the intention of going to vet school after. I can't afford to go back to uni now so im doing vet nursing training 'apprenticeship'. Only thing I would say is that most collages won't take you on unless you've got a placement and placements are very hard to come by. You've got a better chance of you are able to do voluntary hours but if you need to be paid it will be hard to find somewhere to do it. If you're re-taking your a levels what about trying to get into vet school, you sound like you've got enough work experience. Don't know much about vet physiotherapy but it sounds fab

I tried to get into vet school this year, but was rejected by all the ones I'd applied to without being interviewed. It seems to be so competitive, and even people with top grades and tons more experience than me haven't got in after reapplication again the next year. Vet school does sound great, but I think I would definitely be more suited to vet physiotherapy or vet nursing

 

[xMoodyMarex]

Im a vet nurse and absolutely adore my job. I have a horse and manage to keep him on part livery. However I do still live at home so have very few outgoings. Pony is very old and I will continue with this situation until he sadly leaves us.
I cannot rate nursing enough, it truly is the best job in the world!

I am a vet nurse. I have two horses and no money. It is poorly paid, long hours and can be physically and emotionally exhausting. I am currently looking at a career change so I have more time and money to spend with my horses. I love being a nurse but the negatives are unfortunately outweighing the positives. It can also feel very frustrating as there is little scope for promotion etc.

Hi I have to agree with Ernie regarding veterinary nursing. I too am a small animal veterinary nurse. I have one horse and nurse full time. I struggle financially to keep a horse and house but also struggle time wise. I have to have a sharer as I do on call and late nights which don't suit the routine of my mares. I feel there is little career progression and money is poor. For the hours you put in and the physical and emotional strain I generally think we are under paid. The problem is I don't know what else I would do instead of nursing but I know I can't stay In it forever. It is also a big physical strain. I have developed carpal tunnel, I have a terrible back and my knees
Aren't too good due to being on the floor wrestling with dogs all day. Dont get me wrong I get to work with animals everyday which is most people's dreams and I get to be involved in some amazing things. It is a varied day to day job and iv met some amazing colleges along the way. It's just deciding what you want from your job/ career. To be honest if I had my time again I think I would still nurse
However I think I would look at the university route as this gives your more
Options
Later on for future studying. If your interested you should look into what it can offer you x

Thank you for all your posts Vet nursing does seem incredibly rewarding! I've taken on board all your comments and advice

 

[melbiswas]

If you wish to do Veterinary Physio you will need to get results and a good reputation to build up a business.

Working with humans first will develop your skills in judging pain responses, getting a feel for muscle spasm or guarding, underlying neurological deficit, analysing movement abnormality etc etc. It is so much easier when you have a definite underlying diagnosis or a clear history and feedback from a (human) patient. Senior Physios supervising students on placements make sure they are exposed to effective clinical experiences like this.

It takes longer and it is hard work but I think it would make you a better Physio, and as other have said would keep employment options open.

I have worked with quite a few Physios going on to do ACPAT. At some point the market may be more competitive out there too.

 

[TPO]

I really don't understand the " must be ACAPT" qualified stance. I don't insist that my vets are fully trained doctors before training to treat animals. Now that I'm thinking about it I've never had a vet recommend an ACAPT physio to me; it's been veterinary physios. I've used both and don't have a preference re the qualification it's all down to the individual.

When I was on the McTimoney-corley training there was a human physio and an osteopath. Both had undertaken their degrees specifically to progress onto doing horses. The physio didn't start the equine course and the osteo dropped out of her's as neither felt that the courses were right for them or offered levels of training that they found acceptable. Again that was just their individual viewpoints. After researching they decided McT-C was right for them ( there was also a vet on the course). So it's not always a straight cut " go to uni, do human degree" decision.

The best bet is for you to do as much research as possible into what qualifications and training is out there then decide. There's nothing to stop you doing more than one or changing your path.

For example I personally found the equine body worker training far more in-depth and overall better than McT-C.

There is so much out there and (some) owners are becoming more informed themselves so aware of the need for complementary therapy and the different things that different ones offer.

Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[Ella19]

Moody mare it depends what company you go with. The well known 3 lettered one I work for takes people from a diverse degree background and trains them on the job as you need to be liscenced to sell. You need good maths and english gcse and good old common sense! Some animal only insurance will only look at candidates that have vet nursing qualifications or people who are already in the industry. Feel free to pm me if it helps!

 

[Grey_Arab]

I am both! I have an animal science degree and also hold a CEPT advanced certificate in veterinary physiotherapy (not ACPAT I know, strike me down!) I work in an equine hospital as a student vet nurse. The hours are long and the pay is low (it does put it into perspective when I earn more in one equine physio treatment than I do in a whole days work!) but as others have said, the rewards are great and we have a good team. I do feel that having the nursing/veterinary day job, gives me an understanding of the conditions (surgeries etc.) I see in physio.
Also I do not encounter any of the prejudice against non ACPAT physios that seems to be on here in the real world. I am registered with IRVAP, insured and only work under veterinary referral and that seems to be good enough =)

 

[khalswitz]

I really don't understand the " must be ACAPT" qualified stance. I don't insist that my vets are fully trained doctors before training to treat animals. Now that I'm thinking about it I've never had a vet recommend an ACAPT physio to me; it's been veterinary physios. I've used both and don't have a preference re the qualification it's all down to the individual.

When I was on the McTimoney-corley training there was a human physio and an osteopath. Both had undertaken their degrees specifically to progress onto doing horses. The physio didn't start the equine course and the osteo dropped out of her's as neither felt that the courses were right for them or offered levels of training that they found acceptable. Again that was just their individual viewpoints. After researching they decided McT-C was right for them ( there was also a vet on the course). So it's not always a straight cut " go to uni, do human degree" decision.

The best bet is for you to do as much research as possible into what qualifications and training is out there then decide. There's nothing to stop you doing more than one or changing your path.

For example I personally found the equine body worker training far more in-depth and overall better than McT-C.

There is so much out there and (some) owners are becoming more informed themselves so aware of the need for complementary therapy and the different things that different ones offer.

Good luck whatever you decide.

My decision to use ACPAT physios has been because of the quality of the physiotherapy training. However neither my osteo nor chiro are human trained first - they are purely equine trained. However I think the difference between physio, osteo and chiro often isn't taken enough into account, but I do think there should be differences in the way they are trained. Personally, in my area the better physios are ACPAT by a LONG shot.

I also am not into equine bodyworkers at all - I've used reiki practitioners, but I find that often when people use a EBW they are actually really wanting a physio and therefore don't get the results they want. Personally, I haven't needed specifically an EBW so don't use one.