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CAFRE

Ciarrai McIIroy – CAFRE Alumni

Ciarrai, from Castlewellan, Co. Down qualified as an Animal Nursing Assistant in June 2020. 

What course did you study at CAFRE? 

I completed a Level 2 Certificate for Animal Nursing Assistant. After returning from travelling in Australia I came across the Animal Nursing Assistant course on Discover CAFRE Facebook page. Having already achieved my GCSE grades I applied for the course after confirming a placement at my local veterinary practice. It was a one year course which offered a great starting point for working within a veterinary practice. The course provided a great balance between practical application and theory. 

Why did you decide to study at CAFRE? 

Growing up I have always had a passion for animals and worked in several horse racing yards before starting my veterinary nursing career. I was a previous student at CAFRE Enniskillen campus where I studied an Equine Management course so I was familiar with the college. Once I had heard about this course, I knew it was the career for me. CAFRE has excellent facilities and offers plenty of hands-on experience to help with improving my knowledge and skills to use in practice. The lecturing staff are either Veterinary Nurses or Vets with loads of experience which is a massive bonus being able to learn from them. The course involves one day per week of study at Greenmount Campus and the rest of the week working in a veterinary practice to develop practical skills and gather evidence for my course portfolio. This suited me as I enjoy being hands on and it allowed me to still be able to work and earn while studying. Since completing the Level 2 course I have continued my education at CAFRE and am currently registered as a Student Veterinary Nursing and undertaking the Level 3 Veterinary Nursing Diploma qualification.   

Do you have a typical working day? 

As a Student Veterinary Nurse, every day is different in veterinary practice with a wide range of patients and cases being attended to. In the morning I go straight to inpatients to say hello and carry out morning routine and health checks. Then I start ensuring everything is ready to go for the day ahead with surgeries by admitting the patients, getting equipment ready and helping prep the patients for their surgery. All patients are monitored throughout surgery and then wrapped up in their blankets to keep them warm post-surgery whilst carrying out regular post-op recovery checks and offering cuddles for them coming around from their anaesthetics. Once ready to go home I discharge the patients with all the information and medication needed, check up on how all the inpatients are doing before getting stuck into cleaning to get everything tidied up for the evening. 

What is your current job and responsibilities? 

I am working as a Student Veterinary Nurse (SRVN) in Donard Vets, Newcastle. As a SRVN I work in this training practice while also attending college 1 day per week. Some of my duties include; looking after and supporting inpatients, preparing patients for their surgery, monitoring them throughout, administering medications and looking after them post-surgery to ensure they are recovering well, admitting and discharging patients, carrying out radiography x-ray studies, running laboratory samples and keeping the place to high standards of cleanliness and sterilisation. I am aiming to qualify as a Registered Veterinary nursing in autumn 2022 and joint the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Register for RVN’s 

What is the greatest challenge of your job? 

Veterinary nursing is a very rewarding job as you get to be involved in meeting lots of new puppies and kittens and assist with sick patients, helping to improve their health and get them back to their normal happy selves which is very fulfilling. However, it can be emotionally challenging as sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we may not get the results we are hoping for or unfortunately it may be the end of time for a patient and this is always tough and emotional to deal with, being so passionate about all our patients. Our team at Donard is very family like and we all help support each other throughout the emotionally challenging times which is a very important support network to have in a workplace.  

What advice would you give a school leaver considering study at CAFRE? 

If you are interested in applying you must ensure you work towards achieving the grades for the entry requirements of the course. I would strongly advise anyone interested in working with small animals/pets is to get work experience in a veterinary practice. All pets come with an owner so you must like working with animals and people too.  All I can say is my experiences to date of CAFRE have been brilliant, from the support you receive from lecturers, to the friendliness of all the staff on campus and the excellent facilities for continuous improvement of your skills.