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Local student means; you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident, a New Zealand citizen or a permanent humanitarian visa holder.
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International student means; you are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, a New Zealand citizen or a permanent humanitarian visa holder.
Overview Career Pathways Course details Fees & Costs Requirements Next Steps
Vet Courses
Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing
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Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing

Jobtrainer Code: ACM40418

Sorry, this course is not available for international students.

If you are a local student you may be eligible.

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Overview Career Pathways Course details Fees & Costs Requirements Next Steps

Overview

Campus

Fairfield

Duration

2 years full time

Next Intake

February

Next Intake

February

Times are changing for pet ownership in Australia, with more households owning pets than ever which is increasing demand for veterinary services. Over 70% of pet owners now view the role of veterinary services as keeping their pets healthy rather than treating them when they are sick. If you dream of a career taking care of animals, our ACM40418 Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing will set you on the path to becoming a veterinary nurse.

The ACM40418 Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing at Melbourne Polytechnic helps you develop a range of animal care skills including clinical and surgical routines. Developed with our veterinary industry partners, the course focuses on practical learning that reflects real life scenarios.

Practice clinical skills in our purpose-built veterinary precinct, Melbourne Polytechnic’s Veterinary Nursing Learning Centre, which includes extensive simulated veterinary practice suites. You’ll be trained by enthusiastic, industry-experienced teachers in a range of areas from reception duties to clinical pathology, radiology, theatre routines, dental nursing and general animal care.

Career Pathways

Where will this take me

As a graduate you may find work in private veterinary clinics offering a diverse range of services and undertaking various tasks and duties. The course also opens doors to working for pet food companies, in animal pharmaceuticals or specialist clinics.
  • Veterinary Nurse

Course Details

Delivery methods

This course is delivered primarily at our Fairfield campus and will include a compulsory practical placement. Some practical components will take place in our Veterinary Nurse Learning Centre at the Epping Campus. Some theory classes are online.

  • Work placements
  • Online components
  • Classroom

Assessment Methods

Assessment methods for this course includes workshops written activities, assignments and satisfactory completion of practical skills.

Units of Study

The hours displayed are nominal, actual classroom hours delivered may differ. Please contact us for the latest student contact hours information.

Code Subject Elective Hours
ACMGAS301 MAINTAIN AND MONITOR ANIMAL HEALTH AND WELL BEING Elective 50
ACMGAS302 PROVIDE ENRICHMENT FOR ANIMALS Elective 40
ACMGAS307 IDENTIFY ANIMAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY FOR ANIMAL CARE WORK Core 100
ACMGAS308 COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY WITH CLIENTS AND TEAM MEMBERS Core 30
ACMINF301 COMPLY WITH INFECTION CONTROL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES IN ANIMAL WORK Core 60
ACMSPE304 PROVIDE BASIC CARE OF DOMESTIC DOGS Elective 40
ACMSPE305 PROVIDE BASIC CARE OF DOMESTIC CATS Elective 40
ACMVET202 CARRY OUT DAILY CLINIC PRACTICE ROUTINES Core 40
ACMVET401 COORDINATE VETERINARY RECEPTION DUTIES Core 70
ACMVET402 APPLY IMAGING ROUTINES Core 90
ACMVET403 PERFORM CLINIC PATHOLOGY PROCEDURES Core 70
ACMVET404 COORDINATE AND PERFORM SURGICAL NURSING ROUTINES Core 40
ACMVET405 COORDINATE AND PERFORM SURGICAL NURSING ROUTINES Core 120
ACMVET406 NURSE ANIMALS Core 80
ACMVET407 CARRY OUT MEDICAL NURSING ROUTINES Core 70
ACMVET408 PROVIDE NUTRITIONAL ADVICE AND SUPPORT FOR ANIMALS Core 100
ACMVET409 PROVIDE SPECIFIC ANIMAL CARE ADVICE Core 90
ACMVET410 CARRY OUT VETERINARY DENTAL NURSING PROCEDURES Core 40
ACMVET413 PREPARE FOR ANAESTHESIA AND MONITOR ANAESTHESIA AND ANALGESIA Core 80
ACMVET416 ASSIST WITH THE PREPARATION OF VETERINARY DRUGS AND POISONS Core 60
ACMWHS301 CONTRIBUTE TO WORK HEALTH AND SAFETY PROCESSES Core 50

Recognition of Prior Learning

You can seek Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) where your work experience or qualifications of an advanced and related nature have been undertaken. RPL is individually assessed based on evidence submitted by the student to the teaching department. Applications for RPL will be assessed by relevant Melbourne Polytechnic trainers, academics and where appropriate, industry experts.

Attend an Info Session

Now’s the time to register for our information and enrolment sessions. We give you an in-depth look at your chosen area of study and a tour of our department facilities.
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Fees & Costs

Tuition Fees
Job Trainer Concession Government subsidised fee Non-subsidised fee
Tuition fee $1060 $1060 $5300 $14050
Materials fee $0 $0 $0 $0
Maximum annual amenities $250 $175 $250 $250
Total payable $1310 $1235 $5550 $14300
Per year $
Per semester $
Materials fee $

The student tuition fees as published are subject to change given individual circumstances at enrolment.

Displayed course fees are indicative only. There are many variables that impact the total amount of your full course costs including qualification for government subsidies, concessions or recognition of prior learning. Tuition fees do not include the cost of student amenities or material costs.

To find out if you’re eligible for a Government subsidy we recommend you contact us help you find out.

Melbourne Polytechnic offers a range of payment options to help you pay your tuition fees, so you can get on with your studies.

Fees displayed are effective for new applications received on or after 19 November 2020. Tuition fees do not include textbooks, course materials or overseas student health insurance and visa fees.

After initial deposit, international students are able to pay tuition fees in installments, four times per year.

For more detailed information please read the International Student Fees.

Materials

Lists of required materials, books and timetables will be provided at course induction or class enrolment by the teaching department.

Fees explained

Eligible students will pay 20 per cent of the standard Government subsidised tuition fee. Students can access up to one full qualification and one short course or skill set under the JobTrainer fund, including Free TAFE courses.

Who is eligible for JobTrainer?

To qualify for a non-traineeship JobTrainer course, you must

  • be aged 17 – 24 at the time of commencement of training, or
  • be a Job Seeker of any age, where a Job Seeker is defined as a person who holds a valid and current Commonwealth Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card or Veteran’s Gold Card; or unemployed. 

To qualify for a traineeship JobTrainer course, you must

  • be aged 17 – 24 at the time of commencement of training, or
  • be a Job Seeker of any age, where a Job Seeker is defined as a person who holds a valid and current Commonwealth Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card or Veteran’s Gold Card; or
    have been unemployed at the commencement date of the Training Contract; or became employed within 31 days before the commencement date of their Training Contract

To find out if you are eligible for Job Trainer or Free TAFE, call us on 03 9269 8400.

The fees for those ineligible for a government-funded enrolment. 

The cost of tuition for those eligible for government funding.

Concession fees are charged at 20 per cent of the standard fees for enrolments in Certificate I to IV courses. To be eligible students must meet Skills First eligibility criteria and present a valid:

  • Commonwealth Health Care card, or
  • Pensioner Concession card, or
  • Any dependent spouse or dependent child of one of the above cardholders, or
  • Veterans Gold card.

The following groups are eligible for concession fees from Certificate I to Advanced Diploma level:

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
  • Asylum Seekers and victims of human trafficking 

Additional expenses

Amenities fees are used to improve non-academic services including libraries, counselling services, student support, and recreational activities.

Amenities must be paid each academic year you are enrolled.

We will supply a list of materials including texts and stationery items that you will need to purchase.

Scholarships on offer

'We’d been discussing what projects we had coming up that we needed to go and buy materials for.  And so then the scholarship came and it was just a sigh of relief.'

See what scholarships are available

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Requirements

This course requires:
  • the completion of either ACM20117 Certificate II in Animal Studies
  • (or) a relevant Certificate III or higher in an animal science discipline
  • (or) can demonstrate equivalent skills and knowledge in a relevant animal science discipline to any of the above qualifications.
  • (and) you must have 8 hours per week of paid or voluntary work placement in a Veterinary Clinic at enrolment and for the duration of the course.

Next Steps

We're really excited for you to join the Melbourne Polytechnic community and we look forward to supporting you on your education journey.

The first step to enrolling is completing the application short form. You'll then receive a link to complete a few more personal details.

It is a mandatory government requirement for all prospective students to complete an online literacy and numeracy assessment. Once you are ready to enrol, you will be invited to attend of our Skills and Job Centres, or come to campus to complete your enrolment in person.

For certificate-level courses, you can pay by weekly or fortnightly direct debit using our Tuition Payment Plan. Read more about TPPs here.

If you need assistance with your application and the next steps, you can contact one of our Education and Course Advisors on 03 9269 8400 or follow a step-by-step guide to enrolling for vocational education local students.

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