So you are interested in … Animals?
What is Zoology? Zoology is the study of animal life and gaining an in-depth understanding of animals. You will study biosciences, from cell biology and the study of insects, to whole organisms and species, communities and ecosystems. It often involves fieldwork in the UK or abroad.
So you are interested in … Animals?
You could study … Zoology, Veterinary Science, Veterinary Nursing, Animal Care( A) Equine, Farrier, Fish etc. Related subjects: Biology, Health Sciences.
If I study a course about animals at university – what do I do? Depending on the course it can vary in length and content though all include practical work. A veterinary degree will vary from 5 – 6 years.
Working with animals is highly competitive and hard work. Working in a veterinary practice means availability 24 hours, 365 days a year as you will get called to emergencies.
Any course that involves animals will expect you to have gained work experience at a vets or working with the animal you want to specialise in.
What is veterinary nursing? It’ s providing the supportive care of animals at the vets; helping educate owners in how to care for their pets as well as undertaking medical treatments, such as minor surgical procedures and tests, under the vet’ s direction. You can qualify through a degree or apprenticeship, and think about your career after qualifying as to which qualification is better for you.
Personal skills: Communication, understanding and explaining complex subjects, analysing and investigating, self-motivated, accurate, competent, dedicated, flexible, hard-working, independent, practical.
Subjects needed: For Veterinary Science AAA or AAB and excellent GCSE results. For all animal based higher education courses a science qualification is a must, and many courses will ask for biology, sometimes with another science or maths.
For certain higher education institutions, students sit the Biomedical Admissions Test( BMAT) in addition to their A levels.
What are the Job Opportunities? Working in a vets or a zoo, or going into research; playing a vital role in understanding diseases as well as the health, welfare of animals, insects, reptiles etc. You could work for a charity such as the PDSA, RSPCA or for a government agency like the Foods Standard Agency, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs or in wildlife and environmental conservation in the UK and abroad.
Useful websites www. rcvs. org. uk / education / i-want-to-be-a-vet www. bluecross. org. uk / how-become-veterinary-nurse www. prospects. ac. uk / options _ zoology. htm www. rspca. org. uk / utilities / jobs / profiles
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