Student Veterinary Nurse Apprentice

About the Role

This is a full-time apprenticeship opportunity for candidates already committed to the Student Veterinary Nurse pathway. You'll spend 40 hours per week split between college (1 day) and hands-on clinical practice, working towards your RVN qualification via a College Diploma. The team at Hertford Vets for Pets values quality over quantity, offering you genuine exposure across theatre, inpatient care, consults, and laboratory work rather than just the routine tasks.

You'll be part of a small, supportive team where you genuinely matter. The practice prioritises hands-on nursing involvement in all areas of patient care, and the culture is built on trust, autonomy, and real development opportunities shaped around your interests.

Key Responsibilities

• Gain hands-on clinical experience across theatre, inpatient care, patient consultations, and laboratory work
• Work within a small team alongside 2 veterinary surgeons, the Head Nurse, and support staff
• Develop nursing skills in a practice that emphasises quality care and thorough patient management
• Contribute to the care of separate cat and dog wards, isolation unit, and sterile theatre environment
• Support diagnostic work using digital X-ray, ultrasound, in-house laboratory facilities, and monitoring equipment

Requirements

• A confirmed college place or current SVN enrolment (you may be transferring practices)
• Previous experience within a veterinary setting
• Animal management qualifications or similar
• Clear understanding of the SVN role and career pathway
• Full-time commitment (40 hours per week)

Benefits

• Apprenticeship salary: £8.00 to £12.71 per hour depending on experience (Year 1 apprenticeship minimum wage)
• Progression to National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage (age dependent) after Year 1 for those 19+
• Small, supportive team environment focused on genuine development
• Hands-on experience across all areas of small animal nursing
• Access to specialist support through visiting consultants in cardiology, imaging, and orthopaedics
• State-of-the-art facilities including separate cat and dog wards, isolation unit, sterile theatre, digital imaging, and in-house laboratory

About the Practice

Vets for Pets in Hertford is an established small animal practice with a reputation for quality-focused care. The team comprises 2 veterinary surgeons, a Head Nurse, and supportive clinical staff. The practice has invested in modern facilities including separate cat and dog wards, an isolation unit, a sterile theatre, digital X-ray and ultrasound equipment, in-house laboratory facilities, capnography, and pulse oximetry.

The practice philosophy centres on delivering thorough, unhurried care, with 30-minute consults for complex cases and regular input from visiting specialists in cardiology, imaging, and orthopaedics. This is a close-knit team where every member contributes meaningfully to patient outcomes and the student nurse role is valued as a genuine part of the clinical team.