Ill creatures great and small

Polytechnic University wants to improve professional standards and meet demand for training in animal health and welfare by introducing a BSc degree in veterinary nursing from September next year.

The four-year full-time course will be run jointly with the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), part of the University of London, and will combine theoretical and practical elements providing clinical skills and extensive hands-on experience.

'We found there was a niche to equip students with this sort of knowledge and skills and hope to bring about certain standards across the board in Hong Kong,' said Dr Mayur Gohel, associate dean of PolyU's faculty of health and social sciences.

'We expect the first graduates in 2014 to go straight into practice and to have good career prospects as head nurses, practice managers, assisting veterinary surgeons, or in other areas of animal welfare.'

He explained that basic entry qualifications would follow the usual university guidelines, but include a Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) in biology. Applicants should preferably have some experience working with animals and, because the medium of instruction would be English, a high level of language proficiency was important.

Holders of associate degrees, those now taking one-year foundation courses and international candidates would all receive due consideration to achieve a good mix of students in the projected initial intake of 39.