VETERINARY TECHNICIAN

The Job

It’s the Veterinary Technician’s job to care for service animals, including dogs and horses, and to support Veterinary Officers (VOs) in their treatment. You’ll hold responsibility for reporting any signs of ill health in animals to VOs and providing nursing support for hospitalised patients, as well as managing veterinary equipment and consumables. The Army’s service animals are deployed along with its soldiers, so you will have the chance to take your trade to the front line on operations. Unlike other soldiers in the Army Medical Services, RAVC soldiers are combatants and do not wear the red cross armband.

The Right Job For Me?

Animals are often a challenge to work with, so patience, physical fitness and the ability to dodge the odd nip or kick are vital. A thirst for knowledge and ability to pass on your expertise to others will become highly useful. You should be reliable, confident, self-motivated and ready to work outdoors in all weathers and conditions.

What Skills Will I Learn?

Assisting Veterinary Officers during surgical operations, radiography, first aid treatments and disease prevention.Learning dog-handling skills to work with Military Working Dogs as a qualified handler.Nursing skills and basic anatomy.Equipment care and management – vital to keep a busy clinic running smoothly.The knowledge and skills needed to handle and treat horses.

What Training Will I Do?

Initial training You will begin your career with basic military training at Army Training Regiment (ATR) Winchester (males) or ATR Pirbright (females). During this 14-week course you will learn military skills such as foot drill, how to handle and fire a weapon, how to live and work in the open, and how to tackle an assault course, as well as developing your stamina and fitness. You will be stretched further than you thought possible, and toughen up both physically and mentally. Having successfully mastered these basic military skills you will take your place in the Passing Out parade in front of an invited audience of parents, relatives and friends.Further training After completing basic training you will travel to the Defence Animal Centre at Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, for Phase 2 trade training. The first phase is the Basic Dog Handler’s Course, which qualifies you as a dog handler. The next 13-week phase is designed specifically for Veterinary Technicians. It covers:Basic anatomy The anatomy and physiology of military working animals.Nursing skillsPractical aspects of care, including bandaging, administering treatment and monitoring animals’ health.Horse handlingAnimal husbandry and the care and handling of military horses.The final phase is Driver Training. You will be sent on a 11-week course at the Defence School of Transport to learn how to drive a Land Rover with trailer; some will be selected to train to drive HGVs with trailers, as these skills are needed for working in a deployable unit.Once you’ve successfully completed this course you will be a Class 3 Veterinary Technician. You will then remain at the Defence Animal Centre for the next 18 months working as a Class 3 VT as you perfect your clinical skills. As a valuable team member in the busy schedule of the canine and equine hospitals, you will be in the midst of the day-to-day running of the Veterinary Division. During all this training we emphasise the importance of working in a team as well as the vital skill of carrying out instructions unsupervised. You will then take your Class 2 Veterinary Technician course, which is four weeks long, and once you have passed this you will be posted to an operational unit.

What Qualifications Could I Get?

You will be able to qualify in NVQs Level 2 and 3 in Animal Care. And although your role as a VT doesn’t automatically give you a veterinary nursing qualification formally recognised outside the RAVC, your training and experience do have civilian equivalents.

Future Prospects

Once you have completed your trade training you will become a Class 3 Veterinary Technician, ready for your first post in the Army, which will be at the Defence Animal Centre, performing your new skills under the supervision of the Hospital Manager. After 18 months at the DAC you will take your Class 2 course and from there you will get posted out to other RAVC Units to assist the Veterinary Officers. Promotion from there on depends on your performance and motivation. As an NCO, there are opportunities to improve your educational qualifications by attending courses, improving your skills in management and administration. There is a full pathway to SSgt within the job as a VT; however, advancement after that relies on either branching out into CQMS roles or competing with other RAVC SNCOs for promotion to Warrant Officer, from where suitable WOs may be selected to go on to be commissioned.