Veterinary Sciences

SCU offers two (2) Veterinary Science courses.  The Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (Honours), a five-year full-time degree that delivers the knowledge, skills, and clinical exposure required for you to practice as a registered veterinary surgeon. 
The Bachelor of Veterinary Technology is a 3-year full-time course. You will develop skills that allow you to practice as a veterinary nurse/technologist. You will also develop a strong theoretical understanding of a veterinary health care team philosophy and practice. The course also includes training in areas such as anatomy and physiology, animal nutrition and reproduction, clinical pathology and microbiology, radiography, and pharmacology.

The BVetMed is the degree that allows to be registered to practise veterinary medicine and surgery when you graduate. The degree and associated curriculum are tightly controlled to be compliant with stringent accreditation requirements, to guarantee you’ll graduate with all of the skills (Day 1 Competencies) you need to be a vet. 
The BVetTech qualifies you to be a veterinary technologist. Vet Techs support vets in clinical practice, much like a human nurse works with doctors. But they do much more – please refer to the BVetTech course page for more details. 

SCU’s veterinary training aims to produce practice-ready graduates who are optimally selected and training to work in general, mixed-animal practice in rural and regional areas. We prioritise clinical and practical training, breadth and depth of animal handling experiences, complemented by essential theoretical knowledge, and the skills to independently source and critically evaluate new knowledge for clinical application. You will have the opportunity to work directly with animals from the first term of the first year and will engage in clinical training very early. Our graduates will be self-motivated, independent, and capable professionals who are willing to take on new challenges and who can work effectively in modern professional work environments. 

Yes. As you can imagine, being a vet is not something you can learn remotely – it involves developing a wide and deep range of technical, hands-on skills, as well as confidence in working directly with animals and other people. Most of your learning will be in small-group situations where you will be actively interacting with teaching staff, animals, equipment, facilities, etc. that are essential to your training. This is particularly the case for the clinical phase of training. Highly specialised veterinary training will be undertaken in purpose-built facilities on the Lismore and Wollongbar campuses, and in external partner organisations. You will be expected to attend these sites many times a week and will need to be resident within commuting distance of the Lismore campus. 

Yes, vaccinations should be undertaken on admission into the courses, to protect you during your early training. Prior to scheduling of practical sessions and WIL placements you must present evidence of required immunisations (Q-Fever and Tetanus), or other clearances as outlined in placement documentation.