Royal Canin is reminding veterinary nurses that you have until the end of January to enrol on its Level 4 Certificate in Canine and Feline Veterinary Health Nutrition, in association with COAPE.Royal Canin is reminding veterinary nurses that you have until the end of January to enrol on its Level 4 Certificate in Canine and Feline Veterinary Health Nutrition, in association with COAPE.

The Nutrition Certificate allows applicants to expand their knowledge of cat and dog nutrition and apply their learnings in practice. The comprehensive qualification explores recent advances in diet formulation and case-based feeding and challenges students via a combination of reading materials, self-paced research and workbook assignments. The certificate is an equivalent study level to the first year of a degree course and runs over a nine month period (up to 180 hours of study) involving assessments which span four units, including:

  • Anatomy and Physiology of the Canine and Feline Digestive Tract
  • Essentials of Canine and Feline Nutrition / Canine and Feline Diet Types and Feeding Regimes
  • Principles of Canine and Feline Lifestage Nutrition
  • Canine and Feline Clinical Nutrition: Major Body Systems / Critical Care / Principles of Canine and Feline Clinical Nutrition.

On graduation, students will be awarded a 'Certificate of Canine and Feline Veterinary Health Nutrition' and can place Cert CFVHNut as post-nominals after their name.

Carly Nairn, Head Veterinary Nurse at Seymore Vets, completed the course last year. She said: "The course allowed me to immediately take new learnings and use them as part of my daily work in practice. I have been able to advise clients on the direct link between nutrition and specific illnesses, providing them with more accurate, in-depth information, helping pet owners gain a greater understanding of their pets.

"The Nutrition Certificate is certainly a challenging course, but the knowledge, greater understanding and daily transferable skills are most certainly worth the effort."

Royal Canin is offering bursaries to a limited number of applicants, allowing for a 30% discount in course fees. To apply for a bursary, applicants should contact their local Veterinary Business Manager for an application form or, to enrol without the assistance of a bursary visit: www.coape.org. 

Nutrition Certificate courses run twice a year, with a February and September intake: applications for February 2017 close on Tuesday 31st January.

PS: Whilst you're here, take a moment to see our latest job opportunities for vet nurses.