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- Council Members
- Role of Council Members
- Council meetings
- Council elections
- Previous election results
- Dr Louise Allum
- Dr Sam Bescoby
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- Dr Tshidi Gardiner
- Dr Reginald Godwin
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- Dr Gerard Henry
- Dr Richard Hillman
- Dr Benjamin Kennedy
- Dr Tom Lonsdale
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- Advancement of the Professions Committee
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- Registration Committee
- Preliminary Investigation Committee
- Paper classification: some definitions
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- About extra-mural studies (EMS)
- EMS requirements
- Information for vet students
- Information for EMS providers
- Information for vet schools
- Temporary EMS requirements
- Practice by students - regulations
- Health and safety on EMS placements
- EMS contacts and further guidance
- Extra-mural studies fit for the future
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- Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons
- Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses
- Contact the Advice Team
- XL Bully dog ban
- 'Under care' - guidance
- Advice on Schedule 3
- Controlled Drugs Guidance – A to Z
- Dealing with Difficult Situations webinar recordings
- FAQs – Common medicines pitfalls
- FAQs – Routine veterinary practice and clinical veterinary research
- FAQs – Advertising of practice names
- GDPR – RCVS information and Q&As
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- Accrediting veterinary degrees
- Accrediting veterinary nursing qualifications
- Reasonable adjustments for student vets
- Reasonable adjustments for student veterinary nurses
- Health and disability in veterinary nurse education and training
- Reasonable adjustments for students and the UK disability discrimination legislation
- Educational assessment of veterinary nurses
- Roles of key stakeholders in the application of reasonable adjustments
- Examples of reasonable adjustments for vet nurse students
- External review of the RCVS by ENQA
- Requirements for remote and online student assessments
Veterinary nurse pre-registration exams
Information about the pre-registration exams for veterinary nurses wanting to practise in the UK.
On this page:
- Who has to take the pre-registration exams
- About the pre-registration exams
- Apply to sit the pre-registration exams
- Get support and guidance
Who has to take the pre-registration exams
You’ll have to take the RCVS pre-registration exams if your veterinary nursing qualification is:
- not fully RCVS-accredited, or
- not ACOVENE-accredited.
This applies to most overseas qualifications. See our application page for more information.
About the pre-registration exams
The veterinary nurse pre-registration exams are designed to assess your skills, competences and knowledge against:
- the RCVS Day One Competences for Veterinary Nurses, and
- the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses.
The exams comprise:
- a Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) theory exam, and
- a practical exam, also known as an Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE).
You may sit these exams in any order. However, you must pass both exams within an 18 month period. For example, if you were to sit your first exam in July, you’d have 18 months from that date to sit the second one.
Exam fees
The entry fees for the pre-registration exams in 2024 are as follows:
- Theory (MCQ) exam: £264 per sitting.
- Practical exam (OSCE): £460 per attempt.
You can pay your fees on My Account.
About the theory (MCQ) exam
The theory exam consists of 200 multiple choice questions.
There are three papers:
- Paper 1: Preparing to deliver patient care.
- Paper 2: Application of patient care.
- Paper 3: Being an accountable professional within veterinary practice.
Paper 3 is an open book exam. As many of the questions relate to the RCVS Code of Conduct, you’ll have access to a searchable PDF copy of this document.
See the theory exam guide for more information on the content of the exam and how to prepare.
Exam dates
The theory exam is held three times a year, over two dates within a seven-day period. Papers 2 and 3 will normally take place on the same day with a break in-between. All candidates will take the exam at the same time using the UK time zone.
See the theory exam guide for exact exam dates.
About the practical exam (OSCE)
The pre-registration practical exam is in the form of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).
During the OSCE you’ll visit 10 stations set up with different clinical scenarios. At each station, you’ll have a fixed period of time to complete a series of complex and non-complex practical tasks.
The exam covers the following topics:
- Assessment and Nursing Care
- Communication
- Dressings and Bandages
- Supporting Veterinary Anaesthesia
- Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging
- Veterinary Laboratory Techniques
- Veterinary Theatre Practice
See the OSCE exam guide for more about the content of the exam and how to prepare.
Exam dates
The practical exams are normally held three times a year in the UK. See the OSCE guide for exact dates.
Apply to sit the pre-registration exams
You’ll be invited to sit the pre-registration exams once your qualifications have been assessed. See our application page to get started.
When you’ve been given permission to sit the exams, you will be able to apply via My Account.
Get support and guidance
Working in the UK course
The RCVS Academy has a “Working in the UK for veterinary nurses” course. This course will help you learn more about registering with us and practise as a veterinary nurse in the UK.
Learn more about our working in the UK courses
Contact our team
If you have any questions about the pre-registration examinations, please contact our Veterinary Nursing Team on 020 7202 0788 or at [email protected].