Veterinary nursing became a regulated profession in Ireland on 1 January 2008 under the Veterinary Practice Act 2005.
The Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI) maintains the Register of Veterinary Nurses and only persons whose names are entered and retained in the Register are entitled to practice veterinary nursing in Ireland.
The Veterinary Practice Act 2005 and the Veterinary Practice (Amendment) Act 2012 lays down in section 91 the procedures which only registered veterinary nurses can carry out, any non-registered person carrying out these procedures will be guilty of an offence under the Act and leave themselves open to prosecution. The title ‘veterinary nurse’ can only be used by those registered with the Veterinary Council. For further information on the above please view the Veterinary Nursing Circular The Registrable Veterinary Nursing Qualifications document will provide details of the qualifications that are automatically registrable in Ireland.
Initial application for registration can be made by creating and logging into an online registration account. However, unless graduation was in Ireland, in order to continue the registration process certified copies (and original English translations) of the requested documents must be sent to the VCI offices by post.
The following documents must accompany an application:-
Academic Qualification
Academic Transcript
ID page of Passport
In addition, a Letter of Good Professional Standing will need to be issued to the Registrar of the Veterinary Council from the Competent Regulatory Authority that you are currently registered with.
The completed application will be reviewed and if everything is in order attendance at a registration appointment will need to be made in person at the VCI office, unless you are an Irish graduate attending a ceremony at your university.
The fee for veterinary nurses is dependent on the time of registering.
Further information available from:
http://www.vci.ie/Register-with-VCI/Registration-Requirement-Veterinary-Nurses
https://www.ivna.ie/
https://www.ivna.ie/faq