Auckland · Online course

Vet Assistant in Auckland

If you love animals and want to work with them professionally this Vet Assistant course is perfect for you.

Full course details

What you'll learn

The course is the same online course wherever you study from. Its modules:

1. Subject 1 – Animal Healthcare
2. Subject 2 – Common Diseases in Animals

See the full Vet Assistant course outline

Studying vet assisting in Auckland

Auckland has two very different veterinary settings that are useful to anyone learning how a clinic runs. At Auckland Zoo, the vet hospital houses the New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine, where the team treats zoo animals alongside sick and injured wildlife. Endangered species such as kākāpō have been treated there. The hospital has a public viewing area, so visitors can sometimes watch procedures, although scheduled times can change at short notice.

In Māngere, the SPCA's Auckland centre runs what it calls the biggest and busiest SPCA centre in the country. Its on-site hospital has vets and vet nurses who carry out a range of surgeries, and it also has feline, small-animal and canine rehabilitation areas. The SPCA lists volunteer roles at the centre, including a hospital and animal recovery role that involves cleaning cages, feeding cats and sanitising care areas. Seeing these daily routines is a good way to understand the support work a vet assistant does.

Vet Assistant in Auckland: questions

Can I watch real veterinary procedures in Auckland?

Yes. Auckland Zoo's vet hospital, home to the New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine, has a public viewing area where visitors can watch procedures as they happen. The zoo notes that procedure times or dates can change with little or no notice, so treat any visit as a chance to observe rather than a fixed demonstration.

Are there animal hospital volunteer roles in Auckland?

The SPCA has listed volunteer roles at its Auckland centre in Māngere, including work in its hospital and animal recovery centre caring for sick cats. The SPCA says centre volunteers must be at least 16, and some roles ask for a regular weekday shift over several months. Check the SPCA website for current vacancies.

What our students say

I’m loving my course with Online…

I’m loving my course with Online Learning. I’m studying Veterinary Nursing Assistant in Wildlife. I work full time and I love the fact that I can study in my own time and complete my certification in my own time. I find the course material fantastic and I love my assignments. I’ve recently also started a volunteer job at Taronga Zoo that I got from being an Veterinary Nursing Assistant student through Online Learning. It’s a really amazing course with thorough information and I’ll highly recommend this course.

Adele Scholtz