Haere mai! Welcome to the information page for the
New Zealand Certificate in Animal Healthcare Assisting (Level 4) - Rural
The NZ Certificate in Animal Healthcare Assisting (Rural Animals) is only available as a highly blended delivery. We do not run on-campus classes for this programme. You will complete your study from wherever you are based in New Zealand, in conjunction with farm and clinic placements. What does highly blended mean? Highly blended means that, although the programme is "online", you are expected to engage and interact with your lecturers and peer group on Microsoft Teams. We provide you with direction on what you should be studying week-by-week. You will have online lectures via Teams as well, generally in the evenings and are expected to attend as part of the programme's learning resources. As well as this, there are also two compulsory block courses that you must attend. Both of these Block Courses will be held in Dunedin at Otago Polytechnic.
To retain your enrolment, you need to do the following before the start date of the programme:
1. Check List
Click on this link and print this document so you can tick off and keep a track of each step during your enrolment process so you do not miss anything.
2. Uniforms and Equipment
Students enrolled in New Zealand Certificate of Animal Healthcare Assisting (rural strand) must wear Otago Polytechnic (or Te Pukenga) branded uniform on all placements and at block courses. This has been requested from veterinary clinics so clients are aware you are training and not a staff member.
You must have:
- Otago Polytechnic branded poloshirt
- Otago Polytechnic branded overalls
- Otago Polytechnic branded name badge
- Unbranded, dairy waterproof bib overalls (clean!)
- Waterproof gumboots with excellent tread
You will also need appropriate clothing for placement and block course. Appropriate means suitable for different weather and climates, as much of your work is outdoors. Clothing needs to be in good order, not ripped for example. You are studying for a professional career so your appearance should reflect that. Jeans in good order are fine. Clothing should not be so tight or short as to be restrictive or to cause offence. Jewellery should be minimal.
We have set up two buy/sell/swap Facebook pages to buy and sell used uniform items, textbooks and the like.
Click here for the Otago Polytechnic page
Click here for the Te Pūkenga page
Please note, we will be reverting back to the use of Otago Polytechnic branded uniforms, but we will still accept the use of any Te Pūkenga branded uniforms in the meantime.
Uniform items can all be purchased from our uniform supplier, Arrow Uniforms (use the password: OtagoPolytech25). Read the information on the Arrow webpage then make sure you choose your uniform from the NZ Cert in Animal Healthcare, Rural Animal page. You can reorder items any time during your programme and they have payment options, like Zip. The cut off date for ordering your uniform is 23rd January 2025 to get them in time for block course.
BEFORE YOU ORDER YOUR UNIFORM, make sure you read the rest of this info! ?
When ordering from Arrow Uniforms it is super important that you click the right programme (Rural Animal Healthcare Assisting) and order before your cut off date, to make sure that your uniform arrives in time for block course.
*If you are already working in a veterinary clinic and have clinic-branded overalls, or if you are on a dairy farm and have overalls in great condition, you can opt to purchase a branded sew-on badge rather than new overalls, (our industry has requested that our students are identifiable). You will need to stitch the badge to your top pocket of your overalls and will still need the other compulsory uniform and items listed on this page.
3. Animal Healthcare Assistant Work Placement Documents
During the course you are required to complete 240 hours of work placement hours, made up of at least 80 hours in a rural animal veterinary clinic and at least 160 hours on farm placements. Placement begins after your first block course in August. Part-time students will not need to organise clinic placements until your second year. While at placement, you will work with your supervisor to gather assessment evidence for skills that a Rural Animal Healthcare Assistant would be expected to do well, when you have graduated. The minimum number of hours is generally collected organically as you work towards completing these assessed practical skills.
Print off and read each of the following Work Placement documents.
Take these to all prospective work placement facilities you visit with a copy of your Basic Health and Safety Course COP.
Click here for the Letter of Introduction (to introduce you to the facility as a perspective Otago Polytechnic student seeking a work placement)
Click here for the Key Information (this provides the facility with more information about the programme and work placement)
Click here for the Emergency Contact Details Form (fill this in and give to the farm and clinic placements when you have sourced a work placement)
Click here to enter the details of your Occupational Health and Safety for Students in the Workplace.
4. For Your Information:
Click here to review Tips on finding your Work Placement
You are more likely to get a better response by asking for an appointment to discuss this, than if you just call in to the veterinary clinic. It also shows that you are demonstrating high levels of professionalism and also recognise that veterinary clinics are very busy places. Make sure when you attend the appointment that you take copies of all the documents above, and be prepared to talk about yourself and why you are doing the Rural Animal Healthcare Assisting programme. If you do not hear from the veterinary clinic within a week, we suggest that you telephone the veterinary clinic and ask to speak to the practice manager or the senior large animal vet technician to arrange an appointment to discuss whether the veterinary clinic would be prepared to support you as a student requiring work placement.
It is very important that all communications with the veterinary clinic are made by you, not your parent or spouse.
Do not be disheartened if the veterinary clinic advise they do not take students – this can happen, so be prepared to approach another clinic.
Remember to take with you to your appointment at the veterinary clinic:
- Your brief Curriculum Vitae (CV), including at least one referee that can vouch for you
- Your current Criminal Convictions History Report
- The Veterinary Clinic Work Placement documents
- A smile ? and possibly a bit of morning tea.
Click here to review what to expect on your first day at your work placement
5. Record Your Placement Information:
Always remember: You are a guest in the veterinary clinic, and it is a privilege not a right.
Be aware should there be aspects of your work placement being unbeneficial to the veterinary clinic they can terminate their agreement to support your work placement at any time. Once your work placement day/s and hours have been established it always pays to be prepared to do a little more than just the set hours. In your work placement veterinary clinic be prepared to provide some leniency when it comes to your hours particularly if there is a high workload or if there is an emergency or work just needs doing, it will really be appreciated if you stay on to assist even if it is hanging out the washing, cleaning out cages (yes, even though you’re not studying companion animal nursing!). This shows that you are passionate, interested and also prepared to pitch in – all qualities that a future employer of all allied veterinary professionals will be looking for. By staying on to help also shows you recognise the commitment the veterinary clinic has provided in supporting you and that work placement is give and take.
Enjoy your work placement ?
If you need support finding a suitable placement, please contact the School of Animal Health by emailing Katie.Prasad@op.ac.nz - Katie is our work placement co-ordinator.
6. Enrolment Supporting Information:
These must be completed on a computer as the format is not compatible with your cell phone:
Click here to access and fill in the Student Privacy Declaration form.
Click here to access and fill in the Student Code of Conduct form
Further Information
Below is some further information that we would recommend you taking the time to read and familiarise yourself with before the start of the programme.
1. Connecting with your Lecturers
Before the programme starts, we would like you to start using Microsoft Teams. Shortly we will email you the link to a pre-course channel on Teams where we can connect with you. Teams works best if you can download the app but you can also use the web-version if you would prefer.
On the first day of the programme, we will send you an email that explains how to join the RA Microsoft Teams Channel. Microsoft Teams looks and feels a bit like Facebook but without the annoying ads and distractions of all your friends and family posting about what their cat did this morning.
We post at least once a week on to the News Feed on Teams, to let you know what you should be doing each week and to share employment or placement opportunities, and the occasional Dad joke. It's essential that you are logging into Teams so you can connect with us and stay updated. All your online lectures will be using Teams and you can message us using Teams as well.
In the first week you'll need to connect to the student hub and complete your annual study H&S short course. This is compulsory for all students - new and returning.
Teams - Moodle - Kāpehu (the student hub), it all takes a bit of getting used to. We're here to help you through. The main thing is to keep up by reading and reacting to Teams messages, emails and any other communication.
You can always email our rural programme leader, Steph Mann at steph.mann@op.ac.nz or our School admin team at animalhealth@op.ac.nz if you need help.
2. Block Course Dates
You have two compulsory block courses to attend. Click here for the first block course dates for 2025.
For first year students the second block course will be in term one of the following year (2026) (dates are yet to be confirmed).
3. Copy of Work Placement Contract and Otago Polytechnic Code of Privacy/Confidentiality
Click here
4. Textbooks
There are no compulsory textbooks for this programme. We have a number of textbooks that are recommended reading (and we’re always willing to share our favourites if you have a topic you’re interested in!) but you can borrow these from The Robertson Library as an enrolled student, for free. The library will even courier hard copies to you. Many textbooks are available as e-books too.
5. Frequently Asked Questions
Click here for more information for enrolling Rural Animal Health Care Assist students.
