This page holds all of the information that you need and next steps that you need to take to complete your enrolment. We have also provided you with some additional information which we would suggest you take the time to familarise yourself with before the start of the programme.

1. To complete your enrolment, you need to the following:

Now that you have received your unconditional offer, you must secure your place on the progragramme by signing and returning your offer to ebsVET@op.ac.nz

Then, complete the following to finalise your enrolment:

• Send in your Criminal Convictions History Report as explained in in the Entry Requirements tab.
• Go to the Work Placement page to confirm your work placement in a veterinary clinic.
• Complete and submit this Media Consent Form 

2. Important Dates:

• A detailed programme calendar will be sent out at the start of the programme.
• There are 32 learning weeks in the academic year which usually beings in early February and ends early December.
• There are also 3 semester breaks of about 2 weeks each. These usually fall on or around the school holidays. Semester breaks there are no learning activities required and there may be limited availability of teaching staff.
• For distance students, there are compulsory block courses. There are a total of 12 compulsory contact days for this programme divided into four 3-day block courses, two in Dunedin (Otago Polytechnic Campus) and 2 in Christchurch (Lincoln Events Centre).

3. Online/Digital Requirements for Students:

For this programme you must have access to a computer, camera, video and the internet. It is also very important to have cloud storage for backups of files. If you don’t already have Dropbox or Google Drive, you will have access to a student account with Microsoft 360 and the cloud storage One Drive. Once you have login details from your completed enrolment, you can log in to the Student Hub to get help with IT support and a number of other resources.

Go to the Student Hub now to check it out.

4. Compulsory Clothing and Equipment:

If you are not employed in a veterinary clinic, you need to wear an Otago Polytechnic scrub shirt or polo (scrub shirts for surgical theatre and polo shirt for clinical/consulting). In addition, you must wear a name badge and provide your own digital thermometer and stethoscope.

Go to the Brightsparks website to order and pay for your name badge, polo top, scrub shirt, and equipment.

If you are employed in a veterinary clinic, OR your work placement prefers you to wear the practice uniform, you do not need to order Otago Polytechnic clothing.

5. Textbook:

The compulsory textbook can be ordered from the University Bookshop: BSAVA Textbook of Veterinary Nursing 5th Ed (Author: Cooper, B. et al, ISBN: 9781905319268)

6. Contact Us:

You will be assigned a Learning Advisor who will be your primary contact before the programme commences. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, contact Diploma Team Leader Jennifer Hamlin on Jennifer.Hamlin@op.ac.nz