Which course is best for me?

The International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) offers the following qualifications in feline veterinary nursing:

ISFM Certificate in Feline Nursing

Course length: 1 year
Modules: six
Cost: From £700.00

ISFM Diploma in Feline Nursing

Course length: 12–16 months
Modules: six – eight
Cost: From £1450.00

About the courses

These courses are designed for qualified and student veterinary nurses and technicians.

Our tutor-led courses provide nurses with high-quality learning materials in a modern electronic distance learning format that fits well around normal busy lives. We aim to give motivated nurses the skills to improve the welfare and understanding of cats in their care and also improve job satisfaction and responsibility with the successful completion of our courses. Assessment is provided throughout the course with positive and encouraging feedback.

The two main courses – the Certificate and the Diploma – take the form of six separate modules each consisting of detailed course notes and a set of assessments relevant to the subject and very practical in style. Both have been written and are marked by experts in their field including specialist veterinary surgeons and highly experienced behaviourists. We recommend completing the Certificate course before embarking on the Diploma course, but if you prefer to study for the Diploma without completing the Certificate, you can do the Diploma with Foundation. This means that you will do eight modules instead of six (the first two taking in the most important aspects of the Certificate)

The notes and assessments, along with supplementary information in the form of the latest publications and additional resources relevant for the module, are available to download from our resource centre website. We also encourage discussion via our forum to allow students to compare notes and discuss cases. The Certificate and the Diploma are completed within a year and the Diploma with Foundation in sixteen months. You work to a schedule, with six weeks to complete each module.

There is no travelling to examinations and you complete your work at home, through the dedicated online learning platform Brightspace.

We have taken considerable care with our marking schemes and they are designed to provide positive feedback on each assessment and include detailed comments on areas that may need a little more work and those completed very well. Marks are awarded as a percentage and a fail/pass/merit/distinction for each module and averaged on completion of the course to allow an overall grade and certificate to be sent to you.