SUCCESS STORY: Chloe becomes one of UCLan’s first ever trainee vets to graduate

Chloe Collier has become part of the first-ever cohort from the University of Central Lancashire’s vet school to graduate with a BSc (Hons) in Bioveterinary Sciences.

Among those who studied for two years was 21-year-old Chloe, from Preston, who was offered a place on the course following her successful completion of a Level 3 City and Guilds Advanced Technical Extended Diploma in Animal Management (Animal Nursing), which as an equivalent to A-Level study, gave her enough UCAS points for the programme.

She said: “I aspired to be a veterinary surgeon, but I didn’t achieve what I needed to on the vet course. The veterinary sciences route provided an alternative pathway and I got in via Clearing.

“I thought I would use this course as a stepping stone and would transfer on to the veterinary degree but during the course, I fell in love with lab work and the vast range of topics and practical sessions that the degree provided allowed me to explore all other options and allowed me to pursue a career that I never thought I would be interested in.”

Chloe has now landed a role as a medical laboratory assistant in the histopathology laboratory at Royal Preston Hospital.

She added: “I’m excited to graduate and I now aspire to develop my skills further. I can’t wait to progress my career in my current workplace and become a biomedical scientist.”

The accelerated programme has recently gained interim accreditation from the Royal Society of Biology, which acknowledges academic excellence in the biosciences.

The UCLan programme is led by Dr Heather Cameron-Whytock, herself a University Centre Myerscough graduate, after completing an degree in Equine Science and Management in 2013.

She said: “It’s a landmark moment in our history. These are the first graduates to go out into the world with qualifications from our School of Veterinary Medicine and I was absolutely delighted to be there to see them graduate.

‘’I know they are going to be great additions to the workforce in animal and human health and wish them every success.”