ACM40418Certificate IVCurrentACM training package

ACM40418 Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing

ACM40418 is the nationally recognised Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. It prepares you for work as a veterinary nurse. It has been the current version on the national register since 2018, when it replaced ACM40412. Employers posted about 124 veterinary nurse jobs in June 2026, up 1.9% on a year earlier.

Often searched as Cert 4 in Veterinary Nursing · Register data synced 18 Sept 2026 from training.gov.au
Online job ads · June 2026
124last month
Veterinary nurse roles advertised across Australia
Holding close to last year's level
Long-term outlook
Positive
Two structural signals up
Register status
Current
Replaced ACM40412 in 2018
Enrolments
Steady
Up 2.3% in a year
Funding status
Verification pending
Checked against official state program lists
The short answer

The independent signals behind the Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing line up. Veterinary nurses are in national shortage and employment is projected to grow through 2035. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.

Jobs and Skills Australia

Is the work there?

Job ads for veterinary nurses are holding steady. About 124 veterinary nurse jobs were advertised online in June 2026, up 1.9% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 1,700 job ads, while 5,590 people were training in the qualification nationally (2025). Ads show the market. Enrolments show the pipeline. Neither is a job promise.

Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index · latest month June 2026 · ANZSCO 3613
124
Combined monthly online job ads across Veterinary Nurse, to June 2026

Official shortage list

Australia's official shortage list rates veterinary nurses as in shortage. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Veterinary Nurse as in national shortage.

Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation Shortage List · 2025 assessment

Ten year outlook

Veterinary nurse jobs are projected to grow. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 17,525 workers in May 2025, 18,564 by May 2030 (up 5.9%) and 19,576 by May 2035 (up 11.7%).

17,525
workers, May 2025
18,564
workers, May 2030
19,576
workers, May 2035
Jobs and Skills Australia employment projections · May 2025 to May 2035
Occupation mapping by Get Course, shown with ANZSCO codes so it can be checked.
NCVER Student Outcomes

How graduates do

Results for Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing graduates are mixed against other Certificate IVs. In the 2025 NCVER Student Outcomes survey, 94.8% were employed or in further study after training. The typical Certificate IV result is 89.9%, across 71 qualifications. Median income after training was $50,600, against $63,400 typical. 85.2% were satisfied with the training, against 87.8% typical. Income here is the survey median about six months after training. It includes part-time work, so it is not the full-time award rate.

94.8%
employed or in further study after training (2025)
typical 89.9% across 71 Certificate IVs
$50,600
median income after training (2025)
typical $63,400 across 50 Certificate IVs
85.2%
satisfied with the training (2025)
typical 87.8% across 71 Certificate IVs
Level benchmarks are medians computed by Get Course across all Certificate IVs in the same collection, not official NCVER benchmarks.
NCVER Student Outcomes · 2025 survey
NCVER Total VET Activity

Who is training

Enrolments in the Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing are steady. Across Australia, 5,465 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 5,590, up 2.3% in a year.

NCVER Total VET Activity · 2025 collection
training.gov.au · Australian Qualifications Framework

What does studying it involve?

The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.

How long it takes
A Certificate IV is typically 0.5 to 2 years of full-time study under the Australian Qualifications Framework. Providers set the exact length and pace.
Placement
The qualification requires 240 hours of professional experience placement.
Delivery
Providers set the delivery mode. Because the placement is in person, no version of this course is fully online.
Credit for experience
Recognition of prior learning applies to ACM40418 like any qualification on the national register: an approved provider assesses your evidence against each unit.
training.gov.au national register; Australian Qualifications Framework. Placement hours from the accredited program requirements.
State subsidised training lists

What does it cost, and who funds it?

State funding for ACM40418 is being verified against official program lists.

Eligibility and student contributions vary by program and provider. The official state listing is the source of truth. In a subsidised place the government pays most of the tuition and you pay a co-contribution set by the program and provider.

Official state subsidised training program lists, verified per state. Full-fee prices will appear here as partner courses are listed.
training.gov.au · unit packaging

What is in the qualification

The Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing is 21 units: 17 core, plus 4 electives chosen from 27 options on the register. Prerequisites apply to Four of them, marked below.

  • ACMGAS307Identify animal anatomy and physiology for animal care work
  • ACMGAS308Communicate effectively with clients and team members
  • ACMINF301Comply with infection control policies and procedures in animal care work
  • ACMVET202Carry out daily practice routines
  • ACMVET401Coordinate veterinary reception duties
  • ACMVET402Apply imaging routines
View all 17 core units
  • ACMVET403Perform clinical pathology procedures
  • ACMVET404Perform practice office procedures
  • ACMVET405Coordinate and perform surgical nursing routines
  • ACMVET406Nurse animals
  • ACMVET407Carry out medical nursing routines
  • ACMVET408Provide nutritional advice and support for animals
  • ACMVET409Provide specific animal care advice
  • ACMVET410Carry out veterinary dental nursing procedures
  • ACMVET413Prepare for anaesthesia and monitor animal anaesthesia and analgesia
  • ACMVET416Assist with the preparation of veterinary drugs and poisons
  • ACMWHS301Contribute to workplace health and safety processes
View the 27 elective options
  • ACMEQU202Handle horses safely (has prerequisites)
  • ACMEQU205Apply knowledge of horse behaviour
  • ACMEQU401Relate equine anatomical and physiological features to equine health care requirements
  • ACMEQU402Determine nutritional needs in provision of horse health care
  • ACMEQU405Maintain and monitor horse health and welfare
  • ACMHBR304Assist with artificial insemination of mares (has prerequisites)
  • ACMHBR312Carry out procedures for foaling down mares
  • ACMMIC401Implant microchip in cats and dogs
  • ACMSPE301Provide basic care of amphibians
  • ACMSPE302Provide basic care of birds
  • ACMSPE303Provide basic care of common native mammals
  • ACMSPE304Provide basic care of domestic dogs
  • ACMSPE305Provide basic care of domestic cats
  • ACMSPE306Provide basic care of marine fish
  • ACMSPE307Provide basic care of freshwater fish
  • ACMSPE308Provide basic care of marine invertebrates
  • ACMSPE309Provide basic care of terrestrial and freshwater invertebrates
  • ACMSPE310Provide basic care of mammals
  • ACMSPE311Provide basic care of non-venomous reptiles
  • ACMSPE312Provide basic care of rodents and rabbits
  • ACMSUS401Implement and monitor environmentally sustainable work practices
  • ACMVET411Prepare, deliver and review animal care education programs
  • ACMVET412Coordinate practice promotional activities
  • ACMVET414Nurse foals (has prerequisites)
  • ACMVET415Provide intensive foal care and nursing (has prerequisites)
  • ACMVET512Develop and implement specific practice policies
  • HLTAID011Provide First Aid
training.gov.au national register, ACM40418 release 2
Same training package

What skill sets come from the ACM training package?

Animal-Assisted Services Skill Set
ACMSS00035 · skill set guide
Microchip Implantation for Dogs and Cats Skill Set
ACMSS00007 · skill set guide
Advanced Dog Grooming Skill Set
ACMSS00032 · skill set guide
Where to study

Where can I study ACM40418?

No Get Course partner currently lists this qualification. Check the national register for organisations approved to deliver it, and remember that approval to deliver is a regulatory fact, not a recommendation. You can browse live courses from our partners and enquire today.

Browse courses
How we calculate these figures

Get Course maps ACM40418 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 3613) so the mapping can be checked. Job advertisement counts come from the Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index and count online ads, not vacancies filled. Enrolment counts come from NCVER Total VET Activity and count people in training, not completions. Outcome benchmarks marked “typical” are medians computed by Get Course across all Certificate IVs in the same NCVER collection; they are derived figures, not official NCVER benchmarks. Funding rows appear only after verification against the official state program list. Source vintages: employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; NCVER Total VET Activity 2025 collection; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; NCVER Student Outcomes survey 2025 survey; register training.gov.au, synced 14 September 2026; register synced 18 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.

About this page. Every number on this page shows its source and date. Register data synced 18 Sept 2026 from training.gov.au. Compiled by Get Course from public data sources. It is not provided or endorsed by any training organisation, and nothing here is advice about your individual situation. Statistics describe groups; your result depends on you. If you represent a training organisation and want to correct or add to this page, contact hello@getcourse.com.au.