Back to school for RCVS officers

RCVS Officers are going back to University as part of the College's ongoing drive to engage with students before they start in practice by explaining the role of the RCVS and the scope of its activities.

Officers are attending veterinary schools to meet final-year veterinary and veterinary nurse students and talk about issues such as professional conduct, 24-hour emergency cover, the Practice Standards Scheme and continuing education.

One area of particular interest has been the Professional Development Phase - a structured approach to recording new graduates' developing clinical experience and competence during their first year of practice with the aid of an online database.

Feedback from the talks that have been held thus far - at the Royal Veterinary College in London and Bristol University - has been very positive, with sessions at Edinburgh at the end of May and Glasgow in the autumn.

"It is all too easy for students to perceive the RCVS as nothing but a regulatory body that is only there to call them to account when things go wrong," comments John Parker, RCVS President.

"But by talking to students before they go into practice about the positive role the College can play in their professional lives, together with the sources of information it offers to support new graduates, we hope to build a stronger two-way relationship with the veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses of tomorrow."