RCVS innovation initiative launches series of Design Thinking webinars to help the professions develop key problem-solving skills

The RCVS ViVet initiative has announced a series of free Design Thinking webinars that will be open to all members of the professions to attend. The aim of the webinars is to help attendees to overcome everyday challenges that arise in practice by using an innovative method of problem solving.

Design Thinking is a creative human-centred approach to innovation and a collaborative way of working as a team to solve problems. Design Thinking has been successfully used in industries like healthcare and tech, and was used to guide the creative process and idea formation at the RCVS Workforce Summit last November.

Each interactive session is 75 minutes long and anyone who signs up can choose to attend one, two or all three of the sessions. During the webinars, attendees will learn:

• What Design Thinking is
• How to use the practical problem-solving process that suits busy veterinary professionals and their teams
• How to use Design Thinking in practice (not just theory!) by trying out some hands-on breakout tasks
• How to test Design Thinking against the backdrop of real-life challenges
• Some examples and issues that are relevant to everyday veterinary practice
• An approach that supports innovation and working collaboratively

The dates of the sessions are:

• Webinar 1 – Design Thinking, Manage client expectations, Prototype session: 31 March 12.30pm
• Webinar 2 – Design Thinking, Innovating your client's veterinary experience, Empathy session: 8 June 12.30pm and 7pm
• Webinar 3 - Design Thinking, Making client interaction skills seen as a valuable investment for both employee and employer alike: 21 September 12.30pm

Sophie Rogers, ViVet Manager, said: “Design Thinking is an incredibly useful way for us to frame problems as opportunities so we can explore solutions in a positive way. We’re putting on these sessions as we believe that this human centred approach to innovation can be used in day-to-day practice life to help staff to come up with ideas for how to solve everything from small niggles to larger, more prevalent issues.

“We hope that these workshops will encourage people to not shy away from problems, and instead, view them as a means of working collaboratively to improve their practice’s day-to-day life for everyone. We will cover how to use these techniques with client interactions, in practice life and within the wider veterinary profession. I’m really pleased that we are able to offer these sessions free of charge for the professions and I would urge anyone who wants to learn a new way of problem solving in a friendly and supportive environment to register2.  

Anyone interested in attending can sign up for any of the Design Thinking webinars on Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vivet-design-thinking-webinar-tickets-297995300967