RCVS launches latest survey to gauge impact of EU exit on EU vets and vet nurses

Veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses who are EU nationals will have the opportunity to share their accounts of how the EU Exit has impacted them personally and professionally in an upcoming survey from the RCVS.

This is the third in a series of RCVS surveys on the impact of the EU Exit on the profession, but the first since the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020. The College is keen to understand how EU vets and vet nurses have been impacted individually by the EU Exit and also how they feel the wider profession has been affected.

The survey will ask EU nationals in the veterinary professions about their experiences and views of practising in the UK since the referendum and will seek to find out what their career expectations and aspirations are now. The survey will also ask how they feel that the RCVS has supported EU vets and vet nurses to practise in the UK since the transition period ended on 31 December 2020.

The survey, which will be launched on 19 October 2021, is being conducted by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES), an independent, not-for-profit research institute. Respondents are encouraged to be as open as possible, as individual responses will not be seen by the RCVS and all survey data will be analysed independently by IES.

Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO, said: “We really value the contribution from so many EU vets and veterinary nurses to the UK veterinary team, and I want to thank everyone who has responded to our previous EU Exit surveys and shared their views on how leaving the EU has affected them and their colleagues. It is important that we continue to listen to the experiences of EU vets and vet nurses, especially now that the transition period has come to an end.

“We are hearing anecdotal feedback from EU veterinary professionals about the impact of the EU Exit on their working lives, but it is important for us to have direct feedback as evidence for our recommendations. I would encourage everyone who receives the survey to share their thoughts with us, as the feedback we receive from this and the previous surveys, will help us to plan what training, resources and support the professions need from us post-EU Exit.”  

Everyone eligible to take part in the survey will be sent an email on Tuesday 19 October from Dilys Robinson at the IES, with a link to the survey and will have until Tuesday 16 November 2021 to complete it.

If you have any questions about IES or the RCVS EU Exit survey, please contact [email protected]. There will be several reminder emails sent out over the coming weeks for eligible respondents to look out for.