Graduates have concerns over EMS, survey finds
Many graduates said they did not feel EMS placements helped them gain experience of out-of-hours and weekend work.
Findings from a recent RCVS survey show that veterinary graduates have a number of concerns over extra mural studies (EMS), although the majority feel it is an "essential" part of their degree.
In total, 287 graduates from 2012 and 2013 took part in the survey. Of these, 95.6 per cent said they felt EMS was a vital part of their degree.
The graduates said it benefitted them by exposing them to a variety of working practices and professional and clinical skills.
A large number of graduates (42.9 per cent) said they did not find EMS placements useful for gaining experience of out-of-hours and weekend work, however.
A number of other concerns about EMS were also raised, including the variable quality of placements. A significant number of respondents said they were disappointed with the amount of hands-on experience they gained from their placement.
Respondents also complained about a lack of farm and mixed animal practices available for placements. Other problems included the cost of travel and accommodation.
RCVS says it launched the survey earlier this year to find out how well EMS placements are working and whether graduates felt they gained knowledge and experience that they could not have gained from their core studies.
RCVS head of education Christine Warman said: "What is clear is that the current system is working well and there is no need for an immediate review or urgent action.
"Most graduates found the experience gained on placements useful for their studies and find that EMS sets them up well for their first job in practice.
"However, there are a number of issues that we will keep a watching brief over and we plan to repeat the survey every two years in order to monitor these."
Visit the RCVS website for the full results of the survey.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is inviting applications from veterinary students to attend a one-week extramural studies (EMS) placement in July 2026.
