AMTRA moves all written and viva exams online
The move will help to reduce the time candidates spend away from home and work.
The Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Authority (AMTRA) has announced that all written and verbal assessments have been moved online for the remainder of 2020-2021 academic year.
Driven by the coronavirus pandemic, the organisation hopes the move will help to reduce the time candidates spend away from home and work, as well as the associated travel costs, and provide more flexibility.
The Body also said the move will help to meet the increasing demand for qualified animal medicines advisors withing registered premises - the need for which has also been exacerbated by COVID-19.
AMTRA secretary-general Stephen Dawson explains: “We have seen significant increases in companion animal ownership through 2020, and this, in turn, increases demands on the provision of qualified advice on treatments and the supply of veterinary medicines.
“Similarly, the UK livestock farming industry has perhaps never received such high priority within the public conscience, and this is rightly focused on our high standards of animal health and welfare, just as it is with our love and passion for the equine industry.
He adds: “We have a unique and valuable resource for all of these species in the UK, through our network of RAMAs, and it is essential we can maintain and build this essential distribution channel for veterinary medicines.”
AMTRA introduced online viva (oral) examinations in November. The first online written AMTRA exams will be available to sit from Monday, 18 January following approval secured from the organisation’s training partner, Harper Adams University.
To help candidates prepare for the assessments, AMTRA and Harper Adams have prepared a ‘Candidate and Employer Guide to the Online AMTRA Assessments’. The assessment will follow the same rigorous procedures and require the same academic effort as a conventional exam, AMTRA said.
Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.
