Clinical practitioners invited to careers pathways focus groups
The project aims to develop new career routes for practising veterinary surgeons.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is to host more focus groups to support its work developing new pathways for clinical careers.
Its Veterinary Clinical Careers Pathway (VCCP) project, launched in January, seeks to expand and diversify the clinical career options for veterinary surgeons and launch training programmes for those in primary care. It aims to encompass three different workstreams to develop new career routes for practising veterinary surgeons.
The first workstream will develop proposals for a veterinary speciality training programme in primary care. This programme would then lead to a new ‘specialist in primary care’ status.
A second workstream will focus on creating clear definitions of clinical roles. This is intended to provide clearer guidance for the profession and the public on the differing roles and responsibilities of veterinary surgeons.
The third workstream will consider how routes for specialist training can be made more flexible and accessible. This would mean it can be widened beyond usual internship/residency models to increase accessibility.
The focus groups will bring specific stakeholder groups together to explore the proposed training programmes, new clinical roles and suitable learning environments.
Earlier this year, two other focus groups in London and Edinburgh allowed stakeholders across the profession to contribute to the development of the VCCP.
The upcoming focus groups will build upon the success of these discussions, bringing stakeholders together for online sessions at lunchtime or in the early evening. The format aims to reach those who were unable to attend in-person events earlier in the year.
Linda Prescott-Clements, RCVS director of education, said: “We are aiming to make the focus groups as interactive as possible, to ensure maximum engagement and productive discussion.
“The current proposals are not a done deal and should be considered as more of an idea framework; it is important that we hear from a wide range of practitioners on this and allow for an environment which will allow the project to grow and evolve in a productive manner.”
For more information about the focus groups, visit the relevant website. Priority will be given to those who have not attended a VCCP focus group.
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Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.
