RCVS updates definition of ‘UK Practising’ status
Veterinary surgeons will have until 1 April 2025 to check their registration status.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has updated its information on which activities require a veterinary surgeon to have ‘UK Practising’ status.
The change means that many veterinary surgeons will have until 1 April 2025 to review their registration status to see if they should register as ‘UK Practising’ and pay any related fees.
The RCVS’ new guidance details the types of activities which are the sole preserve of a veterinary surgeon with ‘UK Practising’ status. It will now include a range of non-clinical work which is undertaken in the capacity of a veterinary surgeon.
This could include work done through employment in a government department, in academia, on a research council or in commerce.
This definition extends the ‘UK Practising’ status beyond those in clinical practice to include more situations where a veterinary surgeon may be specifically required to use their veterinary medicine qualification.
Through this change, the RCVS says that the work of more veterinary surgeons will be reflected in their registration status. This includes those who are using the knowledge and skills that only a qualified veterinary surgeon can possess, including non-clinical skills.
Registrants who are not currently in the ‘UK Practising’ category should check whether they are in the correct registration category for their type of work.
The RCVS says that those in the ‘Non Practising’ and ‘Practising outside the UK’ categories should take particular notice.
A new definition for the ‘UK Practising’ title can be found on the RCVS Registration categories webpage. Once finalised, there will also be further guidance on the registration categories with different working scenarios.
To update their registration category, veterinary surgeons should visit the ‘changing your registration’ page.
Simon Wiklund, RCVS head of legal services and assistant registrar, said: “Generally, a common interpretation of non-practising is that it mainly prohibits those with the status from undertaking acts of veterinary surgery in the context of clinical practice. However, this leaves significant areas of ambiguity in certain areas such as academia, industry and commerce.
“We hope that the new definition, and the guidance surrounding this, will help resolve this.”
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