Bristol Vet School hosts Official Veterinarian Course
The OV course enables students to join the NOV programme to work with the FSA.
Bristol Veterinary School is marking the success of its dedicated Official Veterinarian (OV) Course for final year students.
The course, delivered by the Veterinary Public Health (VPH) team, welcomed final year veterinary students for a 10-day Extra Mural Studies (EMS) placement.
Students from veterinary schools across the country took part, with a total of 51 enrolling in the course. This is a national first for a student-only OV course on that scale.
The OV course is designed to teach a wide curriculum in a short period, including technical scenarios and formal assessments.
Through the completion of the course, students receive the necessary qualifications to enter the National Official Veterinarian (NOV) programme. It is through completion of this programme that they will be able to work on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Official Veterinarians are considered by the European Federation of Veterinarians to be an ‘essential public good’, involved with the safeguarding of animal welfare during transportation and on farms.
The course explored the broader career opportunities qualified OVs would have available to them, including the transferable skills such as legislation, ethical-reasoning and problem-solving. Students also received individual career advice and networked with key industry stakeholders.
The programme featured a number of guest speakers, including Natalie Sampson, deputy chief veterinary officer for the Welsh government, and Enrique Vega, the interim head of veterinary advisory services for the FSA.
Speaking about why they chose the course, a student said: “I am hoping to work in mixed practice in the future and didn’t have a farm animal background before vet school, which made me feel inadequate for the role.
“Therefore, the opportunity to receive the certification was inviting. While doing the course, I realised I found animal welfare very interesting and want to pursue it in the future!”
Image © Shutterstock
BSAVA is to partner with BVA Live (11-12 June 2026) to champion clinical research.
