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Vets write to government over student cap concerns
There is currently an estimated shortage of veterinary sugeons in the UK of between 11 and 13 per cent.

Letter requests UK vets schools be exempt from the measures.

The RCVS, the BVA and the Veterinary Schools Council (VSC) have signed an open letter to the Government expressing concern over the recently announced plans to cap student numbers in UK universities.

Addressed to Universities minister Michelle Donelan MP, the letter was written in response to the government's announcement that it would be introducing a temporary cap on student numbers as part of measures to support the Higher Education sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It requests that the UK’s veterinary schools be exempted from those measures because of the need to greatly increase the number of UK graduates.

There is currently estimated to be a shortage of veterinary surgeons in the UK of between 11 and 13 per cent. The sector is also currently heavily reliant on veterinary surgeons from the European Union, with around 60 per cent of those joining the Register in a given year coming from the EU.

It is thought that the coronavirus pandemic and its associated restrictions, both in the UK and EU countries, will see a reduction in the number of EU vets applying to join the Register of Veterinary Surgeons in the UK, meaning that the shortfall is likely to be exacerbated.

The letter, signed by RCVS president Dr Niall Connell, BVA president Daniella Dos Santos and Professor Susan Dawson, chair of the VSC, reads:

'It is… critical that we greatly increase the number of graduates from UK veterinary schools in the coming years, supported by appropriate funding, in order to reduce our reliance on overseas graduates and ensure a sufficient workforce to support animal health and welfare and public health. In order to achieve this, student numbers need to be increased (alongside ongoing measures to increase retention rates).

'A cap on student numbers (even one that allowed a small amount of growth) would therefore be counterproductive. We would be grateful for reassurance that no such cap will be put in place for these (oversubscribed) veterinary degree programmes.'

In addition to asking veterinary courses to be exempted from the student numbers cap, the letter also asks the Government to issue guidance to ensure that the extra funding it will be providing to the Higher Education sector is not used on more ‘profitable’ courses at the expense of courses such as veterinary science.

It adds: 'Guidance should encourage universities to focus on growing their veterinary degree courses to address the critical workforce shortage. We also ask that veterinary degrees are included in the recently proposed 5,000 extra places for health sciences.'

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.