New statistics from the Voice of the Veterinary Profession Spring 2022 survey showed that while veterinary work is often seen as a vocation, 77% of vets list pay among their top five priorities when choosing a job.
Other deciding factors include geographical location (74%), area of practice (62%), low staff turnover (45%) and structured career progression (28%).
However only 42% of vets who responded to the survey considered their pay and benefits to be either ‘good’, ‘very good’, or ‘excellent’.
BVA President Malcolm Morley, said: “Fair, transparent and equal pay is one of the keystones of good veterinary workplaces.
"Whether you’re an employee, a manager or an employer, it’s vital that everyone feels confident that their workplace approaches pay in a clear and consistent way.
"This isn’t about paying everyone more; it’s about using objective criteria and transparent pay scales to ensure the whole team understands how decisions about reward and recognition are made and what they can do to access higher pay.”
The new resource, created for BVA members as part of its Good Veterinary Workplaces campaign, includes information for veterinary employers on the benefits a clear pay structure can bring for the whole team.
It demonstrates the positive impact transparency around reward and recognition can have on employee fulfilment and retention, and outlines the legal requirements of employers to ensure that pay is equitable.
It also offers tips for employees and managers for approaching conversations about pay and emphasises the importance of considering ‘total reward’ during these conversations.
Total reward is the entire sum of a job’s offering including, but not limited to, salary, commission structure, benefits package, CPD, work/life balance, promotion opportunities, travel expenses, accommodation, and so on.
Malcolm added: “We know that pay can be a fraught, and even somewhat taboo, subject but it is one that we all have a responsibility to tackle if we want to ensure that veterinary professionals are fairly rewarded for their work.
"We hope that this new guide will support all our members and equip them with the knowledge required to ensure they can confidently navigate conversations about pay.”
https://www.bva.co.uk/talking-pay
The Government has been forced to scrap plans for compulsory dog insurance less than a two weeks since they were revealed in leaked Defra documents.
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has now ruled out the idea.
Apparently, the climbdown followed protests that compulsory insurance was no more than a 'dog tax' which would do nothing to curb the problem of dangerous dogs.
There's a certain irony in the way the story was reported in The Sun newspaper, with the headline: 'Labour forced to ditch pet plan'.
Indeed!
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has granted MSD Animal Health a provisional UK marketing authorisation for Bovilis SBV, the first vaccine specifically targeting the Schmallenberg virus (SBV) in cattle and sheep.
SBV, which emerged in late 2011, is transmitted via insect vectors, mainly midges and causes transient clinical symptoms in adult cattle and sheep, such as fever, diarrhoea and reduced milk yield, as well as congenital malformation in newborn calves and lambs. As of March 31st 2013, 1753 cases of SBV had been confirmed throughout the UK. SBV has now been detected in every county in England and Wales.
Andras Bolcskei, Country Manager, MSD Animal Health UK said: "On behalf of Merck MSD, we would like to thank the VMD for its partnership and support to fast track the availability of Bovilis SBV to the market. There was a tremendous urgency for a SBV vaccine in the UK especially given the marked increase in confirmed cases over the past year and the increasing importance to help control this devastating disease."
MSD says that studies it conducted in support of the provisional marketing authorisation showed that all animals responded with formation of virus neutralizing antibodies. During the studies, reduced viraemia against SBV was observed in sheep vaccinated once and prevention of viraemia was observed in cattle vaccinated twice, whereas all animals in the control groups developed infection and became viraemic. In studies to date, Bovilis SBV has been shown to be efficacious in cattle and sheep.
The vaccine is based on wild-type SBV that has been inactivated and contains an adjuvant that stimulates the immune response.
The vaccine will be available in 20ml and 100ml vials. Bovilis SBV is indicated for the active immunisation of cattle to prevent viraemia against SBV and for the active immunisation of sheep to reduce viraemia against SBV.
MSD says it is working diligently to expedite stocks to the UK, and expects Bovilis SBV to arrive in the UK in the coming weeks.
The British Veterinary Association's Members' Services Group has devised a Vet Helpline sticker as a practical way to promote the help and support available to members of the veterinary profession suffering from anxiety or depression. It will be sent out with the 20th February edition of the Veterinary Record.
The suicide rate within the veterinary profession is around four times higher than in the general population and around twice that of other high risk groups including farmers and medical practitioners. Research has shown that long hours, the risk of professional mistakes and rising client expectation and administrative work lead to high levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Ready access to and knowledge of lethal means such as medicines and firearms may also be contributing factors in the increased suicide risk.
The Vet Helpline sticker acts as a constant reminder to veterinary professionals that a confidential helpline, manned by trained volunteers from the veterinary profession, is available around the clock on every day of the year to offer support and direct them to specialist help where appropriate. In addition to the Vet Helpline phone number the sticker also gives the number for the Samaritans and includes the address of the Vetlife website which is a "one stop shop" for all the help available.
BVA President, Professor Bill Reilly, said: "Please remember that if you're feeling depressed, lonely or under pressure, or are perhaps worried about a colleague, you can talk it over in confidence with trained volunteers from the veterinary profession. The Vet Helpline is there for all veterinary surgeons, nurses and students.
"Ours is a small profession and sadly most of us know someone who has suffered mental ill health or taken their own life. We hope that by reminding colleagues how to get help and continuing to publicise the Vetlife website and the Veterinary Benevolent Fund support services the BVA can play its part in supporting vets in crisis."
Improve International has launched 'Fast-Track' Postgraduate Certificate (PgC) Programmes, designed for veterinary surgeons who wish to take an immersive approach to study and complete the taught components in either its Small Animal Medicine or Small Animal Surgery programmes in three months.
The new programmes are set to begin in October 2015 with each able to accommodate a maximum of 12 delegates drawn from across Europe. In developing the content programme to suit a three month study period, Improve says it has added a range of features, including a dedicated mentor to support delegates.
The content for both the Small Animal Medicine and Small Animal Surgery Fast-Track PgC programmes is the same as the PgC programmes Improve runs over two years with the difference of the completion of the taught modules in three months. The programme then follows the normal PgC programme, with the completion of case reports, case studies and an examination, in order to gain a PgC. The Medicine PgC programme also includes additional practical sessions covering ophthalmology and diagnostic imaging, plus other core practical skills.
Practical training sessions for the Medicine Fast-Track programme will take place at Improve's Training Centre in Swindon while classroom-based sessions will be held at the Farmers' Club on the Embankment in Central London for ease of access. Delegates undertaking the Surgery programme will also be able to undertake practical sessions at Improve's facility at the John Krebs Field Station, Wytham, near Oxford. In addition to the tutored sessions, delegates on the Surgery programme will see practice with a subject expert for ten days, with the opportunity of scrubbing in to assist in soft tissue and orthopaedic surgical procedures.
To support delegates interested in the PgC Small Animal Medicine and Small Animal Surgery programmes, Improve has created a new website at www.vetpgc.co.uk.
David Babington MRCVS, Managing Director of Improve, said: "While vets generally take a PgC over a two year period in order to combine it with work commitments, there are circumstances in which it may be preferable to take some blocks of time out and complete the taught lectures in a shorter period of intensive study. Vets can be applying the new techniques in their practice after just three months and can gain a PgC in just one year.
"We wanted to offer this alternative study route to vets and have been working for some time to develop a consolidated three month version of both our Medicine and Surgery PgC training programmes. We're delighted to able to launch these exciting new programmes and look forward to welcoming our first cohort of delegates in October 2015."
For further information, visit www.vetpgc.co.uk or www.improveinternational.com or call 01793 759159.
All donations of unwanted clothes, books or bric-a-brac are sent for sale in one of the charity's 55 charity shops around the UK.
Working in partnership with National Veterinary Services (NVS), empty donation bags are given to veterinary practices to fill with goods for NVS to collect and deliver to the charity. The partnership with NVS began in 2011 and so far over 60,000 bags have been collected, with an estimated value of over £1m.
Mark Corbett, Head of Retail at Blue Cross said: "We are extremely grateful to NVS, the vet practices taking part in the scheme and their clients. Although the donated items may be unwanted possessions to some, each bag generates about £20 of income for us. This means the scheme has so far provided an incredible amount of income towards helping the pets in our care.
Blue Cross receives no government funding, so relies on public donations to continue its vital work.
Veterinary practices that receive their stock and drugs from NVS but are not yet part of The Blue Cross donation scheme can sign up now by contacting their NVS representative or email trading@bluecross.org.uk.
Before becoming a dragon, Jenny worked in banking for 30 years and will be sharing her experiences as an entrepreneur and business leader. She became CEO of cash machine company Hanco, bought out the business, turned it around and sold it for £50 million.
Jenny is supportive of the move to host BSAVA Congress online. She said: “Veterinary communities, like other professions, have seen the value that online technologies can offer, both for networking and socials, as well as essential CPD. We should all embrace these changes and look at the value that they can bring.”
The Congress programme is currently being finalised and the organisers say the emphasis is on ensuring the experience is an interactive as possible for each delegate. It will deliver more than 100 hours of CPD, delivered by globally recognised speakers.
BSAVA Congress 2021 Programme Committee Chair Andy Green said: ‘Whether a virtual or a live event our entire programme is proudly created by the profession, for the profession and we are committed to providing unrivalled education, with topical, clinically relevant and evidence-based content.”
There'll be a virtual commercial exhibition, where delegates will be able to chat with exhibitors from the comfort of their home or consult room. There will also be the ability to network with others in the profession, in face-to-face chat rooms. Professor Ian Ramsey, President of the BSAVA said: “BSAVA Congress 2021 is going to be one of the most innovative in the history of our events.
"While the pandemic circumstances we continue to find ourselves in are far from ideal, we must continue to evolve and progress as a profession. BSAVA Congress is a unique highlight in our calendar for next year and it is shaping up to be a truly memorable event."
For further information and to register your interest click here: https://www.bsavaevents.com/bsavacongress2021/en/page/home
The course offers veterinary surgeons and students six hours of CPD covering the five stages of EBVM and an overview of its evolution.
Users can progress through the six modules in order, or dip in and out of individual sections to deepen their knowledge in particular areas. The course includes a number of practical examples and quizzes, and there's a certificate of completion at the end.
The course can also be used as a reference tool for specific aspects of EBVM, such as how to search the literature effectively.
RCVS Knowledge says the new release of EBVM Learning has been well received by veterinary surgeons and nurses who helped test the course. Lucie Goodwin MRCVS said, simply: “This course is excellent.” Chris Gush, Executive Director of RCVS Knowledge (pictured right), said: “This fresh iteration of our EBVM Learning course is the culmination of a huge amount of committed work from an international network of leaders in EBVM, and we are proud to launch it on our new, accessible platform RCVS Knowledge Learn. The course constitutes an important way in which the charity supports all veterinary practitioners to advance the quality of care they provide through evidence-based veterinary medicine, regardless of their role, location or background.”
EBVM Learning can be accessed for free at http://learn.rcvsknowledge.org/ebvm-learning
Veterinary surgeons who want to pay in full must do so before before 1st June 2021. For those UK-practising vets who want to pay the fee in three instalments, the first payment should be received before 1st June, the second payment before 1st October and the final payment before the end of the year.
Any vets who do not pay either the fee in full or the first instalment before 1st June will be removed from the Register. If they want to be restored, they'll need to pay an additional restoration fee as well as the registration fee.
Professor Susan Dawson, RCVS Treasurer, said: “Due to the ongoing disruption to the profession because of the lockdown, we are glad to say that RCVS Council has again approved the ability for members of the profession to pay their fee in instalments and therefore spread the cost during this already difficult year.
"We would like to remind members of the profession that the option to pay in instalments is only available to UK-practising veterinary surgeons. For any UK-practising veterinary surgeons who have a Direct Debit set up but who wish to pay by instalments, please make sure to cancel your Direct Debit as soon as possible."
Payments can be made via the My Account area of the RCVS website (www.rcvs.org.uk/myaccount) where you will also need to confirm that you meet the annual continuing professional development (CPD) requirement and declare any convictions, cautions and/or adverse findings.
Any questions, contact the Registration Department: registration@rcvs.org.uk or 020 7202 0707.
For advice about making payments or submitting a remittance form, contact the Finance Department on finance@rcvs.org.uk or 020 7202 0723.
Further details about paying in instalments can also be found in a series of FAQs at: www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/coronavirus-covid-19/retention-fee-faqs/
Three members (one vet, one new grad and one nurse) are being sought to join a new engagement group tasked with raising awareness of the importance of CPD for veterinary surgeons and nurses, supporting members in how to reflect on their CPD as a way of consolidating learning, and considering plans for how the benefits of CPD and the VetGDP can be communicated to the professions.
The group will also oversee and update CPD and VetGDP guidance documents, as well as overseeing updates to the VetGDP Adviser and VetGDP Peer Reviewer training and guidance.
RCVS Council member Dr Olivia Cook MRCVS will be chairing the group.
She said: “The Engagement Group has been set up in recognition that, although the majority of the professions are engaged with meeting their CPD requirements and completing the VetGDP, there are still those who feel confused about the requirements or remain uncompliant for other reasons, and we would like very much to help them.
“Therefore, this is an exciting opportunity for anyone who wants to play an active part in advancing veterinary standards by ensuring that as many members of the professions as possible have the benefits of lifelong learning in their own practice and their ongoing work for animal health and welfare. In doing so they will help grow public confidence in the professions.
“From the VetGDP perspective, we’re particularly keen that there’s a strong peer-to-peer element, so that those who are doing the VetGDP, or have just recently completed it, are using their recent experience and understanding to evolve the policy and drive engagement.”
Applicants who are interested will have until Friday 30 August to apply to become members of the CPD and VetGDP Engagement Group and are invited to send a concise email to CPD@rcvs.org.uk explaining their experience and how they feel that can contribute to work of the committee.
The RCVS is looking for two Advanced Practitioners working in practice who have completed a designated CertAVP qualification to join the Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice (CertAVP) Subcommittee to help actively advance the standards and policies of the RCVS CertAVP.
Applicants who are interested also have until Friday 30 August to apply to become members.
Applicants are invited to send an email to certavp@rcvs.org.uk with a summary of their experience and what skills and knowledge you feel that you can bring to this committee.
Finally, the College is also looking to recruit examiners for the Statutory Membership Examination, from 2025 onwards.
Examiners need to have been Members of the RCVS for a minimum of three years and be familiar with the day one competences for new registrants and the standards expected of final year students and new graduates. Experience as an assessor or examiner is preferred, although not essential as training will be provided. The College is looking for examiners with knowledge across a range of species domains including equine, veterinary public health, farm and small animal.
Contact Jenny Soreskog-Turp, RCVS Postgraduate Lead, on j.soreskog-turp@rcvs.org.uk
Mr Seymour-Hamilton was originally struck off in 1994 after his Kent practice was found to be unhygienic and unsterile with poor record keeping.
However, he has always maintained that the reason his premises were unhygienic and unsterile was because they were closed.
As in previous applications, he said his reason for applying for restoration was to help him gain recognition for his alleged herbal and natural remedy discoveries and that he had no intention of going back into general practice.
As with previous applications, the Committee said that Mr Seymour-Hamilton has shown no real insight into the conduct underlying the original findings and nor has he shown insight into matters identified by previous restoration hearings.
The Committee also considered that Mr Seymour-Hamilton has been off the Register for some 31 years and would therefore need prolonged, intensive, formal retraining to ensure that he was now fit to practise, without which he might pose a risk to animal welfare.
Mr Seymour-Hamilton's case was not helped by the fact that he indicated that he had practised veterinary surgery while off the Register – including conducting two spay procedures in Calais, France, and treating two of his own dogs for cancer.
He also referred to having cultured faecal bacteria in a witness’ kitchen.
The Committee felt it was concerning that Mr Seymour-Hamilton thought these things were compatible with being on the Register and upholding the professional standards expected of a veterinary surgeon.
Paul Morris, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “Mr Seymour-Hamilton still lacks an understanding as to why he has not been restored in the past.
"Apart from additional CPD, he has not set about effectively addressing any of his shortcomings.
"He relies passionately on his research, yet he does not support that research with any peer-reviewed publications, indeed all his attempts to gain recognition have been rebuffed.”
He added: “The Committee is firmly of the view that after such a prolonged period of failing to be reinstated as a veterinary surgeon, Mr Seymour-Hamilton has to face the reality that his continued applications, taking up time, resources and expense (which is ultimately borne by all those veterinary surgeons who are on the Register), are vexatious and ultimately unlikely to succeed.
“Whilst the College cannot prevent him from continuing to apply to be restored to the Register, Mr Seymour-Hamilton should by now realise that this is not a good use of the College’s finite resources.
"He is now 86 years old and has not practised for over thirty years and in fact has now been off the Register for longer than he was on it.
"This is now the twelfth time he has been found to be not fit to be restored to the Register.
"The Committee hopes Mr Seymour-Hamilton will now take time seriously to reflect and take into account the impact to all concerned of his continued applications, before deciding to submit any more.”
https://www.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/disciplinary-hearings
Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC has announced that it has acquired the entire issued share capital of Genitrix Limited ("Genitrix") from its owner managers for an initial cash consideration of £5.4 million, with a further £0.8 million being payable upon achievement of specific milestones.
Dechra says the acquisition of Genitrix is consistent with its strategy to grow its international veterinary pharmaceutical business. In the year ended 31 March 2010, Genitrix achieved revenues of £2.4 million.
Ian Page, Chief Executive of Dechra, said: "Genitrix range of equine and companion animal products enhances and complements our UK product portfolio. Furthermore the recently approved canine epilepsy product, Libromide, provides future growth opportunities through potential mutual recognition in Europe. The acquisition is expected to be earnings enhancing in the first full year following ownership."
According to a survey of 2,000 dog owners by Burgess Supadog Sensitive, 18% of women say they speak to their dog more than their partner or husband.
Not only that, but it seems the older you are, the more likely you are to strike up a conversation with the dog: 21 per cent of respondents aged 45-54 said they talked to their dog more than their partner as opposed to 10 per cent of 18-24 year olds.
Other findings from the survey included:
Endell Veterinary Group Equine Hospital in Wiltshire has stationed an equine veterinary surgeon on the Isle of Wight permanently to ensure that the island's numerous horses can receive rapid treatment when they need it.
Florus Oskam MRCVS is providing a routine and emergency mobile ambulatory service around the island 24 hours a day. Florus also has the back up of mainland ambulatory vets who also spend time on the Island. Appointments with specific vets to visit the island can also be arranged.
Florus said: "We have been providing a veterinary service on the Isle of Wight for the past 30 years and have a very loyal client base. For years they have been asking us for a permanent service on the island and we are delighted to be able to provide it at last."
Anita Niccolls, dressage rider and trainer on the Isle of Wight, added: "It's very reassuring to know that a vet of Florus's calibre is now resident on the Island and that we are able to have continuity of vet care should a horse need further treatment at the practice's equine hospital in Salisbury."
Bayer Animal Health has organised for prominent clinical microbiologist Dr Joseph Blondeau, from Canada's University of Saskatchewana, to tour the UK in May, giving talks to practitioners about effective antibiotic usage to prevent bacterial resistance.
Bayer's Technical Veterinary Adviser, Lucy Smith, will also be giving a talk: Maximise Treatment Success, which comes at the subject from the practical veterinary side.
Bayer Animal Health Marketing Manager, Dr Markus Edingloh said: "We are incredibly fortunate to work with such an eminent expert. Dr Blondeau is a leading authority on a new parameter that supports a dosing concept to minimise selection of bacterial resistance - the Mutant Prevention Concentration. Fortunately, he is also expert at presenting complex matters in an engaging and memorable way."
He added: "Lucy Smith will share her specific experience of Bayer's recently launched Veraflox (pradofloxacin), the first and only next generation veterinary fluoroquinolone, which has a broad spectrum of treatment which attacks Gram +, Gram - and anaerobic bacteria, in a highly efficacious way.
The evening events take place on: May 14th (Glasgow), May 15th (Derby), May 16th (Swindon) & May 17th (Surrey). Full details in the VetSurgeon Diary.
Each roadshow session is equivalent to 1.5 hours of free Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
To register to attend one of the roadshows, please email animal.health@bayer.com
A new device call the Animalarm, which sends dog owners an SMS text message if the temperature in their car exceeds a preset threshold, has been launched this week.
Apparently, you can also ring the device to check what the temperature is inside your car.
The Animalarm sells for £108 inc. VAT from www.animalarm.co.uk.
Now all we need is a bit of sun.
At the outset of the hearing, Ms Giles admitted that between 1 August 2012 and 21 June 2016 she had failed to respond to reasonable requests from the RCVS to share her CPD records – these requests amounted to 11 letters, two emails and three telephone calls. Of these attempts to contact Ms Giles, she responded to just one email. This was in May 2016 in which she issued an apology (and an explanation that she had moved address) and offered to provide certificates proving that she had undertaken CPD – despite the fact that no such evidence could in fact be produced.
During the proceedings the RCVS asserted that Ms Giles had failed to comply with several crucial aspects of the Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses – namely that all members of the profession are expected to undertake at least 45 hours of CPD over a rolling three-year period in order to keep their professional skills and competences up-to-date, that these CPD records should be provided upon request and that members of the profession must comply with reasonable requests from the RCVS.
In her evidence Ms Giles said that she knew she should have responded to these requests but admitted that she did not originally regard the requests as important and thought that the matter would 'go away' if she did not respond. When it became clear that this was not the case she said she found it difficult to face up to her obligations. She also admitted that her failures to respond were unprofessional and that she now has an appreciation of the importance of undertaking CPD in terms of keeping up with changing practices and advances in veterinary and nursing practice.
Having found the charges against her proved and finding her guilty of disgraceful conduct, the Committee then considered its sanction against Ms Giles. The Committee took into account the seriousness of Ms Giles' failings in that she made repeated decisions not to comply with requests from the RCVS over a protracted period of four years.
Professor Alistair Barr, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "Your failures show, inevitably, a disregard for the regulatory responsibilities of the RCVS to police veterinary nurses' obligations to fulfil their CPD requirements."
He added: "The RCVS can only seek to ensure compliance with those obligations at one step removed, namely by requesting information from its registrants that they have complied with their CPD obligations. They are in this respect, therefore, heavily dependent on the cooperation of registrants to provide full, honest and prompt responses to their reasonable requests for confirmation of their compliance. It is that which has been sorely absent in this case."
The Committee heard mitigating evidence on behalf of Ms Giles including witness statements and letters from current and former colleagues which complimented her communication skills with work colleagues and animal owners and in which it was accepted that she is a "valued member of the veterinary nursing profession."
The Committee also recognised that she had shown insight into her failings, that she had not attempted to excuse the failures to respond to the RCVS and had been making efforts to keep records of her CPD.
However, the Committee decided that a suspension from the Register would be the most appropriate sanction. Professor Barr said: "The mitigation that has been advanced on your behalf has been considered by the Committee and that has served to reduce the period of suspension that a bare account of the facts pertaining to the charge laid against you might suggest is appropriate.
"In the result that mitigation has persuaded us that we would be acting consistently with our public duty by imposing a period of suspension of two months. In imposing that sanction we have noted the evidence as to your professional competence and your other professional qualities. The Committee trusts, therefore, that once you have served your period of suspension you will return to the practice which you say you love."
The three companies will now offer their services, which include marketing strategy, brand management, search engine marketing, online advertising, email marketing, webchat, social media copywriting, graphic design and web design under the VetsDigital brand.
Sarah Spinks, Managing Director of VetsDigital, said: "In the pursuit of better animal welfare, we empower animal owners, and bridge the gap between the veterinary professional and the pet parent using the most effective digital channels.
“As one combined company, we become Europe’s leading digital agency that specialises in the veterinary sector. With our current presence in 11 countries, we’ll be able to further develop our network whilst still providing our clients with the same personal service they’ve come to expect and deserve.”
Marcelo Alves, Managing Director of Vet Inflow, will move into the role of Managing Partner for Portugal and Spain at VetsDigital, as the company expands to have bases in both the UK and Portugal.
Will Stirling, who becomes a Managing Partner at VetsDigital, bringing with him 14 years of experience marketing in the veterinary industry, having previously worked with veterinary group YourVets and CVS, said: "The veterinary industry is buzzing with growth and renewal as many parts of veterinary marketing and management move into the digital realm. It’s the perfect time to combine the talents of our 3 teams, so that together we can offer industry-leading digital marketing services to veterinary businesses across the UK and Europe.
For more information, visit: https://vetsdigital.com
'Managing Veterinary Medicines' teaches safe and responsible use of veterinary medicines and medicine regulations.
RCVS Knowledge says it will also show you how to put systems in place that will reduce errors, improve patient outcomes and improve practice systems.
It's worth six hours of CPD.
The course has been produced in collaboration between RCVS Knowledge and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), and includes a range of webinars, podcasts and articles.
Executive Director at RCVS Knowledge, Chris Gush said: “In England alone, more than 1,700 people die yearly because of medication errors.
"While we don't know the true figures in veterinary medicine, we do know that 30% of errors reported to the VDS's VetSafe system are due to medication errors.
“That's why we think it's vital to have good robust systems in place in the practice dispensary and to use QI tools like guidelines, protocols, and checklists.
CEO of the VMD, Abi Seager said: “Managing Veterinary Medicines will help teams comply with legislation as well as keep patients, team members and clients safe when prescribing and dispensing medicine.”
The course will also prepare practices for a VMD inspection or an RCVS Practice Standards Scheme assessment.
https://learn.rcvsknowledge.org
Simon Dennis, lecturer in cardiology and Rob Goggs, staff clinician in emergency and critical care, both from the Royal Veterinary College have completed a gruelling four day charity bicycle ride from London to Paris.
The bike ride was in aid of Action Medical Research (AMR), a medical research charity dedicated to helping babies and children through tackling premature birth and treating sick and vulnerable babies; helping children affected by disability, disabling conditions and infections; and targeting rare diseases that severely affect many forgotten children.
The cycling duo is aiming to raise £3,000 for this cause and have already raised about £2,400.
The race ended with 600 other cyclists riding in unison through the centre of Paris, with the watching crowd cheering the cyclists on from the streets and cars.
Simon Dennis said: "Both Rob and I are extremely pleased to have completed the cycle ride and raise money for such a worthy cause. It was a tough four days, but definitely worth it in the end, as it was an incredible once in a lifetime experience for us both."
"We would like to thank everyone for their donations, but particularly CEVA Animal Health and Boehringer Ingelheim, who were both really generous sponsors to the charity."
If you would like to donate money to this cause please visit http://www.action.org.uk/sponsor/sgdennis
Vetoquinol has announced the launch of Chrysanphyton, the latest addition to its range of Equistro feeding stuffs for horses.
Vetoquinol says Chrysanphyton is recommended for horses where support of a normal blood flow to the hoof is important. It contains Chrysantellum americanum, blackcurrant and hazelnut extracts which, according to the company, provide a rich source of nutrient bioflavanoids and vitamins.
The recommended administration of Chrysanphyton is 10ml twice a day in horses (500kg) and 5ml twice a day in ponies with the 1000ml pack lasting 50 or 100 days respectively.
A product information sheet is available on the Equistro website www.equistro.co.uk
For further information contact your local Vétoquinol Territory Manager.
Dubbed the PICO Project, the scheme will initially run via a series of specialism-specific surveys that let respondents select individual species or topics and input the research questions they would like to see covered within Veterinary Evidence.
Knowledge will make the list of submitted questions available online for the veterinary community to answer as Knowledge Summaries (Critically Appraised Topics), which will be peer-reviewed and published in the open-access journal.
Professor Peter Cockroft, recently appointed Editor-in-chief of Veterinary Evidence, said: "The practice of evidence-based veterinary medicine is an empowering process for practicing veterinarians that enables important gaps in knowledge to be identified. It is the bridge between research and clinical practice.
"If you have a clinical question that may shape the care of a patient, Veterinary Evidence may have the best current answer or will add the question to the growing archive of important information needs."
The first survey to launch – open now – will focus on equine practice, with possible subjects ranging from the likes of husbandry or vaccination to infectious diseases.
To ask for the evidence on a particular area, choose your topic in the survey’s drop-down menus and fill in up to five related questions, preferably in Population Intervention Comparison Outcome format.
Livestock will be the focus for the next survey, due to open alongside the BCVA Congress in October. Further surveys will look at canines, felines and other specialisms.
To keep up to date with the list of PICO questions being answered or available to be answered, visit Veterinary Evidence and follow @RCVSKnowledge on Twitter.
If you wish to become an author of a Knowledge Summary for publication in the journal, contact the Managing Editor at Bridget@rcvsknowledge.org.
Vets with Horsepower is organised annually by Professor Derek Knottenbelt to help raise funds for equine and human charities around the world.
This year the group undertook an endurance motorbike trip of over 1600 miles: from the UK to Germany, across Scandinavia and back, hosting education events for equine vets along the way to raise funds for four charities including BEVA's Power for Ukraine.
BEVA Council member Alison Talbot, said: “Thanks to the generosity of equine vets in the UK we had just hit the halfway mark of raising £10,000, before Vets with Horsepower set off on their epic Scandinavian mission.
"We are so grateful for their donation of £9922 which means we can now buy another five generators, to help twice as many vets and horses in extremely difficult circumstances during enforced power cuts."
The generators will be transported to a collection point in Poland and then on to Ukraine in time for winter.
Donations to the BEVA Trust Power To Ukraine appeal can be made here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/powertoukraine
Any surplus funds will be added to the general fund to support equids in Ukraine.
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has announced the replacement of its Bovilis® IBR with Bovilis® IBR Marker Live vaccine, a move that brings the UK into line with the rest of Europe where marker vaccines are favoured.
Many EU member states, including Scandinavia and Austria are now declared IBR-free, and others (Germany and Hungary) operate national eradication programmes. Using a marker vaccine will help farmers wishing to export animals, or semen, or those working towards an eradication programme in their herds.
Recent bulk milk and blood screening via Intervet/Schering-Plough's complimentary BeefCheck and DairyCheck has revealed that 72% of herds tested were positive for IBR exposure. Given the latent nature of infection, and the rumbling losses associated with subclinical disease, it should come as no surprise that farmers are increasingly interested in controlling IBR. Studies have shown that IBR infection can result in a milk yield reduction of 173 litres per infected animal, or over £400 a year, for a 100-cow herd.
According to Intervet/Schering-Plough, Bovilis IBR Marker Live is Europe's leading IBR vaccine. It can be given intra-muscularly or intra-nasally to calves as young as two weeks old, as well as pregnant dams. It is also licensed to be given together with the pneumonia vaccine Bovilis® Bovipast RSP. The primary course involves one dose in cattle over three months of age, with immunity in just four days from the intra-nasal method, and 14 days from injection. Stock need re-vaccination every six months.
The vaccine reduces the amount of virus excreted into the environment, so minimising the risk to stressed cattle which may have been brought into the herd, and be latently infected. It also makes it an excellent choice for producers with breeding bulls, which should not be vaccinated. Bulls have to be kept naïve, however, the marker vaccine can be used on females in the herd to minimise virus circulation. This way the threat is minimised, and bulls can be kept infection free.
The new course is called ‘New staff training course with Post2Pet’, and, as the name suggests, it will look at how to incorporate the home delivery option into a preventative healthcare plan.
Premier Vet Alliance says the course is suitable for any member of the practice team that wants to increase their knowledge about healthcare plans.
The course is 4 modules long with an assessment leading to 1.5 hours of completed CPD. It will launch towards the end of April.
James Tudor, Head of Customer Experience at Premier Vet Alliance, said: "This is a fantastic resource and I am I so proud of the team who’ve developed this and helped practices to train staff efficiently and effectively.
"It’s opening up the future of training and we hope to gain guidance in developing our training provision by working directly with practices, to help keep the training relevant.
"We see real value in CPD accredited courses, especially where they help enable veterinary staff to increase their knowledge on maximising their clients’ compliance. They can also learn how to influence animal health, and drive other aspects of the business through health plans."
"This is just the beginning; we will continue to increase our CPD accreditations and share best practice across Europe and the United States."
For more information contact 0117 370 0300 or email pcp@premiervetalliance.co.uk .