CPD query

Re: CPD query

Claire Fisher — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:06:13 GMT

For vets - 5 days and £1000 but if beneficial to practice more may be funded. Travel and accommodation funded if multiple days/far away. No time in lieu if done on half day/weekend and our salary is turnover based so we don't earn if we're not there.

Nurses get 3 days and £500.

Re: CPD query

Noweia — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:43:23 GMT

5 working days and £1500. Accomodation and transport paid if I'm only travelling for the CPD (e.g. BSAVA), and then I generally book Travelodge or the equivalent!

Re: CPD query

Thomas Johnson — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:43:41 GMT

We are allowed five days for CPD, we don't have a set budget but I haven't been refused any CPD I have asked to do. In the 4 jobs I have had I have never been expected to take the day as unpaid leave, however if the CPD has been on my half day I have lost the half day and I haven't ever had time off in lieu if the CPD has been at the weekend. I have always had accommodation paid for if the course lasted more then one day and wasn't local, and have always been able to claim travel costs (either train fare or mileage if driving) beyond my normal journey to work.

Re: CPD query

emma o'connor — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:57:12 GMT

We have an annual budget of £1000 per vet which can be used to cover the cost of courses, and if we wish we can use it for accommodation and transport costs as well, that just means less money to spend on other courses. We have 5 days cpd allowed each year, and we do get paid for those days. If a course occurs on a weekend then we get those days off in lieu. I believe our nurse budget is £500 per nurse per year

Re: CPD query

Gillian Mostyn — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:36:01 GMT

Pretty similar answer to Colin really. There is no strict upper limit though - it is a case-by-case decision.

No one has yet asked for travel or accommodation costs - I guess we would decide whether it was a reasonable request if it happened.

You would get paid as normal for a CPD day but no payment or time off in lieu if it was your day off unless they were actually sent by the practice.

Re: CPD query

CatherineThomas — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:50:28 GMT

We have a budget of £1000 and 5 days. If it is on a weekend we can get a day off in lieu. We can also claim for travel expenses and accommodation within reason. I think the nurses get £500, but I'm not sure.

Re: CPD query

Michael Woodhouse — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:14:41 GMT

I had a small budget (£500) and 5 days when employed. No reasonable request was turned down if over and above that in either time or budget.

I did once negotiate a weekend course (2 legitimate CPD days) as holiday in lieu - I spent the same number of days away from practice in the year.

Had a work vehicle so all travel costs paid. I paid accommodation if for my benefit (stay over night before rather than get up at 4am) but if course took multiple days accommodation was paid.

More than 2/3 of my CPD comes at little cost to me or the practice.

If I was employing people I'd work on similar principals. No point giving a bloody great budget just so they see a target figure to spend on any old course. If will benefit the practice then spend more.

Re: CPD query

Colin Thomson — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 23:28:42 GMT

Hi Anon

We have five days allowance written into the contract and an "in our heads" figure of £1200 per vet per annum. That figure would include travel and accommodation - we pay for that within the limit.

We don't give days in lieu or pay if CPD is done at weekends or on a day where the vet would otherwise be off. Our view is that most CPD is what the vet wants to do, they should be sufficiently keen to do it to use some of their own time if they want to do the CPD. (We might pay if it was something we desperately wanted them to do - but that hasn't happened in a long while).

Vets doing Certs and the like tend to end up having much more time off and money spent on them, but this is negotiated individually and reflected in pay rises and other conditions. But overall a keen vet doing a Cert is an asset both in terms of their overall motivation and the knowledge brought back to the practice.

We have no fixed rules for VN's, but the same principles apply.

Colin