What's New In The Veterinary Nursing Profession : Training

College of Animal Welfare opens new business school

Arlo Guthrie — Wed, 08 May 2013 09:26:00 GMT

The College of Animal Welfare has opened a business school at its training and education centre in Chord Business Park in Godmanchester.

CAW Business School provides accountancy courses accredited by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) and leadership and management courses accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM).

Leslie Heaton Smith, Director at The College of Animal Welfare, said: "The opening of our Business School is a new development in a long line of achievements and marks an exciting new venture. Whilst our focus has always been towards developing technical animal and veterinary related knowledge and skills to make significant improvements in animal welfare and veterinary care, we also recognise that quality of care is also highly dependent on the management and leadership of those controlling and investing the organisation's often scarce resources. Thus in order to provide high quality welfare to animals entrusted into their care, organisations need to be able to employ people with such skills".

The leadership and management courses are already underway and can be studied entirely online, or online with study weekends.

The College says the majority of AAT courses will start in September 2013, however an 8 week Level 2 Certificate in Bookkeeping course starts at the beginning of June. The College is also an AAT approved exam centre, meaning that students can sit their exams whilst at college.

For further information, call the College on 01480 422060 and speak to one of the Business School tutors. Alternatively, visit www.caw.ac.uk or book a place on the next open day on Wednesday 22 May from 9am-12pm or 6-9pm.

RCVS invites veterinary nurses to Question Time online

Arlo Guthrie — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:43:00 GMT

The Royal College is inviting veterinary nurses to the first-ever Virtual Question Time, which is being held online with The Webinar Vet, from 8-9.30pm on Wednesday 24 April.

Lizzie Lockett, Head of the RCVS Communications Department said: "This is an ideal opportunity to put your burning questions to members of the RCVS Officer team and to VN Council. Our regular Question Time meetings are popular, so we are following their format by asking delegates to set the agenda via their choice of questions. This time there is the extra advantage that busy vets and nurses can take part from the comfort of their own homes. If the Virtual Question Time proves successful, we may hold these events regularly."

The meeting will be run as a free, live-audio webinar. RCVS President Jacqui Molyneux will open proceedings, and introduce the panel, before answering questions from the participants.

Questions may be put to the College in advance and can also be submitted as discussion unfolds on the night. These can be on any issues affecting the veterinary and veterinary nursing professions - there is no set agenda - and might range from the First Rate Regulator initiative, new vet schools, veterinary nurse training and clinical governance, to proposed changes to the Practice Standards Scheme and recent amendments to the Veterinary Surgeons Act.

The session will also be recorded so those unable to attend on the night can still listen afterwards.

The meeting can be counted towards continuing professional development for veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses. Registrations and questions can be submitted online at http://thewebinarvet.com/rcvs/#.

Architects present vision for new veterinary school

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 18:39:00 GMT

The University of Surrey has appointed Devereux Architects to create a masterplan for its new School of Veterinary Medicine.

As one of the University's largest and most prestigious future development sites, the new school, which sits within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, will comprise three complimentary and inter-related buildings totalling approximately 9000m2 - an Academic Building, a Veterinary Clinical Skills Centre and a Veterinary Pathology Facility.

The new building will be positioned at the corner of the new campus green at Manor Park. It will feature naturally ventilated office and teaching spaces along one side of the atrium and research spaces and lecture halls along the other. The roof of the atrium is shaped to guide rising, warmed air into the plant room where the heat can be extracted and reused.

The new academic building will provide world-class teaching and research laboratories, lecture theatres, and flexible break out spaces organised around a common shared atrium.

Professor Lisa Roberts, Dean of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, said: "We were very impressed with the design concept for the new School of Veterinary Medicine that Devereux Architects presented at the tendering stage. We are looking forward to working with the professional team at Devereux Architects to deliver this major project for the University of Surrey."

New online veterinary anatomy museum

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:43:00 GMT

The Royal Veterinary College has announced that it is to launch the Online Veterinary Anatomy Museum next Tuesday (20th November).

According to the College, the museum is one of the world's largest online veterinary anatomical resource collections. The College says it hopes the museum will support veterinary students in their studies and inspire learners everywhere to engage with animal anatomy and science in an interactive and informative way.

The Online Veterinary Museum will offer various resources including:

Interactive and annotated diagrams and images of specimens
Three dimensional imaging of skeletons, radiographic imaging and interpretation
Podcasts and potcasts of anatomical specimens
Anatomy with a clinical relevance and an anatomical link to WikiVet content
Comprehensive videos of dissection techniques which will greatly reduce the need for duplication of procedures

The RVC says that the project, which began in November 2011, is an example of exceptional collaboration within the higher education sector, both in the UK and overseas as well as between the public and private sectors. Led by a small team based at the RVC, the project involved all seven of the UK's vet schools as well as international institutions, educational trusts, commercial publishers and web developers. Student Curators were recruited from the partner institutions involved, enabling students to develop new skills and, of course, contribute to this fantastic resource.

Project Director Nick Short said: "The teaching of anatomy forms a core part of the veterinary curriculum in every veterinary school in the world. With digital media increasingly used to enrich and support conventional lectures it therefore makes sense to share what we have to provide students with the best possible support for their studies.

"More than that the online museum will help to bring the world of veterinary anatomy alive not just for veterinary students but also for anybody with an interest in knowing more about animal's structure and function. OVAM provides access to some of the most amazing virtual resources contributed from all over the world. Here you can explore the 3D anatomy of a horse's foot from London, view beautiful animations of the abdomen of a pig from Spain or watch a selection of lectures from India!"

The resource will be live from the 20th November 2012: www.onlineveterinaryanatomy.net.

New veterinary school to launch in 2014

Arlo Guthrie — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 10:53:00 GMT

The University of Surrey has announced that it is to launch a new school of veterinary medicine in 2014.

According to the University, the new school will embrace the 'One Health - One Medicine' philosophy and will include the development of a unique research-led veterinary medicine degree programme with an emphasis on research, veterinary pathology and livestock medicine.

The new school will be based at the University of Surrey's Manor Park site in Guildford, in order to encourage collaboration of students and staff from different disciplines, with those studying towards a veterinary medicine qualification being exposed to engineering and physics as well as receiving training in core business skills.

The new School of Veterinary Medicine at Surrey will be delivered through collaborations with key partners including: the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), the BBSRC Pirbright Institute, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), Fitzpatrick Referrals, Liphook Equine Hospital and Westpoint Farm Vets. The University says it is looking to extend its relationships with regional veterinary practices over the coming year.

Students will also be exposed to global issues concerning animal health through the University Global Partnership Network (UGPN), a trilateral agreement between Surrey, North Carolina State and São Paulo Universities through teaching collaborations, summer scholarships and research exchanges.

Professor Lisa Roberts, Dean of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Surrey, said: "As a research-intensive University we have the expertise, reputation, technical and business skills which our students can benefit from, allowing us to train the veterinary leaders of the future. Combining state-of-the-art facilities, our unique partnerships and a campus location, the new School will provide a stimulating environment not only for undergraduates, but for the professional development training of qualified veterinary surgeons."

Professor John Fazakerley, Director of The Pirbright Institute, said: "This is good news for the UK veterinary research community. The Pirbright Institute currently works in close collaboration with the University of Surrey on research that benefits animal health and welfare; we very much look forward to building on this established and growing association as the new school of veterinary medicine is launched. There is an important place for trained veterinarians in scientific research and we are delighted that the University has decided to emphasise these areas in particular."

Professor Andy Durham of the Liphook Equine Hospital said: "The new School of Veterinary Medicine development programme at the University of Surrey is ideally timed to provide an alternative to the traditional veterinary education and to respond to the demands of a changing profession with fresh plans, ideas and enthusiasm. Enticing newly developed facilities make Guildford an excellent student town and with several collaborative specialist partners within the locality the new School of Veterinary Medicine is perfectly placed geographically to provide a veterinary education fitting for the 21st century."

The University is also in consultation with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Freda Andrews, Head of Education at the RCVS, said: "We were pleased to meet Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, President and Vice-Chancellor and his colleagues from the University of Surrey recently, and interested to hear their proposals to develop a new School of Veterinary Medicine. We will be working with them over the coming months to develop a timetable for considering the new programme against our accreditation standards. The monitoring process will take a number of years."

The University says it has already laid the foundations for the new School through its expansion of teaching and research activities in its Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, including the launch of the BSc programme in Veterinary Biosciences in 2009 and in October of this year a new MSc in Veterinary Microbiology. A new MSc in Veterinary Pathology is also currently under development.

The University says that over the next 12 months it will be recruiting new academic staff, attracting the first cohort of students and beginning building works in preparation for the first cohort of students in 2014.

New leadership and management programmes for Head Nurses

Arlo Guthrie — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:34:00 GMT

The College of Animal Welfare (CAW) is preparing to launch a new range of leadership and management programmes aimed at head nurses and practice managers at the BVNA Congress (5-7 October).

The College says that its management programmes, which lead to professional recognition with the Institute of Leadership and Management, will raise your game and benefit animal patients in your care.

Barbara Cooper, Principal of The College of Animal Welfare, said: "As previously Head Nurse of Liverpool Veterinary School and subsequently Principal of The College of Animal Welfare I have learned that management is a professional skill not best acquired through trial and error.

"The consistent delivery of quality clinical care is built on sound management principles as well as technical know-how. Our programmes will take already highly trained veterinary professionals and equip them with the management skills that are needed to develop their careers into the higher echelons of management."

CAW has been delivering modules on business and veterinary practice management within its degree programmes since the first veterinary nurse degree programme launched in 1998. The organisation says that setting up a business and management school is the next step in raising clinical standards through effective resource and people management and developing the careers of those holding or seeking senior leadership opportunities.

Successful students may also apply for professional membership of the Institute of Leadership and Management, and thereby be permitted to use the ILM internationally recognised professional body post-nominal in recognition of the professional status that they have achieved as managers. As professional managers, such status confirms a transferrable skill that is not just limited to those enjoying working with animals.

For further information please visit www.caw.ac.uk or visit CAW's stand at Congress (where the company will also be handing out free 'Keep Calm and Trust Your Head Nurse' mugs).

Free feline CPD presentation

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:45:00 GMT

Sureflap, the microchip pet door company has teamed up with animal behaviourist Jon Bowen MRCVS to provide a free CPD-qualifying presentation about improving cats' quality of life with simple modifications to their environment.

In the 45-minute webinar Jon explains how the domestic environment impacts on the cat's territory and the stress this creates. He also offers practical advice on how owners can make the space feel safer for the pet.

To view the webinar go to www.sureflap.co.uk/vet/cpd/territory-stress. Complete the quiz at the end, and you'll be sent a CPD certificate.

Pfizer offers VN self-awareness and team effectiveness CPD

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 13:09:00 GMT

Veterinary nurses attending this year's British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) Congress (5 - 7 October) are being given the opportunity to learn more about their personality, how they gel with their colleagues and how they can use these insights to create a happier working environment.

Pfizer Vet Support+ business consultant, Vanessa Wilson, is running a two hour interactive CPD workshop examining team effectiveness, based on the findings of the company's inaugural Employee Engagement Survey, which revealed that team effectiveness is key to an engaged, happy and rewarded team.

Vanessa said: "During the session, we will explore the Engagement Survey findings, the opportunities it poses for veterinary nurses, their role in an effective team, how they can effect change and, very importantly, how differing personalities can impact positively and negatively on those around them.

"The session will be a very practical one enabling delegates to gain a better understanding of their own personality preferences through a social style questionnaire. Armed with this self-knowledge, participants should be able to improve their interaction with colleagues and enhance the team effectiveness within the practice."

Each delegate will receive a copy of the full Employee Engagement report together with a CPD certificate. The workshop costs £22 for members and £27 for non-members or, for those who register book before 20 August, £17 and £22 respectively. To reserve your place go to www.bvnacongress.co.uk.

Webinars help vets exceed CPD targets

Arlo Guthrie — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 08:32:00 GMT

The Webinar Vet has released the results of a survey which shows that its members are far exceeding their 35 hour CPD target.

Launched just over two years ago, The Webinar Vet was the first company in the UK to specialise in web-based CPD for vets and now has nearly 1000 members from around the globe.

The Webinar Vet founder Anthony Chadwick MRCVS said: "Our members average over 60 hours of online CPD per year. Indeed several members are exceeding 100 hours a year including workshops, and some have even recorded over 200 hours of total CPD!

"There will always be a need for workshop CPD, but most vets and VNs can get the majority of the updates and information they need online. However we believe that in many cases it's not a simple swap - the convenience of online CPD means that many vets and VNs are earning more total hours, which can only be a good thing for the profession.

"Many vets and VNs are juggling busy family lives with work in practice, and the convenience of viewing and participating in webinars from your own home or in a practice lunch break is both cost and time saving, not to mention the reduction in carbon footprint."

VN Merit Awards filling fast

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 11:03:00 GMT

The BSAVA reports that its inaugural Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy VN Merit Award is already fully subscribed, with places on other programmes proving hugely popular.

The association says it created the VN Merit Awards having identified a demand amongst nurses for focussed and cost-effective CPD which could fit into busy lives. Academic Director Dr Frances Barr said: "Veterinary nurses have an increasing desire to stretch their skills and expand their contribution to the clinical team, and the new awards will provide that opportunity. They deserve the support of the whole profession.

"VNs taking part in these programmes can expect to strengthen their theoretical knowledge and to learn important practical skills in an area of particular interest to them. At the end they will be taking greater confidence and new skills back into the practice which they can share with the wider practice team."

Despite being a brand new course, BSAVA says that there there is clearly faith that it can continue to deliver relevant, challenging CPD for nurses. The first two Merit Awards will run in autumn 2012. All the places on Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy have been booked, but interested individuals can join a waiting list for the next course. Anaesthesia and analgesia has also proved popular, with just a few places left, at the time of writing. Further merit awards in wildlife nursing and in surgical nursing are planned for 2013.

For further information, email courses@bsava.com or visit www.bsava.com/cpd.

College of Animal Welfare offers free VN training to under-19s

Arlo Guthrie — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 18:35:00 GMT

The College of Animal Welfare is offering fully funded apprenticeship training (Level 3 Diploma) to under-19s looking to start training as a veterinary nurse this September.

According to the College, the only thing your practice would need to pay for is the student's RCVS fees i.e. enrolment and examination fees.

The next Advanced Apprenticeship in Veterinary Nursing programme starts the week commencing 3 September from the College's Huntingdon, Potters Bar and Leeds centres and enrolments are being taken now.

The College says that if your student is waiting for exam results this Summer they can still apply now, and if for any reason they are unsuccessful and do not get the required grades your practice will receive a full refund.

For more information, visit www.caw.ac.uk/courses.aspx or call 0844 372 9410.

UK's first clinical Masters course in veterinary nursing

Arlo Guthrie — Tue, 29 May 2012 08:21:00 GMT

Harper Adams University College is to launch the UK's first clinical Masters course in veterinary nursing this autumn and is inviting prospective students to apply now.

Course manager Dr. Erica Martin from Harper Adams University College, said: "The MSc Veterinary Nursing is an exciting development for the profession. It will allow RVNs with an honours degree to move forward in their qualifications and enhance their value to a veterinary practice."

According to the College, the Masters course has been designed for veterinary nurses in full or part-time work, whether in teaching or in practice. It will be delivered via a blend of day visits to Harper Adams - with seminars, guest speakers and practical workshops where relevant - and supported distance learning.

Erica added: "The MSc also introduces the RVN to clinical research to improve the evidence base we should all be working from. The clinical element of the course is designed to deliver enhanced Veterinary Nursing skills, such as rehabilitation nursing, oncology, pain management, client support, behaviour problem management, which would be an asset to any companion animal veterinary practice.

"There will also be the opportunity to take individual modules as CPD or triads of modules to form a postgraduate certificate if the RVN wants to enhance skills in one particular area without committing to full MSc."

Postgraduate Certificates include Veterinary Oncology Nursing, Veterinary Rehabilitation Therapy and Veterinary Nurse Practitioner.

RVNs who are graduates or those with Dip AVN or equivalent qualification will be eligible to apply for the MSc, which should normally take three years to complete. There will be six taught modules in the first two years and a research project in the final year - but the timing is flexible and the course could be spread over a longer period. The first intake will be in September 2012.

For more information visit www.harper.ac.uk/vnmasters or phone the postgraduate administrator for an application form, on 01952 815289

New 'Lunch & Learn' webinars for VNs

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:04:00 GMT

The Webinar Vet has launched 'Lunch & Learn' CPD webinars specifically developed for veterinary nurses.

The webinars begin with a series of three in May, and will then be held monthly thereafter.

The first webinar at 1pm on 14th May is 'Back to Basics' with Australia-based Harrie Phillips RVN DipVN(Surgical), who will cover surgical skin preparation.

Webinar Vet founder, Anthony Chadwick MRCVS said: "Following the hugely popular Lunch & Learn series last year with exotics specialist Molly Varga BVetMed CertZooMed DZooMed (Mammalian) MRCVS, the feedback was that this is a great time to catch up on CPD, whilst also providing a really time-efficient alternative to travelling to evening seminars. We've had a huge amount of interest so far, so we're sure they are going to prove very popular and beneficial to VNs."

In the second webinar Professor Ian Ramsey from The University of Glasgow's Small Animal Hospital will discuss 'Dog Diabetes - The Nurse's Role in Long Term Survival', and in the third on 28th May Patrick Moore, head of Behaviour at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, will present 'Canine Behaviour'.

The monthly webinars then begin on 18th June with 'Cat Diabetes - The Cat is not a Dog' by Professor Ian Ramsey.

All Lunch & Learn webinars are one hour and start at 1pm. Further webinar details can be found on the 'upcoming webinars' page at www.thewebinarvet.com.

New resource to improve your apptitude for exotics

Arlo Guthrie — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:06:00 GMT

Exotics referral practitioner, Mark Rowland MRCVS CertZooMed MRCVS has launched an iPhone app for veterinary professionals which puts all the information you need about the commonly presented exotic species at your fingertips.

Mark said: "Vets often have little training in exotic animal medicine, an area which is becoming increasingly important as more rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, tortoises, other reptiles and birds are presented in practice. Although data is available in books, it usually has to be sourced, which can be difficult if the practice does not have the relevant texts."

"For this reason, I've developed an iPhone app which provides species biological data, such as normal temperatures and gestation periods, a exotics formulary, a list of common conditions and a gallery of images and video footage of basic procedures."

Mark says he hopes it'll be an invaluable mobile resource for veterinary surgeons, students, nurses and technicians worldwide, and that he will be updating it regularly.

Veterinary Care of Exotic Pets is now available now from iTunes, priced at £7.99. Click here for more information: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/veterinary-care-exotic-pets/id511902278?mt=8

New feline stress videos for veterinary professionals

Arlo Guthrie — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:50:00 GMT

Ceva Animal Health UK has launched a range of support materials to help educate veterinary professionals and cat owners about feline stress and the benefits of using Feliway.

For veterinary surgeons and nurses, the company has produced a series of video presentations by the Specialist in Feline Medicine, Danielle Gunn-Moore, in which she discusses feline stress and its link to cystitis. The videos are now available to watch here on VetNurse.co.uk.

Also for veterinary surgeons, the company has produced an A3 decision tree featuring the practical approach to cystitis, developed by Danielle Gunn-Moore. In addition, there's a waiting room poster which details what resources are needed to create a cat-friendly home. The resource checklist consists of advice on basic resources such as food, water bowls and litter trays and hints and tips on how to reinforce confidence, develop structural features, stimulate activity and provide appropriate resources for a multi-cat household.

For owners, Ceva has produced a post-operative cat care information sheet. It is a question and answer style document covering advice on caring for a post-operative cat when it returns home.

To help highlight the benefits of Feliway, Ceva is also running a prize draw to win one of three Kindles, with three runners-up winning a Feline Infectious Disease book.

For further information on the new Feliway support materials or the prize draw, please contact your local Ceva account manager or telephone 01494 781510.