At his first Disciplinary Committee hearing in January 2018, the Committee directed that Dr Gerhard Schulze Allen’s name be removed from the Register after finding him guilty of serious professional misconduct in respect of four charges against him. These related to an incident of petty theft in California in the United States, and his subsequent dishonesty in not disclosing this to the College.
Following the Disciplinary Committee hearing, Dr Schulze Allen submitted an appeal to the Privy Council. In July 2019, the Privy Council partially upheld his appeal, determining that the RCVS had not proven beyond all reasonable doubt that Dr Schulze Allen’s infraction for petty theft was a conviction under Californian law and therefore Dr Schulze Allen had not made false representations to the College when he said he did not have any criminal convictions or a criminal record.
However, the Privy Council partially upheld the College’s charge that Dr Schulze Allen was dishonest and made false representations when he had, in a written application for restoration to the Register, represented that he did not have any adverse findings and that he should have declared his infraction for petty theft. The Privy Council also set aside the Disciplinary Committee’s original sanction and remitted the task of sanction back to the Disciplinary Committee.
As a result of the Privy Council’s decision, the Disciplinary Committee held a further hearing in relation to Dr Schulze Allen to decide the sanction in relation to the upheld charge against him.
The Committee noted that the aggravating factors were the fact that Dr Schulze Allen was dishonest to his regulator and in making a false declaration, demonstrated a wilful disregard for the regulatory role of the RCVS. In mitigation the Committee considered that there was no harm to animals, that it was a single and isolated incident in an otherwise unblemished career, and that he had accepted his wrongdoing, albeit at a late stage, and was developing some insight.
The Committee considered whether a reprimand or warning would be the most appropriate sanction but determined that this would not reflect the seriousness of the dishonesty in this case, nor maintain public confidence in the profession or uphold proper professional standards of conduct and behaviour.
Ian Green, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "The Committee concluded that the appropriate and proportionate sanction is suspension from the Register for a period of three months. A period of three months reflects the seriousness of the charge. Such a sanction sends a clear message to Dr Schulze Allen, the profession and the public that behaving dishonestly towards the regulator is a serious matter. The Committee considered that removal from the Register would be disproportionate given that this is a single incident and Dr Schulze Allen now accepts his wrongdoing."
Each site can accept up to 16 candidates at a time, with at least two intakes in April and September.
Linnaeus is now encouraging new recruits both from within the group and from surrounding practices outside the group to enroll for the next two-year training course in April.
All three centres will deliver onsite practical sessions in conjunction with virtual theory sessions, whilst the theory exams can be taken remotely online.
Students can use the facilities at each referral hospital for their practical RCVS Day One Skills training while completing an e-portfolio of evidence to demonstrate competency.
This complements the virtual theory training at CAW and the workplace experience gained in their practices.
Trish Scorer, Lead Pre-Registration Experience Manager at Linnaeus, said: “Students will be studying for a VetSkill Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing that, on completion, will enable them to register as a veterinary nurse with the RCVS and to use the post nominals RVN. This means students will be in the fantastic position of training alongside our highly-qualified vets and nursing teams within our state-of-the-art referral hospitals.”
www.linnaeusgroup.co.uk/careers/nursing.
Matthew's address looked at the significance of 2021 as veterinary nursing’s Diamond Jubilee – representing 60 years since the first RCVS-approved Auxiliary Nursing Assistant course.
He spoke about how this was likely to be a year of firsts for the profession, including the awarding of the first Certificates in Advanced Veterinary Nursing, the recruitment of the first VN Practice Standards Scheme Assessors and the first time there would be 20,000 veterinary nurses on the RCVS Register.
He also spoke about the planned activities to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee including webinars, podcasts and the publication of an eBook about the history of the profession.
Matt said: “For my own first podcast I interviewed Jean Turner who – I don’t think she’ll mind me saying – has been a member of the profession for a good chunk of the last 60 years.
“She’s a real professional hero of mine and I had a fascinating conversation with her about what has changed, what hasn’t changed and what really needs to change!
“Speaking to Jean reminded me that we all stand on the shoulders of giants. Where we are as a profession is down to those who came before us and we owe it to them, and future generations of veterinary nurses, to make sure we are always progressing and improving.”
Matt said that with RCVS Council’s adoption of the proposals for legislative reform in June this year, the veterinary nursing profession had a bright future ahead of it, with protection of title and a bolstered role in areas such as anaesthesia being included in any future legislation.
“I still sometimes hear my veterinary nursing colleagues refer to themselves as ‘just a veterinary nurse’. Whenever I hear it said, I challenge it.
“With the Diamond Jubilee celebrations this year I think we will be making a very big challenge to that mindset, and it will remind all veterinary nurses that we are brilliant professionals, with a long and proud history and that we are a force for good in society.”
The new standards framework sets out the professional values, knowledge, skills and behaviours that are required of awarding organisations and higher education (HE) institutions that provide the curricula, the centres that deliver the courses and their affiliated training practices, as part of the College’s accreditation and re-accreditation processes.
The new framework focuses on six main standards, which apply to awarding organisations/HE institutions, the centres and training practices. The standards are: learning culture; governance and quality; student empowerment; educators and assessors; curricula and assessment; and effective clinical learning.
Julie Dugmore, RCVS Director of Veterinary Nursing, said: "In our previous set of standards there were separate policies and documents for training practices, the centres and the awarding organisations/HE institutions. This now brings all those disparate policies into a unified whole.
"The new standards also place a greater focus on innovation and different types of learning. The previous standards very much assumed that the learning would be done on a face-to-face basis, but we know that, increasingly, student veterinary nurses may be getting the majority of the contact time with their educational institution online and that many institutions have brought in blended learning programmes. These standards recognise this fact and that there are many different ways to learn.
"A greater focus on the student experience is another thing that has really been bolstered in these new standards. For example, we would now be looking for evidence that educational institutions and training practices are providing the support needed for student veterinary nurses to look after their mental health and wellbeing, and that academic and pastoral support is provided to prepare them for independent, reflective practice.
"The new standard will be formally brought into force in January - although for those institutions and organisations that are currently going through the accreditation or re-accreditation process, they can opt to still be assessed via the previous set of standards."
The new standards were drawn-up by a working group comprising VN Council members Alison Carr, Andrea Jefferies and Kathy Kissick, as well as Julie Dugmore.
Veterinary nursing educators were invited to a consultation day in July when they were introduced to the new standards and invited to give feedback.
Kathy Kissick said: "As a former Head of Veterinary Nursing at Myerscough College, I am very glad that we have finally been able to realise and build in the importance of student empowerment into these standards – recognising that veterinary nursing education and training is not just something being done for our students, but something they have a voice and role in shaping.
"Allowing greater choice in the methods and means by which veterinary nursing education is delivered is also a passion of mine and, again, this is something these new standards fully recognise and allow for."
A handbook containing the new accreditation standards will be published on the RCVS website in due course. In the meantime, the documentation is available to download at: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/who-we-are/vn-council/vn-council-meetings/13-november-2019/
DogStem has been shown to be effective, reducing pain and lameness and improving mobility and quality of life for three months to over twelve months following a single injection1,2.
In a prospective, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of DogStem, results showed that2:
TVM highlights how DogStem simplifies the process and reduces the cost of using stem cell therapy in practice because unlike previous therapies, it does not require require a surgical harvesting procedure to be carried out under general anaesthetic.
Helen Harrison, DogStem Technical Vet and Product Manager said: "Osteoarthritis is one of the most common diseases seen in veterinary practices and is challenging to manage.
"Conventional medical treatments typically address the symptoms rather than the underlying pathological processes.
"At the same time, local treatment options that slow progression of osteoarthritis have been limited and surgical interventions aren’t always possible or may be unrewarding.
"We’re delighted to be able to offer vets DogStem®, a stem cell product with a strong evidence base across numerous mobility and quality of life parameters.’
DogStem can be ordered from NVS, or direct from: www.dogstem.co.uk
References
With the new model, the 90-strong nursing team will increase by around five per cent, with four new Nurse Manager roles with specific operational, quality, pastoral and training responsibilities.
The practice says the objective is to encourage nursing staff, from all areas of the practice to develop career pathways which play to their strengths and personal interests, with job shares also available.
Lauren Emmett, Head of Nursing Services, said: “We’re over the moon to be launching what is a really innovative new structure here at NDSR. It moves away from the more traditional flat model and places an emphasis on giving our team balance and really clear career pathways in whichever area their passion lies.
"The introduction of our four Nurse Managers will allow them to spend 60 to 80 per cent of their time on the clinical floor in the hospital, making them visible and available to support, and work alongside our nursing community.
"Each Nurse Manager will have a number of team leaders working with them, who will support other RVNs, SVNs and nursing assistants.
"These additional roles provide more opportunities for career progression and allows our nurses to identify avenues which might be of personal interest. Those avenues can be quite diverse, for example, recruitment, rota management, clinical standards, mental health and wellbeing, or training and development.
“Nurses who have leadership ambitions but may not necessarily want to manage people on a day-to-day basis can still utilise their skills to support colleagues and the business by becoming clinical coaches and by sharing their experience and knowledge within certain disciplines and fields.
Gerry Polton, clinical director at NDSR, said: “We believe this new structure really is iconoclastic, hopefully defining a new ‘gold standard’ in veterinary nursing. What we’re doing is allowing individuals to create their own career pathways within the business. We’re giving them valuable support and allowing them to forge ahead in leadership roles, should they wish.
“We’re confident this will benefit patients, clients, referring vets and, of course, the entire nursing team, which will offer us added support, while also receiving added support and structure to build on the fantastic skillsets we have here.”
For more information, visit https://www.ndsr.co.uk/home.
To take part in the survey, which will take about ten minutes, visit: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/RepRIPorVIP.
Everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a draw to win one of three £50 Amazon vouchers.
The House of Lords debate, which is being hosted by Professor The Lord Tress of Kinross, will take place on Wednesday, 21st June 2023.
Speakers will include Donal Murphy of NOAH, Rita Dingwall of the Federation f Independent Veterinary Practices and Paul Horwood, Country Head of Farm at IVC Evidensia.
https://vma.org.uk/house-of-lords/
The conference, which was held on 23rd May, brought together over 360 veterinary professionals for online sessions which provided them with a range of wellbeing tools to improve their mental and physical wellbeing.
The organisers say that in addition to delivering wellbeing CPD, they aimed to create community and connection. Co-organiser, vet Nat Scroggie, said: "The conference app platform was chosen for delegates to feel included and network freely with one another and session leaders. With over 2400 messages on the community board and 400 photos uploaded the feedback we’ve had about how positive the experience was for delegates has gone beyond our hopes. We’ve seen new working groups forming and a genuine sense of camaraderie around current challenges."
WellVet has reopened ticket sales which give access to session recordings and the conference community app until May 2021. Tickets are £55, discounted to £15 for students and year 1 graduates, available at: https://www.wellvet.co.uk/tickets. The box office will close on 30th August 2020.
2000 veterinary surgeons and nurses/technicians took part in the study, of which 545 completed all questions.
The biggest equipment barriers to BP measurement were 'cuff frustration' (cuffs pinging off) and difficulties hearing the pulse, which were experienced at least sometimes by 72.2% and 71.6% of participants respectively when using Doppler machines.
When asked about barriers relating to the procedure itself, the most significant issues were a lack of time, not having a colleague available to restrain the cat, and simply forgetting to include BP in the assessment.
Owner-related barriers included difficulties persuading clients to book a separate BP appointment, difficulties persuading clients to bring cats in for a BP check at all, and reticence over the cost.
Former Member, RCVS recognised Specialist in Feline Medicine who lead the study, said: “Feline hypertension is an extremely common condition which affects approximately one in five cats nine years or over4, however there are several challenges that we need to address to enhance the long-term health and welfare of the nation’s cats.
"The good news is that some of the barriers identified in the study can be overcome by taking a ‘practice makes perfect’ attitude towards taking blood pressure, in that the more experience vet professionals have, the easier the procedure will become.
"The study showed many VNs are confident and enthusiastic about blood pressure assessment in cats; this should be encouraged and expanded upon to ensure that as many older cats and those with conditions increasing their risk of hypertension, receive the BP monitoring they deserve.
Eye examinations are helpful in confirming a diagnosis of systemic hypertension, however the study revealed that while 96.5% of respondents had access to a direct ophthalmoscope, 73.1% reported that they felt under-confident in performing and interpreting ocular examinations when identifying hypertensive lesions in cats.
Ceva Animal Health, which funded the study, says that because between 50 and 100% of hypertensive cats have ocular lesions2,3, it is vital that clinicians feel able to identify ocular pathologies associated with high blood pressure.
Sarah added: "VNs and vets should be encouraged to ‘upskill’ their eye examination skills, as this can be extremely helpful in identifying cats with hypertension."
To that end, Ceva has published an online feline ophthalmology course ‘Looking hypertension in the eye’: www.veterinarywebinars.com/community/ceva
The course, which is presented by Dr Ben Blacklock BVSc (Hons), Dipl. ECVO, MRCVS, senior lecturer in veterinary ophthalmology at the University of Edinburgh, is designed to help vets and vet nurses to get the most out of their ocular exams and gain confidence in identifying ocular lesions associated with feline hypertension.
https://easethepressure.co.uk.
The study titled “Electrolyte measurements differ between point-of-care and reference analysers in dogs with hypoadrenocorticism” investigated the performance of two point-of-care analysers (IDEXX Catalyst Dx and IDEXX VetStat) against a reference laboratory method for the measurement of blood sodium, potassium and chloride concentrations, as well as sodium-to-potassium ratios, in dogs diagnosed with and treated for hypoadrenocorticism.
Forty-eight dogs with hypoadrenocorticism were enrolled into a prospective cross-sectional study at the University of Glasgow. In total, 329 paired samples were measured on the Catalyst analyser and by the reference laboratory method called an ion selective electrode (ISE), while another 72 paired samples were tested on both the VetStat analyser and by ISE. The clinical effects of any difference in the electrolyte results were investigated.
Sam Fowlie, corresponding author for the paper, said: “Our results indicate that the sodium, potassium and therefore the sodium-to-potassium ratios, as well as the chloride concentrations measured by the Catalyst and VetStat analysers may not be used interchangeably with those from a reference laboratory analyser using an indirect ISE method. Both analysers tended to give higher results than the reference method for all analytes, except for potassium when measured on the VetStat.”
The clinical relevance of the disagreement between these methods was investigated by assessing how often the point-of-care analysers produced results which fell outside their reference range when the ISE method found them to be within reference and vice versa. For the Catalyst, there were 21 cases (6%) with discordant sodium results, 27 cases (8%) with discordant potassium results and 46 cases (14%) with discordant chloride results. The VetStat, meanwhile produced results which disagreed with the ISE method in 19 cases (26%) for sodium, 3 cases (4%) for potassium measurement and 9 cases (13%) for chloride analysis.
Nicola Di Girolamo, Editor of JSAP added: “This study reveals significant systematic differences (“bias”) between the three analysers in this study. Comparing numerical results from different analytical methods – be they point-of-care or reference laboratories – can be dangerous for patients. Clinicians should always use method specific thresholds and, if these are not available (for example the sodium-to-potassium ratios on some analysers), then they should exercise greater caution in their interpretation.”
The full article can be found in the October issue of the Journal of Small Animal Practice and be read online here, open access: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.13205.
Reference
Photo: Ian Ramsey
Christine said: "Tests conducted by the Animal and Plant Health Agency have confirmed that the virus responsible for COVID-19 has been detected in a pet cat in England.
"This is a very rare event with infected animals detected to date only showing mild clinical signs and recovering within in a few days.
"There is no evidence to suggest that pets directly transmit the virus to humans. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and will update our guidance to pet owners should the situation change."
Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at Public Health England, said: "This is the first case of a domestic cat testing positive for COVID-19 in the UK but should not be a cause for alarm.
"The investigation into this case suggest that the infection was spread from humans to animal, and not the other way round. At this time, there is no evidence that pets can transmit the disease to humans.
The pet cat was initially diagnosed by a vet with feline herpes virus, but the sample was also tested for SARS-CoV-2 as part of a research programme at the Centre for Virus Research at Glasgow University. Follow-up samples tested at the APHA laboratory in Weybridge confirmed the cat was also co-infected with SARS-CoV2 , the virus known to cause COVID-19 in humans.
BSAVA advice for practising vets about coronavirus is here and further information about testing is available here.
The system consists of a number of small wireless sensors which are placed in each fridge and which transmit data to a base station. It records a temperature history for each fridge, transmitting the data in real time to secure cloud storage, from where it can provide reports on the changing temperature in each fridge for compliance and regulatory purposes.
RemoteM is self-installed and battery operated, and it transmits data using the mobile phone network, so it is not reliant on a power source or working internet connection. Temperature alarms can be sent to one or more recipients, using email, automated voice calls or SMS.
Dalehead Veterinary Group, which has practices in Settle, Bentham and Gisburn, began trialling the RemoteM system almost a year ago.
Dalehead has six fridges at its Settle practice. Before installing RemoteM, practice staff needed to record daily readings of fridge temperatures, taken at different times of the day. As well as being a time-consuming process, it risked being inaccurate, as simple in-fridge monitors do not record all fluctuations in temperature.
Practice Manager Emma Spence said: "RemoteM has already saved us at least £4,000.
"One of our small animal vaccine fridges failed overnight, and the instant alarm meant we were able to respond immediately, with our on-call vet moving the stock to another fridge without risk of deterioration. At various times of year when we can have high values of stock in individual large fridges, this could have been even more critical."
The practice says the system has also proved useful in alerting staff to fluctuating temperatures in warm summer months, helping to ensure that vaccines and medicines are used in optimum condition.
For this reason, RemoteM sensors are also used outside fridges to monitor stock held at ambient temperatures, where the alarm trigger is set at 25 degrees to ensure stock does not exceed manufacturers' recommended storage temperature limits.
Another benefit of the system has been that Dalehead's insurer has said that with RemoteM, it is happy for the practice to continue to use its older fridges, instead of stipulating that they are replaced every three years.
So, it's not just saving the practice money, then. It's helping reduce pollution too.
For more information, call 0330 223 4553, email: info@remotem.co.uk or visit: www.remotem.co.uk.
Reporting into Chief Veterinary Officer Paul Higgs, Tara will focus on the development of the role of veterinary nurses in CVS.
The role of CVNO at CVS was previously held for a two year term.
CVS says this appointment of a permanent CVNO is to ensure greater continuity in veterinary nurse representation during an important phase of the company's development.
Paul said: “I am excited to welcome Tara into this role to ensure we continue to champion the role of veterinary nurses in CVS and in the profession as a whole.
“Those that know Tara will recognise she is passionate about the role of RVNs and is well positioned to support and influence the importance of the work they do across our company.”
“I am excited to be working alongside Tara as we engage with our teams and continue to foster the right environment to empower nurses and deliver fantastic clinical care in our practices.”
Tara began veterinary work in Norfolk 23 years ago and she joined CVS Group in 2008 as Head Nurse at a practice in Oxford.
She was one of the first CVS Clinical Directors to come from a nursing background and has since moved on to become Regional Director of practices in Norfolk and Suffolk.
For the study, 2,834 seizure incident cases were identified from a population of 455,553 dogs attending VetCompass participating practices in 2013.
The study found that that approximately 1 in 160 dogs under first opinion veterinary care are affected by seizures every year.
Many of those dogs will have underlying epilepsy, defined as dogs with two or more unprovoked seizures at least 24 hours apart. Seizures can be secondary to idiopathic epilepsy, structural epilepsy or epilepsy of unknown cause.
Until now, however, there has been little information on the classifications of seizures, diagnostic approaches, or clinical management of dogs with seizures in the veterinary first opinion population.
The main findings from the research were:
Dr Dan O’Neill, Senior Lecturer in Companion Animals Epidemiology at the RVC, and author of the paper, said: "Watching your dog undergo a seizure can be an incredibly scary moment for any dog owner. It is really important that dogs that seizure are rapidly diagnosed to decide whether they need no further treatment beyond careful monitoring or alternatively require a clinical work-up to define the cause of the seizures.
"There are now some excellent treatments for many seizure-related diseases. This study helps up to understand the current state of play for seizure management in dogs and identifies opportunities for improved care of these affected dogs."
The full paper is freely available from Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine and can be accessed here:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jvim.15911
Presented by Louisa Graham PGcertVPS CertAVP(SAM) MRCVS (pictured right), the webinars offer two hours of CPD credits and can be accessed at: https://www.vitaanimalhealth.com/youtube-activation/
Louisa, who has a passion for internal medicine, mentoring and supporting vets and nurses, has built an online following with whom she shares tips and advice.
Vita has also produced two webinars for cat owners which include advice on how to spot signs of OA in cats, when to seek veterinary care and practical tips on how to reduce feline stress.
Vet nurses are encouraged to share these webinars with their clients as a learning tool and source of information.
All entrants to the survey will also be able to enter a draw to win a £50 Amazon voucher.
Jenny Langridge (pictured), Editor of Veterinary Woman, said: “This is our third annual survey and we are seeking the opinions of both Veterinary Woman readers and the wider professions to highlight the key issues affecting women in the veterinary sector.
"We’re not just asking questions, we’re offering veterinary professionals a chance to take part in an ongoing conversation about the very real issues that women face in the veterinary workplace.
"The more diverse the information we can collate about these topics, the more we can work towards achieving changes that help for women to thrive in the professions.”
All data and responses will remain strictly anonymous.
https://bit.ly/vet-woman-readership-survey
There are nine candidates standing in this year’s election for VN Council, the voting period for which will open on the week commencing Monday 14 March and close at 5pm on Friday 22 April 2022.
The candidates are:
The full biographies and manifesto statements for each candidate are available to read at: www.rcvs.org.uk/who-we-are/vn-council/vn-council-election-2022/
To submit a question to the candidates, email: vnvote22@rcvs.org.ukor post it on the RCVS Twitter account (@theRCVS) using the hashtag #vnvetvote22.
Candidates will then be asked to record a short video of themselves answering two questions of their choice which will be published when the election starts.
You have until Monday 21 February 2022 to submit your question.
In an internal study, Royal Canin found that Pill Assist Cat achieved over 91% pill acceptance.
Pill Assist Cat is enriched with vitamins and prebiotics to support a cat’s recovery, and each treat contains only three calories.
Elisabete Capitao, Royal Canin Veterinary Marketing Manager said: "We know that getting cats to take pills can be quite a challenge even for the most experienced pet owners! A quarter of owners leave the veterinary clinic with oral medication for their cat, but 40% find giving pills to their cat complicated. Pill Assist Cat makes giving cats medication easy and takes the stress out of pill time."
Royal Canin says Pill Assist Cat is suitable for most types of medication, from worming tablets to medication for an illness.
The Veterinary Nursing School was commended for its excellent Quality Improvement initiatives.
The RCVS’s Knowledge Awards celebrate achievements in the veterinary profession for initiatives that use Quality Improvement methods that lead to better patient outcomes and system performance and enhanced professional development opportunities.
The School of Veterinary Nursing at the RVC was applauded for how it has incorporated Quality Improvement initiatives into its post-registration qualifications.
For example, teaching students how to write a Knowledge Summary, how to design, plan and carry out a clinical audit proposal and how to conduct and reflect on the results of an audit as well as running group discussions and knowledge-sharing sessions.
Perdi Welsh, Director of Veterinary Nursing, Principal Teaching Fellow and Course Director for Certificates in Advanced Veterinary Nursing at the RVC, said: “This award is important to us because it demonstrates how increased professional development opportunities can shape innovation in clinical practice and how RVNs can be perfect role models for all aspects of clinical governance, and evidence-based practice.”
Interestingly, the survey of 2000 people found that men were 11% more likely than women to change their veterinary surgery if they didn't like the look of the masks. There were also geographical variations in the levels of concern about masks, with Londoners (48%) and people from the South West (46%), the North East (41%) and the West Midlands (41%) being most concerned.
Still, there is some consolation for any practice that is using sub standard masks: 78% of UK adults wouldn’t know how to tell if a face mask was fake.
However, 26% of respondents said they would ask their vet to prove their medical grade face mask meets the certified standard and 22% of pet owners said they would expect their vet to wear a medical grade face mask during routine checkups for the foreseeable future.
James Kinsella, Director at Bluetree Group, said: “During such an unprecedented time, it’s no surprise that people are worried about the use of face masks. It is clear that the public has strong feelings about the quality of face masks in practices, with a third of pet owners saying they are worried about the standard of their vet’s face mask. It’s encouraging to see that where expectations are not met, people will seek an alternative.
"The majority of people admit they would not be able to identify a fake face mask, however it is encouraging that a third of those we spoke to would have the confidence to take action and change their vet if they didn’t think their face mask was up to standard."
For more information on Bluetree Group’s face masks, visit: https://bluetreemaskbox.co.uk.
In particular, the association says it is looking for people with expertise in the following areas:
VMG President Rich Casey (pictured right) said: “During the last two years alone, we have launched a new suite of ILM-accredited Award in Veterinary Leadership and Management (AVLM) qualifications, together with our evidence-based Leadership Standards Framework.
"We have also announced our intent to support the specific needs of our members more closely through our own congress and other initiatives, as well as helping to guide the wider veterinary profession through the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
“We’re proud of what we have achieved so far but we have much more to do.
'We are looking for several new directors with specific skills to help us offer the highest level of support we can to our members in 2023 and beyond.”
The deadline for applications is 3 October 2022.
https://vetmg.com/vmg-new-director-search
The webinar will be presented by Marge Chandler DVM, MS, MANZCVS, DACVIM (SAIM, Nutrition), MRCVS and Dr Michael Lappin DVM, PhD, DACVIM.
Marge is an independent consultant in small animal nutrition and internal medicine and Chair of the FEDIAF Scientific Advisory Committee, founding member of the European Veterinary Nutrition Educators Group, and Co-Chair of the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee.
Michael is the Kenneth W. Smith Professor in Small Animal Clinical Veterinary Medicine and Director of the Center for Companion Animal Studies at Colorado State University. He is on the editorial board of Feline Medicine and Surgery and Compendium on Continuing Education for the Practicing Veterinarian and is the editor of the textbook, Feline Internal Medicine Secrets.
The webinar will discuss the value supplements can offer to pets who are already on complete diets, how supplements are regulated and the importance of quality control.
The session will also cover the challenges for vet nurses in selecting supplements for their clinical practice, what factors can determine the choice of supplement, and how you can critically evaluate the evidence supporting a supplement.
Marge and Michael will also provide tips for communicating the benefits of supplements to clients.
Daniel Rodes Moltó of the Purina Institute said: “We are pleased to offer this interactive webinar on how to evaluate and select supplements using an evidence-based approach in a non-promotional setting.
"Webinar attendees are welcome to submit questions for our speakers in advance and to ask questions during the live event, which promises to be an enjoyable and lively session supporting the aim of improving the lives of pets.”
https://webapp.spotme.com/login/eventspace/CollaborativeCareMay2023
The veterinary group is stumping up more than £100,000 for the initiative, which will enable 20 vets and nurses, and 56 new grads from across the group to work with the Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) and other overseas animal charities.
The grants are for £1,500 and those taking part will also get up to one week of paid time off work whilst they volunteer.
VetPartners CEO Jo Malone said: “We wanted to support colleagues to have a fantastic experience while improving their skills in a different environment.
"It will give people a chance to use their clinical skills to give back to charities which are doing great work.
“If you’re working in a veterinary practice in Europe, you have support from team members around you and great facilities and equipment compared to the more challenging conditions working for a charity overseas.
"Working in these more challenging environments while they are volunteering will help build resilience, as our team members are unlikely to have experienced anything like this before.
“Charities like the World Veterinary Service are working ethically to help animals that may or may not have ever had veterinary care, and are doing a great job so we are delighted to support them.”
Avonvale’s nurse dental champions are RVNs who have a special interest in dentistry. They receive additional career development and training, both in-house and via webinars. They also attend practical workshops.
They also get training and support materials from specialists at Eastcott Referrals, in Swindon.
They're then tasked with educating colleagues and clients about dental care and disease prevention.
Nurse dental champion, Jasmin Legge (picture right), said: "We increase owners' knowledge of what dental treatments can be performed at Avonvale and highlight the welfare benefits of dentistry to them.
"We give our patients a free consultation and take a look to see if they have any dental issues.
"If we believe they do, they will be referred to a vet for this to be confirmed and for them to assess what work is needed.
"We are also able to carry out scale and polishes on animals and we follow this up with educational post-dental checks, giving advice to owners on how to maintain good dental hygiene.
"Dental disease is a common problem and can cause misery for a lot of pets, which is why we want to do all we can to help alleviate the problem and to educate owners on how they can play their part.
"Here at Avonvale, when you have a particular area of interest, you are given amazing opportunities to help develop it. Nurse dental champions are a prime example of this."
Dan, who is a novice runner, will be running the 13.1 miles between Newcastle and South Shields on Sunday 12 September. He said: “You’d think that lockdown would be the perfect opportunity to train hard and then breeze through the ‘world’s biggest and best half marathon’ but, perhaps like many others, I ate cheese and drank wine for 18 months, so the challenge is now really on.
“I’m raising funds to help save the rhino because the conservation of these magnificent animals is so important and I hope the added pressure of supporting the charity will propel me across the finish line. I’m also excited to be running in Newcastle at a time when Medivet is growing its presence in the North-East of England.
“Running in the rhino suit will be tough but it has an internal fan which I hope will keep me cool on the day. Let’s hope the weather will be kind!”
Donations to support Dan's fundraising can be made at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DanSutcliffe1