22 Jul 2021
RCVS coronavirus survey will ask veterinary professionals to provide evidence of how COVID-19 has impacted experiences of working in profession.
Vets and VNs are being asked to contribute evidence of their experiences of COVID-19 on their work for a new survey.
The RCVS has announced it is carrying out a confidential survey that will ask members of the professions questions on the impact of the pandemic in areas such as hours worked, shift patterns, caring responsibilities, homeschooling, self-isolation and other pandemic-related factors.
It will also ask them to sum up their experiences of the pandemic – for example, in how well supported they felt by employers, mental health impact, work-life balance, and stress and anxiety levels.
Access to PPE, remote consultations, experience of in-person consultations, safety and impact on caseload will also be probed.
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS chief executive, said: “While our previous six coronavirus impact surveys have involved taking a snapshot of the more immediate situation for veterinary businesses at the various different stages of the crisis, this survey is about taking a deeper, retrospective look at the impact on the personal and professional lives of our members in the past year-and-a-half.
Ms Lockett added: “We know that it has been an extremely tough period of time for the professions, and that our veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses have carried on doing their vital work for animal health and welfare, while under considerable personal and professional worry and strain.”
“We would strongly encourage people to engage with the survey as it will help us at the RCVS to gain a deeper understanding of your experiences, help us to respond to any future waves of the pandemic, supply evidence to Government about any impact to support future guidance changes and capture a snapshot of this historic period.”
The online survey is conducted on behalf of the RCVS by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) and will run until Monday 23 August 2021. Emails containing the link to the survey will be sent by the IES to all vets and VNs in the UK for whom the RCVS holds an email address.
Anyone who has not received an email by Monday 26 July 2021 can email Sara Butcher, IES project support officer.
Regular reminder emails will be sent to those who have not yet participated.
