12 May 2022
Three models – all of which came from a meeting of key stakeholders – have been suggested, with viable proposals to be presented later this month.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
A report outlining three possible models for the future provision of student EMS has been released by the RCVS today (12 May).
The options, all suggested at a stakeholder day held in November, will now be worked up into viable proposals and action plans to go before the RCVS education committee later this month.
“The Future of EMS” event featured practising vets, students, new graduates, employers, vet schools and member bodies, and covered the benefits and challenges of EMS and its longer-term sustainability.
Three models emerged from the event and have now been made public by the RCVS. These were:
EMS was badly affected by COVID-19, when restrictions made placements difficult, but the college said students mostly found placements a valuable element of their studies. A pre-pandemic RCVS survey of students found 75% of respondents were happy with the current level of EMS.
But stakeholder feedback and evaluations in the past few years raised concerns about EMS implementation, including consistency of quality of the student experience, availability, cost of placements and instances of discrimination faced by students on placements.
Linda Prescott-Clements, RCVS director of education, said: “We are aware of the challenges that EMS places on students and providers, and understand that, for many students, the placements can impact them financially.
“As well as addressing these issues, we also want to make sure the implementation of EMS is sustainable in the longer-term and continues to provide valuable experience for students.
“The EMS stakeholder event was an opportunity for people from across the veterinary professions to come together to discuss the benefits and issues with the current systems, and put forward suggestions for what future models of EMS could look like.
“We know that, for so many students, EMS is an integral part of their veterinary school experience and, as a result of the discussions at the event and further consideration within RCVS education committees, we will soon have proposals for future models of EMS to share with the profession in the form of an action plan.”
The full report is available on the RCVS website.
