26 Jul 2021
RCVS standards detail professional values, knowledge, skills and behaviours that need to be met by any body responsible for training SVNs.
Paul Imrie
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A set of standards detailing how SVNs should be educated and trained has been published by the RCVS.
The updated standards document details professional values, knowledge, skills and behaviours that have to be met by any body responsible for training future VNs.
Available to view online, the document applies to awarding bodies and higher education institutions setting VN curricula. Centres delivering the courses, such as further education colleges, and affiliated RCVS-approved training practices where SVNs are placed must also follow the standards.
Feedback from stakeholders fed into the process, with the updated standards approved by RCVS VN council in February. As with its predecessor, six key overarching standards feature:
The standards framework pulls together separate guidance that had been in place for awarding organisations, centres and training practices, and should allow for greater flexibility for how training can be delivered.
Julie Dugmore, RCVS director of veterinary nursing, said: “During 2020, accreditations and quality monitoring audits were conducted against the RCVS Standards Framework for Veterinary Nurse Education and Training. Feedback from all involved was positive, but reflected a need for clarification in some areas and further examples to assist with evidencing compliance.
“Since February 2021, four accreditations have been conducted against the updated standards, the results of which demonstrate a positive move towards the outcomes-based approach to accreditation and quality monitoring.”
The full standards are online now.
