11 Nov 2020
Reece Goldsmith is the first SQP candidate to qualify after studying and sitting exams totally online with Vetpol course.
Vet Times
Job Title
Reece Goldsmith has become the first SQP candidate to graduate after studying and sitting examinations totally online through Vetpol’s training course.
Vetpol, which was appointed an independent regulator of SQPs earlier this year, is the first company in the UK to provide SQP training and exams entirely in a digital format.
The Level 4 SQP qualification has been developed in conjunction with Lantra and is regulated by Ofqual, allowing successful participants to dispense VPS medicines.
People gaining the qualification are able to make appropriate recommendations and must always be aware when to refer to a vet. Mr Goldsmith, based at Shire Stables in Oxfordshire, passed all four course models – companion animal, equine, farm and equine.
He said: “It’s a great course in a very easy to understand and read format. I enjoyed the easy access to the course materials, and being able to log in and see my progress.
“In all honesty, if the course wasn’t online I most likely wouldn’t have done my SQP training. I run a livery yard and a worm counting postal service – I just wouldn’t have had the time to go off and do study weeks, and take more time off to do the exams.”
Vetpol had always chosen to provide an online course, but the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has brought online studying to the fore across the profession.
Caroline Johnson, director of Vetpol, said: “Our fully online course will allow people to still gain the qualifications they need during these difficult times.
“Our awarding body Lantra offers online proctored exams, which mean they’re invigilated remotely. This means that people don’t even need to travel for exams, which can be stressful enough, even without the added disturbance of a pandemic.”
