25 Jan 2021
College adjusts timeline on training for its Veterinary Graduate Development Programme to take into account workloads in worsening pandemic.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
The RCVS has adjusted requirements on its flagship Veterinary Graduate Development Programme (VetGDP) to allow practices an additional six months to meet necessary criteria.
Central to the VetGDP is for all practices wanting to take on new graduates to commit to becoming RCVS-approved graduate development practices. This would effectively see a national network of advisors in participating practices with the necessary training in place to mentor the next generation of qualified, practising vets.
However, in view of the worsening COVID-19 pandemic, and the stresses this is putting on veterinary workplaces and workforces, the college has extended the time frame practices have to achieve the status and meet the requirements from June 2021 to December 2021.
The VetGDP is being rolled out throughout 2021 to replace the Professional Development Phase and provide a structured support to aid in the transition of newly registered vets to life in the workplace.
But with new lockdowns in place, and veterinary professionals not enjoying key worker status unless they work in food supply, many practices are facing workplace pressures, with many individuals having to juggle home schooling and work responsibilities.
Linda Prescott-Clements, RCVS director of education, said: “The ongoing pandemic restrictions, specifically changes made by the Government to veterinary professionals’ key worker status on 13 January, means there are now significant additional pressures on practice teams – particularly in terms of staffing, as many members of the profession will be balancing their work with caring responsibilities. We recognise this and, as such, we have updated the time frame for the completion of our training for VetGDP advisors.
“Therefore, instead of VetGDP advisors needing to have fully completed the online training before the new graduate joins the workplace, we now require that the training has been started and is being actively engaged with, and will be completed as soon as circumstances allow.
“For 2021, we therefore expect that VetGDP advisors will have completed their training by the end of December 2021. We also expect that graduates will be supported during their first months in practice, while vets are completing the online training.”
Ms Prescott-Clements added 850 vets have so far registered their interest in becoming VetGDP advisors, and three workshops are planned in February to provide members of the professions with information on the scheme.
These take place on:
Full details of the workshops are available online.
