RCVS wants more female Fellows

The RCVS Fellowship Board is welcoming applications to join the board under one of the three routes to entry – meritorious contribution to clinical practice, to knowledge or to the profession.

But four weeks ahead of the closing of Monday 15 February 2021, the board is particularly keen to see more female applicants, as less than a third of successful applicants have been from women since the fellowship’s launch in 2016.

Uptick

Mary Fraser – an academic based at the University of Stirling, and the RCVS Fellowship Board member for projects and engagement – said: “We have seen a remarkable uptick in the number of people joining the fellowship – including women – over the past few years since it was redeveloped and relaunched.

“However, there is still quite a stark imbalance between men and women, both in terms of the current composition of the fellowship and those who are currently applying.

“While this may, in part, reflect the age and career stage of those who tend to apply to join the fellowship, the profession has been majority female for some time now, and so to help the fellowship to be more representative of – and remain relevant to – the profession at large, we would be really keen on more women applying to join.”

Improve diversity

RCVS president Mandisa Greene added: “I am really encouraged to see this effort to improve diversity within the fellowship. It is important this learned body encourages women, and others from backgrounds that may currently be under-represented, to apply so it can begin to reflect more evenly the demographics within our profession and society at large.”

The full list of requirements for applying for the fellowship, including the criteria for the three specific routes, can be found on the RCVS website along with application forms and supporting documentation.