22 Aug 2024
Five focus group sessions are planned during September and October, and vets are being urged to secure their places now.
Vets are being urged to have their say on the development of new clinical career pathways at a new series of focus groups beginning early next month.
Five sessions are being planned during September and October in the latest phase of the project launched by the RCVS earlier this year.
Most of the discussions will take place online, although a specific in-person event for farm clinicians is planned for the BCVA Congress in Newport in mid-October.
The project is divided into three main areas – the definition of clinical roles, development of more accessible routes to specialist training and specialist primary care training.
But college director of education Linda Prescott-Clements stressed it wanted to encourage the expression of a broad range of views around the three workstreams.
She said: “Given the large-scale nature of the VCCP [veterinary clinical careers pathways] project, we are keen to make sure that stakeholders from all backgrounds are able to have their voices heard.
“We are aiming to make the focus groups as interactive as possible, to ensure maximum engagement and productive discussion.
“The current proposals are not a done deal and should be considered as more of an idea framework.
“It is important that we hear from a wide range of practitioners on this and allow for an environment that will allow the project to grow and evolve in a productive manner.”
The first session, which is specifically for independent and/or rural vets, is planned for Wednesday 4 September online, between noon and 2pm. Subsequent discussions are scheduled as follows:
Places at the four online events can be secured online via a dedicated Eventbrite web page. Officials say places are limited and priority will be given to clinicians who have not attended previous sessions.
