CPD for Vets and Veterinary Nurses

Renowned German philosopher Albert Einstein once said: “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” Learning is a never ending process and a fundamental part of what it takes to be a successful practicing vet or veterinary nurse. This article provides a simple overview on veterinary CPD, the various industry requirements, as well recording your CPD development.

What is CPD for Vets?

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for vets and veterinary nurses focuses on developing an individual’s knowledge and skill set for the benefit of a person’s own career, their employer and the public. It ensures that individuals keep pace with industry standards, provides enhanced job security and enables progress into different areas of their field which may lead to positions to manage, mentor and influence others.

Veterinary CPD is more than just attending large conferences and completing online courses from the comfort of your own home. It’s about continuing your professional learning by applying productive methods to maintain your competence and using both formal and informal learning to retain a consistent set of high quality, relevant skills and knowledge throughout your working life.

Progression should be based around independent (informal learning) or interactive, participation-based (formal learning) which can cover activities ranging from in-house training to attending seminars to shadowing a fellow professional in your own practice. According to Varun Mehta of the London School of Business and Finance, CPD will only be effective if it is linked to a personal development strategy which involves establishing objectives for short and long-term progression with a tailored and goal-specific plan.

Continuing Professional Development in the Veterinary industry

Continued learning results in superior growth, so if you want to achieve greater success in your veterinary career, CPD for vets is essential. Veterinary professionals need to maintain records of their learning activity with an evident perspective on the knowledge or skills they have acquired, along with a clear linkage to their profession. This flexible and independent form of CPD for vets and veterinary nurses gives individuals the opportunity to discover what learning approach best suits them and the ability to adapt to different surroundings and situations.

Not only will CPD safeguard the public and your employer, it will also enhance your own level of protection and offer a positive reminder of your achievements and evolution. Never underestimate the power of self-confidence or the motivation to keep bettering yourself.

A positive approach to CPD is a fantastic showcase for veterinary practices as it enhances their reputation among customers and clients, and is more likely to attract a higher calibre of employee. Embedding a healthy learning culture ensures that standards throughout the practice remain consistently high and will improve employee retention as veterinary staff will feel valued and better able to move with the trends and shifts in this fast-moving environment.

RCVS CPD requirements

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons in the UK and as of January 2020, they have made it mandatory for all vets and veterinary nurses to engage in CPD. Vets will need to undertake a minimum of 105 hours of CPD in any three-year period with an average of 35 hours per year, whilst veterinary nurses must complete a minimum of 45 hours of CPD in any three-year period with an average of 15 hours per year.”

Despite this obligatory requirement, it shouldn’t be overlooked that at the heart of veterinary CPD is the personal responsibility of individuals to keep their capabilities up-to-date so that they can deliver a professional service to their customers, clients and the community, as well as match the expectations of their profession.

CPD for Vets – Keeping your record

Be sure to keep a learning log and record your thoughts in whatever way suits you best. You can’t review your experiences properly without recording them. Write your thoughts down about what you learned, what insights it gave you and what you might have done differently. The process of writing makes you think about your experiences at the time and makes planning and future reflection easier.

CPD for vets and veterinary nurses should focus on outputs instead of inputs. You should think about how you’ve actually applied this new learning and how this supports you, your team and/or organisation.

You’ll need to set a date in advance for review of the objectives you’ve set yourself. You can either do this from one review to the next or decide to review regularly – once every three, six or 12 months. Effective CPD for vets should include a mix of both formal training events and informal learning.

Managing your CPD using the CPD Cycle

The CPD Cycle is a very practical tool that helps structure your annual CPD plan, learning objectives and outcomes, so that the training you undertake is suitable and worthwhile for your ongoing Continuing Professional Development requirements. Using the CPD Cycle can help you become a more competent professional, whilst making it easy for you to manage your CPD learning effectively and keep up to date with industry developments. Read more about the CPD Cycle.

Veterinary CPD courses

If you an individual looking to complete Veterinary CPD courses and events relevant to your individual Continuing Professional Development requirements, please visit our CPD Courses Catalogue, or alternatively see a full range of CPD providers who are experts in their particular fields from across the industries.

CPD accreditation for Veterinary courses and events

We hope this article was helpful. Established in 1996, The CPD Certification Service has over 27 years’ experience providing CPD accreditation. With members in over 100 countries, our CPD providers benefit from the ability to promote themselves as part of an international community where quality is both recognised and assured.

If you are interested in offering training courses, seminars, workshops, eLearning, or educational events suitable for Continuing Professional Development, please visit the Become a CPD Provider page or contact our team to discuss in more detail. Alternatively, if you are looking for a free online CPD record tool to help manage, track and log your ongoing learning, as well as store your professional training records and attendance certificates in one simple place, go to the myCPD Portal page.