Partnership to deliver postgraduate courses for small animal vets

Posted 17 October 2012

Small animal veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses are set to benefit from two new Harper Adams University College awards, being delivered in conjunction with industry partners. 

The Postgraduate Certificate (PgC) in Small Animal Surgery and PgC in Small Animal Medicine have been developed in partnership with Improve International, a company with 14 years' experience of providing high quality Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses to veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and veterinary practice managers. 

The second partner is The European School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ESVPS), which already accredits and awards General Practitioner Certificate examinations for the veterinary sector, and has worked with Harper Adams to develop the curriculum for the new courses. 

Both PgCs are aimed at veterinary professionals in practice. Students will have been working in practice for two or more years, and have a particular interest in either small animal medicine or small animal surgery. They will typically be employed in practice on a full-time basis, and would therefore be undertaking CPD alongside work.

Emily Chapman Waterhouse, Business Development Manager at Harper Adams, said: "The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons currently states that vets must personally ensure that they maintain and develop the knowledge and skills relevant to their professional practice and competence. The recommended average is 35 hours of CPD per year.

"The new PgC courses in small animal medicine and small animal surgery will entail 21 and 22 taught sessions respectively, over the two years, delivered by Improve International, leading to a final exam. There will also be practical skills assessments, and students will have to prepare a case diary and final case report.”

David Babington, Managing Director of Improve International Ltd, said: “This exciting three-way collaboration will enable vets enrolled on the Improve International training programmes in Small Animal Medicine and Small Animal Surgery to sit a university-supervised examination run by ESVPS as the Assessment Partner.  Successful candidates will then receive a PGCert awarded by Harper Adams University College as well as a General Practitioner Certificate awarded by ESVPS.”

Kay Watson, Director of the European School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies, added: “The rigorous validation process undertaken by Harper Adams together with the University College’s on-going involvement in these programmes ensures that both the teaching elements and the examination processes meet the highest academic standards.” 

Vets throughout the UK are now being sent information about the course, but potential PcG students can also contact Alison Babington at Improve International on 01793 759159 or email alison@improve-international.com 

• Improve International is Europe’s largest provider of post-graduate training to the veterinary profession with a portfolio of 19 modular programmes for vets and activity in 10 different European countries.
• ESVPS is a not-for-profit company established in 2003 with the remit of accrediting veterinary CPD and awarding a range of General Practitioner Certificates (GPCerts) on a Europe-wide basis.