Author Archives: Alison German

Korean Education Mission Visits CAW Huntingdon!

A team from the Korea Employment Information Service (KEIS) visited The College of Animal Welfare on 4 September 2013, on a fact finding mission to learn about veterinary nursing in the UK.

 

From left to right are Mark Hedberg, Short Course Manager (CAW), Yang Jeong-Yeol, General Director (KEIS), Dr Kim Gyun, Associate Research Fellow (KEIS), Dr Kim Dongkyu, Research Fellow (KEIS), Barbara Cooper, Principal (CAW), and Leslie Heaton-Smith, Marketing and Development Director (CAW).

The KEIS team is investigating vocational training and employment opportunities to improve the South Korean economy. CAW would like to wish them all the best in their remaining time in the United Kingdom, and continued success for their mission!

Winter 2013 RCVS OSCE Examination Information

If you are looking to take your RCVS Veterinary Nursing Practical (OSCE) Exams this winter (29 November to 1 December), then you may apply to do so at our Huntingdon centre in Cambridgeshire (Exam Centre number 01).

Exam application forms can be downloaded here.

Directions to our Huntingdon centre can be found here. There is free parking on site (subject to availability) and is only a five minute taxi journey from Huntingdon railway station.

July OSCE Success for CAW Veterinary Nursing Students

We are delighted to confirm that 94% of CAW students that took the RCVS Summer Practical (OSCE) Examinations achieved a pass; this is well above the national pass rate of 77%.

We would like to give personal recognition to Emily Philpot of Highcliff Veterinary Practice in Brantham who achieved full marks in all twelve OSCEs which is a fantastic achievement!

City & Guilds OSCE results were also very pleasing with seven of the nine students achieving a pass.

Well done to all students involved.

RCVS Operational Board: blanket acceptable for transportation of injured dog

The veterinary profession’s reaction to the outcome of the recent disciplinary hearing into Mr M Chikosi was discussed by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ new Operational Board at its first meeting, on 26 July.

The hearing had found Munhuwepasi Chikosi guilty of unreasonably delaying attending a dog that had been run over at a farm, and of unnecessarily causing her to remain in pain and suffering for at least an hour.

The Disciplinary Committee (DC) had directed that Mr Chikosi’s name be removed from the Register for serious professional misconduct; the appeal window now being closed and no appeal having been made, this has been done.

Speaking on behalf of the Board, President Neil Smith said: “We fully support the decision taken by the independent Disciplinary Committee with regard to the Chikosi hearing, with one comment requiring clarification: the issue of whether a blanket can be used to move an injured dog. We consider that it is acceptable, in most cases, to transport an injured dog with the aid of a blanket.

“The profession should be reassured that our Standards Committee [the new name for Advisory Committee] will consider the general issues raised by the Chikosi hearing at its next meeting. This will not be a review of the decision, but form part of the routine consideration of DC hearings made by the Committee to see if they raise issues that require additional guidance and advice.”

‘Sampling Function’ on the NPL Now Available

In addition to the ‘communication tab’ on the Nursing Progress Log (NPL), there is now a ‘sampling function’ available which allows your designated Quality Assurance Supervisor (QAS) to give direct feedback on the NPL in relation to the skills they have sampled.

Your QAS will be auditing the skill to check the following; that any guidance notes have been fully covered; that there is appropriate case referencing throughout; the frequency of activity logging; reflective comments; expert witness information.
If the audit is satisfactory, it will appear on the NPL as:

 

 

If the audit is unsatisfactory, it will appear on the NPL as:

 

Only if the sampling is unsatisfactory, will it appear on the home screen. It will remain there until the relevant experience/information has been added by yourself or your student. Your QAS will re-sample the skill and if all is satisfactory, the status will change to satisfactory and it will be removed from the home screen.

Your QAS will continue to send out NPL Moderation Reports and any sampling of the NPL will be detailed on this report. If you have any questions, please contact your QAS.

The College of Animal Welfare Leadership and Management Bursary 2013

The College of Animal Welfare is delighted to announce the release of 30 bursaries, each with a value of £1000, to support the training of team leaders and managers in veterinary practice.

Leading a team of staff or managing a practice are two of the biggest challenges that exist in the veterinary profession, yet often the training of staff involved in these roles can be overlooked. A practice with a clear direction and goals, assisted by leaders who can really lead their teams towards the achievement of these goals will be one that thrives and can deliver clinical excellence, not once, but to every animal and client every time.

Each awarded bursary can be used towards the College’s new range of Leadership and Management qualifications awarded by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). These qualifications are studied by distance learning and supported by study weekends from the Huntingdon centre in Cambridgeshire.

All applications must be made between 1 August and the 31 December 2013. Applications can be made online or an application form can be requested by email to admin@caw.ac.uk. Full terms and conditions can be found below.

Terms and Conditions
The available bursaries are intended to help towards the cost of further education and training in order to improve the skills and knowledge of practising, or aspiring, team leaders or managers in the veterinary profession. The bursaries aim to aid the efficient operation of their workplace, and ultimately the welfare of animals in their care.

The main criteria for selection of applications is the improvement of workplace skills to allow candidates to fulfil their potential.

1. There are a maximum of 30 bursaries, of £1000 each, available. Applications may be made from 1 August 2013 until 31 December 2013 or until all available bursaries have been awarded.
2. The bursaries may be awarded to qualified veterinary nurses, veterinary surgeons or veterinary practice managers in the UK.
3. The bursaries are to assist with course fees only and not with any other associated costs such as awarding body fees, travel or accommodation.
4. The awarding of bursaries will be carried out by the Principal of The College of Animal Welfare, whose decision is final.
5. Upon completion of the qualification to which the bursary has been awarded, the bursary recipient will be required to complete a brief report.
6. The bursary will be awarded towards either The College of Animal Welfare’s Level 3 Certificate in Leadership and Management or the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management. The qualification must be started by the end of January 2014.

Direct Observations in Practice

City & Guilds now require Quality Assurance Supervisors (QAS) to carry out Direct Observations of Clinical Coaches in the workplace. If all targets are being met by both the student and practice then observations are only required annually. Observations will be carried out during normal annual visits or during placement visits. If your TP is with another Primary Centre, your QAS will liaise with you to arrange a mutually convenient time to visit.

The observation will be based on the QAS observing the Clinical Coach observing a student and giving feedback. The activity can be opening a task (demo/demo back), declaring competency, or as part of the QA scheme. It could also be practice of an OSCE task or completion of a Tutorial.

If you have any questions please contact your QAS.

Congratulations to our Level 3 City & Guilds Dog Grooming Students!

Huge congratulations to our 20 Level 3 City & Guilds Dog Grooming students who sat two exam papers in June and have all passed both papers and all at distinction level! This is a brilliant achievement for all our students and their lecturers, well done everyone!

Enhanced London Grant – Take on an apprentice and get paid £3000!

The Enhanced London AGE 16-24 Grant is a grant of £3000 for London employers who recruit an apprentice aged between 16 -24 years of age. The enhanced Grant comprises of the £1500 available as part of the existing NAS (National Apprenticeship Service) AGE 16 to 24 Grant, which has been matched by another £1500 from the LEP (London Enterprise Panel) to make a total enhanced Grant to eligible employers of £3000!

So if you are an employer who needs a helping hand then why not consider an apprentice? Employers with a London Borough postcode, who have less than 1000 employees and have not employed an apprentice within the last 12 months should be eligible to apply for the grant. And what’s more, The College of Animal Welfare can even help you recruit an apprentice for free – from advertising to setting up interviews for you! To speak to our administration team about this just call us on 01480 422060.

To find out more information surrounding the Grants and to see the terms and conditions please visit the Apprenticeships website

Update (18 September 2013) – Please note this offer is no longer available, however employers may be still able to apply for the £1500 AGE Grant, click here for further details.

Julie Cory has paper published in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour

We are delighted to hear that Julie Cory, veterinary nursing lecturer at our Huntingdon centre, has recently had her first paper published in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour on the comparisons between humans and companion animals (cats and dogs) with regard to age-related cognitive dysfunction (Alzheimers).

Julie first developed a keen interest in behaviour and its links to medical disease, especially neurology, through her job as a veterinary nurse. The paper looks at the development and management of cognitive decline in older animals, comparing this to the suggested risk factors and treatment options available for Alzheimer’s disease.

We are all very proud of Julie, this is an incredible achievement!

An abstract of the paper can be seen here.