The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has initiated a consultation on its standards framework for veterinary nurse training, as part of a regular review process, in order to ensure that the standards remain up-to-date and fit for purpose.
The framework, titled “Standards Framework for Veterinary Nurse Education and Training,” outlines the professional values, skills, and behaviors required of approved educational institutions (AEIs), their delivery sites, and the training practices (TPs) that provide training and support to student veterinary nurses.
This framework undergoes a review every five years by the RCVS. The purpose of this review is to ensure that AEIs, delivery sites and TPs have the structures to best provide contemporary and innovative approaches to education for student veterinary nurses, while being accountable for the local delivery and management of accredited programmes.
The new draft framework includes updates relating to sustainability, including the potential impact of delivering veterinary nurse training on the environment, and academic integrity, for example, around assessment and moderation processes.
The consultation is open until 5pm on Wednesday, 3 April 2024, and all members of the veterinary team – including RVNs, student veterinary nurses and veterinary surgeons – can take part in order to provide detailed feedback on each of the six core standards and each of individual requirements within these standards.
A PDF version of the new draft Standards Framework is available to download at www.rcvs.org.uk/consultations, where it is also available to read in a web page format. You can take the survey here.
For any inquiries or further information on how to respond to the survey, the RCVS Veterinary Nursing Team can be reached at vetnursing@rcvs.org.uk.