Welcome to the RCVS at VMG Congress 2024!

Continuing professional development (CPD) is the process of maintaining and improving your knowledge and skills. It's a professional responsibility and is compulsory for all vets and vet nurses (RVNs) on the RCVS Register. 

In order to help vets and VNs plan, record and reflect on their CPD, we have developed a bespoke 1CPD app, which all veterinary professionals should use to facilitate their learning and development. 
Find out more about CPD and the 1CPD app on our CPD page. 

The RCVS Academy is a free digital learning platform designed to support vets and nurses in meeting professional standards with relevant, interactive, digital learning materials. 

Developed with expertise from across the College, the Academy provides support for students, veterinary nurses and surgeons on topics such as leadership, coaching, resolving complaints, animal ownership and CPD reflection. 
To explore the RCVS Academy and all it has to offer, visit our RCVS Academy site, and login with your RCVS My Account details. 

The Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) is a voluntary initiative that aims to promote and maintain the highest standards of veterinary care by setting standards for practices within the scheme and holding regular assessments to ensure these standards are being met. 

Upon being assessed and joining the scheme, veterinary practices receive ‘RCVS-accredited’ status, which will be at different categories depending on the size and type of practice. Veterinary practices within the scheme can also demonstrate the areas in which they excel by applying for additional PSS awards in fields such as client service and in-patient care. 

Visit our PSS webpage for more information. 

Launched in 2021, the Veterinary Graduate Development Programme (VetGDP) provides a period of structured, work-based support for all new veterinary graduates. 

By focusing on the development of their clinical and professional capabilities, the aim is for graduates to become competent, resilient members of the veterinary team. 

For more on VetGDP, including information on how to become a VetGDP Advisor, visit our dedicated VetGDP webpage.  

The Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) was founded in 2015 with the aim of improving the mental health and wellbeing of the veterinary team. It provides services such as mental health awareness and first-aid training, funds and supports research into veterinary mental health, and tackles mental health stigma through campaigns and awareness-raising. 

Full details of MMI’s current programme of activities can be found on the Mind Matters website. 

You can contact the MMI team via email on [email protected]. 

Interested in the science behind veterinary mental health? 

Discover cutting edge research from our fourth Mind Matters Mental Health Research Symposium via the MMI website, where a report and videos from the day are now available to view.  

VN Futures is a joint initiative led by the RCVS and the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) that aims to ensure veterinary nursing is a vibrant, rewarding and sustainable profession. 
 
Over 2024 a series of face-to-face and online forum sessions will be delivered, exploring a vision for veterinary nursing and team-based healthcare in 2035 and beyond. This is your chance to share your aspirations and shape the future of our profession – so watch out for updates and get involved. 
 
VN Futures have collaborated with the RCVS Academy, to bring nurse-centric courses to the platform, including ‘RVN Starting Out’, Nurse Return, and a Nurse Mentor course due for release later this year. 
 
To find out more, including how you can get involved, visit the VN Futures website.  

The RCVS Leadership project recognises that leadership skills aren’t just for senior management or business owners, but that the skills and knowledge that make good leaders are applicable for all members of the veterinary team, at any level. 

Visit our Leadership Library page for more. 

The RCVS Diversity & Inclusion Group (DIG) steers our work on equality and includes representatives from a number of different groups and associations from across the professions. 

Published in February 2021, the RCVS Diversity & Inclusion Strategy sets out how we are working to help create veterinary professions where everyone can flourish and which have no place for discrimination. The strategy and its six work-streams consider what the RCVS and DIG members can do to improve diversity and inclusion within the veterinary professions at all stages. 

Find out more about the RCVS Diversity & Inclusion Group on the Diversity & Inclusion Group webpage. 

he RCVS has a suite of Honours & Awards for outstanding achievements amongst veterinary professionals, which recognise and celebrate the breadth of achievement across the veterinary sector. These encompass not only veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses, but also students and laypeople contributing to animal health and welfare. 

The nomination period for the RCVS Honours and Awards 2024 is now closed, with this year’s awardees being announced in March 2024. 

For more information, visit our Honours and Awards page. 

The RCVS Fellowship has existed for nearly 150 years and aims to advance veterinary standards by providing a resource of independent knowledge for the benefit of the veterinary professions through its role as a thriving learned society. There are over 500 Fellows, from GPs to specialist researchers, all contributing to veterinary medicine.  

Visit our Fellowship page for more information, including on how to apply and current activities.  

We offer two postgraduate qualifications – one for veterinary surgeons (CertAVP) and one for veterinary nurses (CertAVN) – for the further development of skills and qualifications in specific areas of practice. 

For more information, including a full list of modules and providers, visit our postgraduate qualifications page. 

RCVS Knowledge is the charity partner of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. It is an independent charity sitting at the heart of the veterinary professions with a mission to advance the quality of care for the benefit of animals, the public and society. 

To find out more about RCVS Knowledge and how it can support you, visit the RCVS Knowledge website.