FAQs

No, vehicles are not premises, but you must maintain a record of vehicles in which medicines are stored or kept (the record should be held at the main veterinary practice premises in accessible form).

Veterinary surgeons who do not also hold an appropriate veterinary nursing qualification may not apply for registration as a veterinary nurse. Please contact our Registration Team who will assist you to register as a veterinary surgeon on  020 7202 0707 or [email protected].

This indicates that you have no fee to pay. Either your practice may already have paid your fee, or your fee may have been collected by Direct Debit. This may also be due to a previous credit you had on your account.

If in doubt, please check with your practice or contact the RCVS Finance Department on 020 7202 0722 or [email protected].

Yes, you can sign up for the VetGDP. Please ensure that you have a VetGDP Adviser in place to support you. 

Awards, by their very nature, are reliant on performing ‘business as usual’ to an excellent standard.

In these uncertain times, it is unlikely the majority of practices are operating normally, and with that in mind, PSG and the Covid Taskforce have decided to temporarily suspend new awards applications, until February 2021, when the situation will be reviewed in light of the latest government guidance on social distancing and the situation with the pandemic.

If you intend to work as a veterinary nurse in the UK, you must register with the RCVS.  In most cases, applicants complete assessment requirements within 6 to 12 months.

Yes you can, as long as you can spend at least an hour a week with the graduate and be available to provide support. 

Yes – all veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses listed on the RCVS Register must complete the minimum CPD requirement of 35 hours per year for veterinary surgeons and 15 hours per year for veterinary nurses, regardless of whether they are working full-time or part-time.

This applies equally to vets approaching retirement who may carry out only a small number of veterinary duties and procedures each year. If you are on the Register as a practising veterinary surgeon, you must fulfil your CPD obligations, regardless of how many hours you work so that you remain up to date.

The remote assessment process will be starting with practices whose assessments were due in March, April and May 2020 and then gradually catching up with other overdue assessments. There will therefore be an impact on the assessments that were originally due over the coming months.

We cannot say for certain yet when your assessment will be held, but we will contact you with sufficient notice (at least one month in advance).

You will need to send a request to extend your enrolment period in a letter to the Veterinary Nursing department, along with a letter of support from your college and the principal of your training practice (if applicable). Requests are looked at on a case by case basis. The current one-year extension fee (2021) is £90.