FAQs

For those graduates who have started their VetGDP before 2024 we suggest a time limit of 12-18 months, but your record shows that you have three years to complete the programme. For those who start the VetGDP after 1 January 2024 there is an 18 month time limit. If you feel you may need longer than this, please talk to us in plenty of time. You can contact [email protected]

If nothing except the owner, or the practice name, is changing and the staff and the operational running of the practice is remaining the same then you do not need to re-register. You only need to advise us of the new ownership/practice details. The registration for the premises will continue and you will be sent a reminder for the next year’s fee to that address.

You will require a new registration if the staff, management and/or the operational running of the business is changing. 

Yes, if you move your practice to new premises, you need to submit a registration application for the new premises and pay the £35 fee. It is not possible to transfer registration between premises. The new premises must be registered before any storage or supply of veterinary medicines takes place.

If you are in the Practice Standards Scheme, your accreditation will not be transferred to the new premises. Your new premises will need to make an application to join the Scheme.

You will also need to close the premises you are moving from, please complete the Register of Veterinary Practice Premises Removal Form (see the 'Related documents' box below).

If you have a Direct Debit set up to pay your annual veterinary practice premises fee please ensure you cancel this with your bank and set up a new one using your new registration number. 

As stated, the PSS has been approved by the VMD to uphold all the requirements of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013. As such, this means the medicines element of your accreditation is written in legislation and is a legal requirement for storing and dispensing veterinary medicines from your practice premises.

As a result, we are unable to allow any further delays to your accreditation. This is why we have designed a remote assessment that can be carried out whilst practices may still not be operating as normal during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as by being less time consuming for practices.

If you have any queries about your remote assessment, please contact the PSS team at: [email protected].

With a few exceptions, such as the College’s award-granting powers, there are few areas of RCVS activity that can be clearly divided into ‘Royal College’ or ‘regulatory’ categories.

For example, the College’s Mind Matters Initiative may once have been considered a Royal College activity, but it can be considered an ‘upstream’ regulatory activity as it works to ensure the profession is fit for purpose and sustainable, and able to meet the standards expected by the public.

It is notable that similar initiatives have subsequently been adopted by other regulators (which are not Royal Colleges) at home and abroad.

Being a ‘Royal College that regulates’ therefore allows the College to take a holistic and progressive approach, and this should be reflected in its structure.

As part of its recommendations for legislative reform, RCVS Council agreed that a holistic Royal College that regulates should be retained..

Your e-portfolio can only reflect your role, for example, if you are a dairy farm vet, you may only see cows. You are not expected to seek out experience at other practices to widen your experience.

Yes, the VetGDP has been developed in response to extensive feedback from the profession and stakeholders, through an evaluation of the PDP and also through the Graduate Outcomes Consultation with the UK veterinary profession. We sought to understand what would be of greatest benefit to new graduates and in turn, how they can best be supported in practice. The research found that the profession would like to see a range of ways to support graduates in the workplace involving a balance between professional and clinical skills.

The need was for a programme to reflect their everyday work and professional development in practice, with a focus on structured, meaningful support. The research also found that there needed to be flexibility to accommodate different veterinary roles and graduates driving the programme with appropriate support within the workplace; this informed the VetGDP Adviser role.

PSG and the Covid Taskforce have agreed to extend the duration period of all existing awards by 18 months from the renewal date.

This will depend on your programme provider, but the certificate is most likely to be at Level 6 or Level 7, i.e. graduate or post-graduate level.

The CertAVN is a graduate post-registration qualification, therefore the lowest achievement level will be at a level 6, but it also allows for incorporation into further extended study such as Masters degrees.

The PDP will be most successful where there is active collaboration between the new or recent graduate and senior practice colleagues. For the graduate, participation in the PDP demonstrates that they are taking their continued professional development seriously, and it will help them to identify their training needs more effectively.

Online access to an experienced Postgraduate Dean is another source of advice and support. For a new graduate working in clinical practice, undertaking the PDP is, in effect, the first year of their CPD, and, if undertaken conscientiously with support from their employer, will usually meet their RCVS CPD obligations for this period. PDP graduates also receive a substantial discount on RCVS Library membership and services, providing them with access to a wide range of information resources, including online access to journals.

For employers, the PDP system provides a ready-made structure for staff appraisal, and could be a useful adjunct to CVs when recruiting new staff in the future. There is also some evidence to show that new graduates tend to stay longer in jobs where employers are supportive of their development. Through promoting PDP in their practice, employers will be promoting good employment practice and therefore be in a better position to attract good applicants to any vacant posts. They will also be able to show that they take the CPD of their staff seriously, as required by the Practice Standards Scheme.