FAQs

The examination consists of two components: a written examination and a practical examination (Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).

The written component consists of best-of-5 multiple-choice questions which will assess your clinical knowledge and will include an open-book paper assessing your familiarity with the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct.

The OSCE will assess a range of practical skills. For more information on the format, please refer to section 6 of the guidance document.

CDs are subject to additional legal requirements as they have been identified as at risk of abuse or misuse. For acute conditions, the maximum quantity of CDs prescribed should not exceed 30 days’ worth; exceptionally, to cover a justifiable clinical need and after consideration of any risk, a prescription can be issued for a longer period, but the reasons for the decision should be recorded in the animal’s clinical notes.

If more than 30 days’ worth of treatment is prescribed, the prescribing veterinary surgeon must be sure that the owner is competent to use the medicine safely.

Please see the Controlled Drugs Guidance – A to Z for more information on prescribing for chronic conditions.

When you feel that you are ready to submit your e-portfolio, you should sit down with your VetGDP Adviser to check that they agree that you are ready to submit or whether they feel have some areas where they feel you should record further evidence that you have achieved your EPAs.

Once you have both agreed, click on 'manage e-portfolio' and then 'submit'.

Your VetGDP Adviser will receive an email saying that you have submitted and they will be asked to sign in and approve the submission.

The e-portfolio will then be checked by the RCVS to see that there is content for each EPA and allocated to a peer reviewer.

The peer reviewer has 2 weeks to agree to review the e-portfolio and then a further two weeks to do the actual review.

You will then receive confirmation that your peer reviewer agrees that your e-portfolio is complete or feedback on which areas need further additions.

If you do need to make additions to your e-portfolio, you may do so and then follow the submission process again.

There is a progress bar within your e-portfolio to let you show you where you are in the sequence.

The PDP is a self-assessment system that aims to instil a conscious and conscientious approach to professional learning. It provides a structure for new and recent graduates including overseas graduates (and for others returning to practice after a break), to reflect on their progress in developing their confidence and competence across a number of clinical areas, measured against the general RCVS Professional Development Phase (PDP) Competences.

The PDP provides a logical link between undergraduate and postgraduate development. The veterinary degree equips graduates with the essential Day One Competences needed for safe practice immediately on graduation, but these are only a starting point. Professional competence needs to be further developed in a structured manner during the first year or so in clinical practice*, until a recently qualified vet can perform confidently as a fully-effective professional in the work place. The PDP is the first step in the recent graduate’s continuing professional development (CPD).

To complete the PDP, new and recent graduates must keep a brief, accurate and honest record of their clinical cases against a list of clinical skills and procedures, and must reflect on how they are progressing in meeting the PDP Competences. They should use the PDP component of the Professional Development Record to record their progress in achieving the PDP Competences. The CPD component of the Professional Development Record can also be used alongside PDP to record participation in other CPD activities, such as attendance on courses.

* For the purpose of PDP, ‘clinical practice’ means offering clinical services direct to the public or to other veterinary surgeons. For reference, see definition in the Code of Conduct at paragraph 3.2.

The PDP is run through a password-protected web-based recording system, the Professional Development Record (PDR), in which graduates keep a tally of their cases and notes under various clinical headings relating to either small animal, equine or farm animal practice (or a combination of the three). They must keep brief notes on their experience and on their general performance under each skill area, and may write up longer case reports and link these to the list of skills and procedures as evidence of their experience.

They are asked to rate their confidence against a number of headings, based on a four-point scale, ranging from ‘not confident’ to ‘totally confident’. When they have logged experience against each area and have rated themselves as confident overall, they can apply to complete their PDP. An application for ‘completion’ must be filled in by the graduate and countersigned by a more senior veterinary colleague who is familiar with their work. The RCVS appointed Postgraduate Dean will check the graduate’s PDP records online to check that there is sufficient evidence of experience across the clinical areas to warrant sign-off and completion. Those who have completed the PDP are issued with a certificate of completion by the RCVS.

Graduates can also keep a log of any additional CPD activities they undertake, and their general development plans, under the CPD component of the PDR.

It is the responsibility of new graduates to register with the RCVS to use the PDR for recording their PDP. They are given instructions on how to do this when they graduate and first register as members of the RCVS.

Guidance on CPD and instructions for registering to use the CPD component can be found on the RCVS website at www.rcvs.org.uk/cpd.

The record requirement is outlined in Chapter 4 of the supporting guidance to the Code of Professional Conduct: Veterinary medicines (paragraphs 4.27 - 4.29). It comprises a description of both the legal requirements for practice premises registration and the professional obligation for record-keeping.

Please refer to the document: 'BSAVA/RCVS position statement' in the 'Related documents' box, at the bottom of this page.

The RCVS will allocate each graduate to a Postgraduate Dean when they register to use the PDP system. The Postgraduate Dean will monitor their progress online from time to time, and will be the point of contact for assistance with their PDP. The Postgraduate Dean will also review and sign off the record, once the graduate submits the PDP declaration form. The Postgraduate Dean is not there to advise on personal problems or employment matters, although, if such issues are raised, may refer the graduate on to other sources of support. 

The last enrolment for the PDP was in June 2021. Those currently enrolled will have until June 2024 to complete the programme. New graduates should enrol for the VetGDP.

The RCVS Code of Professional Conduct requires new and recent graduates to comply with RCVS PDP and CPD requirements. All practising veterinary surgeons are required to continue their professional development and maintain their competence in the area in which they are working. They must keep records of their development and provide these to the RCVS when required. We consider the PDP to be the most appropriate form of continuing professional development for the initial period of clinical practice.

The Code also requires all veterinary surgeons to ensure that clinical governance forms part of their professional activities.

In order to undertake the PDP effectively, the graduate must engage in a process of reflection, analysis and improvement in their professional practice. This is echoed in the guidance on clinical governance that accompanies the Code of Professional Conduct. This goes on to state that:

“Clinical governance may include:

keeping up to date with continuing professional development (CPD) and new developments relevant to the area of work;

reflecting upon performance, preferably in the form of a learning diary, and making appropriate changes to practice;

reflecting upon any unexpected critical events and learning from the outcome and making appropriate changes to practice;

critically analysing the evidence base for procedures used and making appropriate changes to practice;

reflecting upon communication with other members of the work team and making appropriate changes to practice;

reflecting upon communication with clients and making appropriate changes to practice; and,

assessing professional competence in consultation with more experienced or better qualified colleagues and limiting your practice appropriately.”

All new graduate members of the RCVS and those with less than one year’s experience who are working in clinical practice in the UK should therefore take part in and complete their PDP. Those who are not working in clinical practice in the UK (see definition in footnote on page 3), but who are still on the register as UK practising members (eg those undertaking full-time research), are advised to follow a similar approach where appropriate, and to keep records of their professional development instead in the CPD component of the PDR. UK graduates who are working in clinical practice outside the UK may undertake the PDP if they wish, and if their employer is supportive.

Undertaking the PDP does not affect membership status. Graduates undertaking their PDP are legally qualified to practise as veterinary surgeons as they are full members of RCVS. It is, however, an acknowledgement of their relative inexperience and their need for support from more senior colleagues.

Anyone who has graduated since 2007 must complete their PDP if they want to enrol at a later stage on the RCVS Certificate and some other postgraduate certificate programmes. Having undertaken sufficient appropriate CPD has always been a requirement before entering for RCVS examinations, and completing the PDP helps to confirm that a Certificate candidate has had a broad grounding in clinical practice before they embark on a further qualification. 

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