How to apply for Fellowship

Purpose of the Fellowship

The award of Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons recognises individuals who have demonstrated exceptional contributions to advancing the veterinary profession. These contributions may include, but are not limited to, ground-breaking discoveries or applications, significant public engagement, sustained leadership, and the dissemination of knowledge within the field and sustained excellence in veterinary clinical practice.

This document details comprehensive guidance for veterinary professionals aspiring to achieve Fellowship through Meritorious Contributions to Clinical Practice (MCCP).

Eligibility criteria

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Hold Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (MRCVS).
• Provide compelling evidence of significant contributions to veterinary knowledge and professional practice, as detailed herein.

Guidance for applicants – MCCP Route 

Purpose of this guidance

This guidance is intended to help applicants applying for Diploma of Fellowship by Meritorious Contributions to Clinical Practice (MCCP) understand what assessors are looking for in each section of the application form, and how best to present their evidence.

Assessors use a structured rubric that prioritises:

Advanced or expert-level clinical practice
Clear impact on improving clinical veterinary practice
Reach, adoption, and outcomes, not just activity
Applicants are encouraged to focus on quality, significance, and impact rather than volume.

 

Part A – Administrative details

What this section is for:

• This section confirms eligibility and contact information.

What assessors are looking for:

• Accuracy and completeness only (this section is not scored).

Tips for applicants:

• Ensure your MRCVS number is correct.
• If you are reapplying, clearly and concisely explain how this application differs from previous submissions, focusing on new impact or development.
   

Part B – Professional achievements

Education and training

What this section is for:

• To provide context for your professional background and training to allow for more detailed descriptions of the impact of your work in the next section, without having to list previous education and training.

What assessors are looking for:

• Relevance of qualifications to your clinical discipline.
• Evidence of advanced or specialist training where applicable.

Examples of what you might include:

• Postgraduate qualifications relevant to your clinical focus.
• Specialist or advanced practitioner status.
• Training that has directly influenced your clinical practice.
   

Career history and professional experience

What this section is for:

• To show progression, responsibility, and scope within your clinical career.

What assessors are looking for:

• Evidence of increasing responsibility or specialisation.
• Roles that support your claim to advanced clinical practice.

Examples of what you might include:

• Senior clinical roles.
• Development of specialist services.
• Leadership within a clinical setting.
   

Summary of professional achievements (up to 1,000 words)

What this section is for:

• To provide an integrated narrative of your clinical discipline, caseload, achievements, and impact.

What assessors are looking for:

• Clear definition of your clinical discipline and scope of practice.
• Evidence of a substantial and sustained caseload at an advanced or expert level.
• Demonstrable impact on improving clinical practice.
• Clear explanation of your level of involvement, outputs, reach, and outcomes.

Examples of what you might include:

• Description of your specialist or advanced caseload (e.g. referral work, tertiary cases).
• Development of new clinical services or techniques.
• Improvements to patient outcomes or standards of care.
• Leadership, mentoring, or service development activities.

Tips for applicants:

• Focus on what changed because of your work.
• Where possible, describe adoption beyond your own workplace.
   

Part C – Professional contributions

Impact on improving clinical practice (up to five examples)

What this section is for:

• To evidence how your work has led to tangible improvements in clinical practice.

What assessors are looking for:

• Significance and reach of impact.
• Evidence that improvements have been adopted by others.

Examples of what you might include:

• New clinical protocols adopted regionally or nationally.
• Guidance or tools used by multiple practices.
• Innovations leading to measurable patient benefit.

Tips for applicants:

• Use clear before-and-after descriptions.
• Explain who benefited and how widely.
   

Publications and contributions to books (if applicable)

What this section is for:

• To provide supporting scholarly evidence relevant to clinical practice.

What assessors are looking for:

• Relevance to clinical practice rather than academic volume.
• Evidence of uptake or influence.

Examples of what you might include:

• Applied clinical research.
• Practice guidance or review articles.
• Chapters contributing to clinical education.
• Note: Publications are supportive evidence and are not required for a strong MCCP application.

 

Presentations to scientific mMeetings

What this section is for:

• To demonstrate communication of clinical expertise.

What assessors are looking for:

• Reach and audience diversity.
• Evidence of influence on practice.

Examples of what you might include:

• National or international conference presentations.
• Invited talks to professional groups.
• CPD with clear learning outcomes.
   

Prizes and awards

What this section is for:

• To recognise professional esteem.

What assessors are looking for:

• Relevance to clinical practice or leadership.
   

Other CPD contributions

What this section is for:

• To capture additional educational contributions.

Examples of what you might include:

• Online learning resources.
• Distance learning packages.
• Educational media with demonstrated reach.
   

Part D – Professional interests

What this section is for:

• To evidence leadership and professional contribution beyond clinical work.

What assessors are looking for:

• Active contribution, not just membership.
• Leadership or influence within professional bodies.

Examples of what you might include:

• Committee leadership.
• Advisory roles.
• Contributions to professional standards or policy.
   

Part E – Personal statement

What this section is for:

• To provide personal context and motivation. Please note that the Personal Statement is only scored in borderline scoring applications.

What assessors are looking for:

• Insight into your professional values.
• Understanding of the Fellowship’s role and responsibilities.

Examples of what you might include:

• Why Fellowship matters to you.
• How you intend to contribute to the Fellowship and profession.
   

Part F – References

What this section is for:

• To provide external validation of your application.

Choice of referees should reflect the breadth of your experience and ideally one of the selected referees should work in an area of practice, department, or field outside of your own. Not all selected referees need to be RCVS members although at least one should be. A referee must be a professionally qualified person and should be able to make an informed assessment of your standing and expertise. The College reserves the right to approach any of your referees directly. 

• Include two references who can confirm the accuracy and integrity of your application.
• At least one referee should be an RCVS member.
• Referees should ideally represent diverse areas of expertise outside your immediate field.

Exclusions:

• Members of the Fellowship Board or Credentials Panels cannot act as referees.
• Direct colleagues from the same department or institution are not permitted.
• No more than one academic colleague at the same institute should provide a reference.
• It is normally accepted that a referee should not be a relative or partner (business or social) of the applicant.
• Referees must not have financial, social, or professional conflicts of interest with you.
• Applicants for the Fellowship may not act as referees for other Fellowship applicants within the same application round.

Submitting Your application

Ensure all sections of the application are completed accurately and submit by the designated deadline. Incomplete submissions may result in delays. Please ensure your referees email their forms directly to the Fellowship Secretary at [email protected] and confirm they are happy to act as a referee in the body of the email.

You will be contacted by the Fellowship secretary upon submission of your application to proceed to payment for the application before the assessing can commence.

Purpose of the Fellowship

The award of Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons recognises individuals who have demonstrated exceptional contributions to advancing the veterinary profession. These contributions may include, but are not limited to, ground-breaking discoveries or applications, significant public engagement, sustained leadership, and the dissemination of knowledge within the field.

This document details comprehensive guidance for veterinary professionals aspiring to achieve Fellowship through Meritorious Contributions to Knowledge (MCK).

Eligibility criteria

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Hold Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (MRCVS).
• Provide compelling evidence of significant contributions to veterinary knowledge and professional practice, as detailed herein.

Guidance for candidates applying for Fellowship by Meritorious Contributions to Knowledge (MCK)

This guidance is intended to help candidates understand what assessors are looking for in each section of the MCK application form and how best to present their evidence. It follows the structure of the application form section by section.

Part A – Administrative details

What we are looking for:

• Accurate and complete administrative information to confirm eligibility and allow efficient processing of your application.

Tips:

• Ensure your MRCVS number and contact details are correct and up to date.
• If you are a re-applicant, clearly explain how this application differs from previous submissions, focusing on new achievements or strengthened evidence.
   

Part B – Professional achievements

Education and training

What this section is for:

• To provide context for your professional background and training to allow for more detailed descriptions of the impact of your work in the next section, without having to list previous education and training.

What we are looking for:

• Evidence of relevant academic and professional training underpinning your contribution to knowledge.

What to include:

• Degrees and postgraduate qualifications relevant to your field.
• Doctoral-level qualifications where applicable, or training that supports equivalent scholarly achievement.
   

Career history and professional experience

What we are looking for:

• A clear career narrative that provides context for your achievements.

What to include:

• Your current role, responsibilities, and start date.
• Previous roles that demonstrate progression, leadership, or increasing responsibility.
   

Principal publications or impacts (up to 10)

What we are looking for:

• Your most important original contributions to knowledge.

What to include:

• Peer-reviewed publications or equivalent impacts.
• For each item, briefly explain your direct contribution (e.g. study design, analysis, leadership, implementation).
• If work is unpublished due to IP or confidentiality, clearly describe the concept and your role.
   

Summary of achievements (500 words)

What we are looking for:

• A coherent narrative explaining how your work has advanced knowledge in the profession.

What to include:

• A structured summary linking your publications/impacts together.
• Clear explanation of originality, leadership, and collective contribution.
• Explicit cross-referencing to your numbered publications or impacts.
   

Supervision experience (250 words)

What we are looking for:

• Evidence of your role in developing others through supervision.

What to include:

• Numbers and levels of students or researchers supervised.
• Your role (primary or secondary supervisor).
• Outcomes such as completions, publications, or career progression.
   

Mentoring experience (150 words)

What we are looking for:

• Evidence of mentoring beyond formal supervision.

What to include:

• Participation in mentoring schemes or informal mentoring.
• Examples of how your mentoring has supported professional development.
   

Part C – Publications, prizes and presentations

ORCID and publications

What we are looking for:

• A complete and verifiable record of your peer-reviewed outputs.

What to include:

• A correct ORCID iD linked to your publications.
• A PDF of peer-reviewed publications listed in reverse chronological order.
• Clear contribution statements for multi-author papers where relevant.
   

Contributions to books (250 words)

What we are looking for:

• Scholarly contributions beyond journal articles.

What to include:

• Book titles, chapters contributed, and extent of your contribution.
• Only accepted or published works.
   

Presentations (up to 10)

What we are looking for:

• Evidence of dissemination and recognition of your work.

What to include:

• Scientific meetings and conferences.
• Whether presentations were invited, keynote, or peer-reviewed.
   

Prizes, awards, and funding

What we are looking for:

• Recognition of excellence and competitiveness.

What to include:

• Awards and prizes with brief explanations.
• Research funding, your role, funding value, and project outcomes.
   

CPD and other contributions (250 words)

What we are looking for:

• Contribution to professional development of the wider profession.

What to include:

• CPD activities, electronic resources, or distance learning materials.
• Your role in development and delivery.
   

Part D – Professional interests

What we are looking for:

• Contribution to the profession through professional bodies and networks.

What to include:

• Membership of committees, panels, or societies.
• Roles held and how these activities advanced the subject.
   

Additional relevant experience (250 words)

What we are looking for:

• Any further evidence that strengthens your case.

What to include:

• Experience not covered elsewhere that demonstrates impact or leadership.
• Avoid repetition of earlier sections.
   

Part E – Personal statement (250 words)

What this section is for:

• To provide personal context and motivation. Please note that the Personal Statement is only scored in borderline scoring applications.

What assessors are looking for:

• Insight into your professional values.
• Understanding of the Fellowship’s role and responsibilities.

Examples of what you might include:

• Why Fellowship matters to you.
• How you intend to contribute to the Fellowship and profession.
   

Part F – References

What this section is for:

• To provide external validation of your application.

Choice of referees should reflect the breadth of your experience and ideally one of the selected referees should work in an area of practice, department, or field outside of your own. Not all selected referees need to be RCVS members although at least one should be. A referee must be a professionally qualified person and should be able to make an informed assessment of your standing and expertise. The College reserves the right to approach any of your referees directly. 

• Include two references who can confirm the accuracy and integrity of your application.
• At least one referee should be an RCVS member.
• Referees should ideally represent diverse areas of expertise outside your immediate field.

Exclusions:

• Members of the Fellowship Board or Credentials Panels cannot act as referees.
• Direct colleagues from the same department or institution are not permitted.
• No more than one academic colleague at the same institute should provide a reference.
• It is normally accepted that a referee should not be a relative or partner (business or social) of the applicant.
• Referees must not have financial, social, or professional conflicts of interest with you.
• Applicants for the Fellowship may not act as referees for other Fellowship applicants within the same application round.

Submitting Your application

Ensure all sections of the application are completed accurately and submit by the designated deadline. Incomplete submissions may result in delays. Please ensure your referees email their forms directly to the Fellowship Secretary at [email protected] and confirm they are happy to act as a referee in the body of the email.

You will be contacted by the Fellowship secretary upon submission of your application to proceed to payment for the application before the assessing can commence.

 

Purpose of the Fellowship

The award of Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons recognises individuals who have demonstrated exceptional contributions to advancing the veterinary profession. These contributions may include, but are not limited to, ground-breaking discoveries or applications, significant public engagement, sustained leadership, and the dissemination of knowledge within the field.

This document details comprehensive guidance for veterinary professionals aspiring to achieve Fellowship through Meritorious Contributions to the Profession (MCP).

Eligibility criteria

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Hold Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (MRCVS).
• Provide compelling evidence of significant contributions to veterinary knowledge and professional practice, as detailed herein.

Guidance for applicants – MCP Route (How to complete the application form)

Purpose of this guidance

This guidance is designed to help applicants complete the Diploma of Fellowship by Meritorious Contributions to the Profession (MCP) application form as clearly and effectively as possible. It explains what assessors are looking for in each section and gives practical examples of what you might include.

General principles

Assessors assess impact, not effort alone. Wherever possible, explain what changed, who benefited, and why it mattered.
Evidence may sit across multiple sections. Do not worry if the same activity supports more than one criterion.
Be specific. Named roles, dates, scale (local/national/international), and outcomes help assessors judge your contribution.
Quality matters more than quantity. A small number of high-impact contributions is often stronger than long lists.
 

Part A – Administrative details

What this section is for:

• This section confirms eligibility and ensures we can administer your application correctly. It is not scored.

What to include:

• Accurate personal and contact details
• Your MRCVS number
• If you have applied previously, a brief, honest explanation of how this application differs

Tips:

• If reapplying, focus on new evidence, progression, or impact since your last application
• Keep within the word limit
   

Part B – Professional achievements

To provide context for your professional background and training to allow for more detailed descriptions of the impact of your work in the next section, without having to list previous education and training.

Education and training

What assessors are looking for:

• Evidence of advanced training that underpins your expertise
• Relevance of qualifications to your contribution to the profession

What you could include:

• Veterinary degrees and postgraduate qualifications
• Diplomas, certificates, fellowships, or equivalent professional training
• Dates and fields of study

Tips:

• List qualifications clearly and accurately
• Use later sections to explain how you applied this training for professional impact
   

Career history and professional experience

What this section is for:

• To show progression, responsibility, and scope within your career.

What assessors are looking for:

• A coherent professional journey that supports your Fellowship claim
• Roles that demonstrate increasing responsibility, influence, or specialism

What you could include:

• Clinical, academic, policy, industry, educational, or leadership roles
• Roles inside and outside traditional practice, if relevant

Tips:

• Focus on relevance rather than completeness
• Use your summary narrative to draw out why these roles mattered
   

Summary of outstanding contribution (up to 1,000 words)

What this section is for:

• To provide an integrated narrative of your achievements and impact.

What assessors are looking for:

• A clear, compelling account of your meritorious contribution
• Evidence of original innovation or application, leadership, and impact
• National and/or international influence where appropriate

What you could include:

• The problem or need you addressed
• What you did that was distinctive or original
• How your work was adopted, disseminated, or influenced others
• Evidence of outcomes (policy change, practice change, improved understanding, uptake by others)

Tips:

• Structure helps (e.g. challenge / action / impact)
• Avoid CV-style lists; explain significance
• Make leadership explicit – do not assume it is obvious
   

Part C – Professional contributions

This section provides evidence to support the claims made in Part B.

ORCID iD

What assessors are looking for:

• A verified and transparent publication record

Tips:

• Ensure your ORCID profile is up to date and accurate
   

Publications or significant bodies of work (up to 10)

What assessors are looking for:

• Scholarly or professional outputs that have influenced the profession
• Evidence of relevance, reach, and impact

What you could include:

• Peer-reviewed journal articles
• Book chapters or authoritative reports
• Major professional guidance or standards

Tips:

• Use the 1–2 sentence impact statement carefully
• Explain how the work was used, cited, adopted, or influenced practice
   

Key presentations (up to 10)

What assessors are looking for:

• Effective dissemination of knowledge
• Scale and audience of influence

What you could include:

• Scientific congress presentations
• Invited lectures
• Policy or stakeholder briefings

Tips:

• Clearly state whether events were local, national, or international
• Describe outcomes (e.g. follow-up activity, adoption, policy discussion)
   

Other CPD contributions (up to 10)

What assessors are looking for:

• Broader educational influence beyond publications and conferences

What you could include:

• Online learning resources
• Distance learning packages
• Blogs, podcasts, or digital tools with professional uptake

Tips:

• Focus on reach and sustained use, not just creation
   

Part D – Professional interests

What assessors are looking for:

• Leadership, influence, and contribution through professional bodies
• Active engagement rather than nominal membership

What you could include:

• Committee or council roles
• Advisory panels or grant bodies
• Editorial boards or working groups

Tips:

• Explain what you did, not just what you joined
• Highlight outcomes or changes you helped achieve
   

Part E – Personal statement

What this section is for:

• To provide personal context and motivation. Please note that the Personal Statement is only scored in borderline scoring applications.

What assessors are looking for:

• Insight into your professional values.
• Understanding of the Fellowship’s role and responsibilities.

Examples of what you might include:

• Why Fellowship matters to you.
• How you intend to contribute to the Fellowship and profession.
   

Part F – References

What this section is for:

• To provide external validation of your application.

Choice of referees should reflect the breadth of your experience and ideally one of the selected referees should work in an area of practice, department, or field outside of your own. Not all selected referees need to be RCVS members although at least one should be. A referee must be a professionally qualified person and should be able to make an informed assessment of your standing and expertise. The College reserves the right to approach any of your referees directly. 

• Include two references who can confirm the accuracy and integrity of your application.
• At least one referee should be an RCVS member.
• Referees should ideally represent diverse areas of expertise outside your immediate field.

Exclusions:

• Members of the Fellowship Board or Credentials Panels cannot act as referees.
• Direct colleagues from the same department or institution are not permitted.
• No more than one academic colleague at the same institute should provide a reference.
• It is normally accepted that a referee should not be a relative or partner (business or social) of the applicant.
• Referees must not have financial, social, or professional conflicts of interest with you.
• Applicants for the Fellowship may not act as referees for other Fellowship applicants within the same application round.

Submitting Your application

Ensure all sections of the application are completed accurately and submit by the designated deadline. Incomplete submissions may result in delays. Please ensure your referees email their forms directly to the Fellowship Secretary at [email protected] and confirm they are happy to act as a referee in the body of the email.

You will be contacted by the Fellowship secretary upon submission of your application to proceed to payment for the application before the assessing can commence.