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- Council Members
- Role of Council Members
- Council meetings
- Council elections
- Previous election results
- Dr Louise Allum
- Dr Sam Bescoby
- Dr Andrew Clemence
- Dr Tshidi Gardiner
- Dr Reginald Godwin
- Paddy Gordon
- Dr Danielle Greenberg
- Dr Gerard Henry
- Dr Richard Hillman
- Dr Benjamin Kennedy
- Dr Tom Lonsdale
- Dr Darren Partridge
- Martin Peaty
- Alison Price
- Dr Peter Robinson
- Dr Jennifer Simmons
- Dr Sadie Spencer
- Dr Mary Thomas
- William Wilkinson
- Dr Lara Wilson
- Past-Presidents
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- Standards Committee
- Advancement of the Professions Committee
- Audit and Risk Committee
- Education Committee
- Disciplinary Committee
- Charter Case Committee
- Preliminary Investigation Committee and Disciplinary Committee Liaison Committee
- Registration Committee
- Preliminary Investigation Committee
- Paper classification: some definitions
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- About extra-mural studies (EMS)
- EMS requirements
- Information for vet students
- Information for EMS providers
- Information for vet schools
- Temporary EMS requirements
- Practice by students - regulations
- Health and safety on EMS placements
- EMS contacts and further guidance
- Extra-mural studies fit for the future
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- Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons
- Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses
- Contact the Advice Team
- XL Bully dog ban
- 'Under care' - guidance
- Advice on Schedule 3
- Controlled Drugs Guidance – A to Z
- Dealing with Difficult Situations webinar recordings
- FAQs – Common medicines pitfalls
- FAQs – Routine veterinary practice and clinical veterinary research
- FAQs – Advertising of practice names
- GDPR – RCVS information and Q&As
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- Accrediting veterinary degrees
- Accrediting veterinary nursing qualifications
- Reasonable adjustments for student vets
- Reasonable adjustments for student veterinary nurses
- Health and disability in veterinary nurse education and training
- Reasonable adjustments for students and the UK disability discrimination legislation
- Educational assessment of veterinary nurses
- Roles of key stakeholders in the application of reasonable adjustments
- Examples of reasonable adjustments for vet nurse students
- External review of the RCVS by ENQA
- Requirements for remote and online student assessments
Information for VetGDP Advisers
VetGDP Advisers offer one-to-one support to recent graduates and returning vets enrolled in the VetGDP.
If you’ve been on the UK Register for three years or more and enjoy mentoring, becoming a VetGDP Adviser is a rewarding way to share your experience and help shape the next generation of vets.
On this page:
The role of the VetGDP Adviser
Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs)
Making the VetGDP Adviser declaration
Video: Information for VetGDP Advisers
What is a VetGDP Adviser?
A VetGDP Adviser is a member of the in-house veterinary team who provides dedicated, one-to-one support to graduates undertaking the VetGDP.
They commit regular time throughout the programme to guide and support the graduate's professional growth, helping them become confident and competent vets.
The role of the VetGDP Adviser
As a VetGDP adviser, you will:
- Provide effective feedback - observe the graduate and give timely, constructive feedback focused on their development.
- Encourage reflection - help them analyse their experiences to identify lessons learned and areas for growth.
- Offer practical support and supervision - guide them through challenging cases or tasks to build confidence.
- Set development objectives - agree achievable, time-bound goals.
- Review progress - meet at least monthly to review overall progress and offer support.
To become a VetGDP Adviser, you must:
- Have been practising for at least three years
- Complete the VetGDP Adviser e-training
- Make the VetGDP Adviser declaration via your My Account.
How many VetGDP Advisers per practice?
There's no limit. In fact, we encourage as many eligible vets as possible to participate.
Entrustable Professional Activities
The VetGDP is built around Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs). They represent the range of tasks and responsibilities vets carry out in everyday practise.
You and the graduate will:
- Select the EPAs that reflect their role
- Ensure these are recorded in the graduate’s e-portfolio
- Review progress towards independence in each EPA.
EPAs and VetGDP approval
At the end of the VetGDP, a peer reviewer will assess whether the EPAs have been sufficiently covered before the programme can be approved. If any are missing, the graduate may need to submit additional evidence.
VetGDP Adviser training
The free, online VetGDP Adviser training equips you with the essential skills and knowledge to effectively support new graduates and other vets beginning or returning to UK practise.
It includes:
- Six modules (2-3 hours each)
- Approximately 15 hours total Continued Professional Development (CPD)
Once you have successfully completed all modules, you will be eligible to make the VetGDP Adviser declaration in your RCVS My Account - see below.
Making the VetGDP Adviser declaration
After completing the VetGDP Adviser training, you can make your declaration by following the steps below:
- Log into your My Account
- Ensure your practice relationship is up to date (see how to add a relationship with your practice if you're unsure how to do this)
- Click the red VetGDP Adviser bar (If it isn't visible, you may have already submitted your declaration)
- Tick all required boxes and click 'submit'.
- Your employer will then need to complete the declaration for the practice or workplace.
Video: Information for VetGDP Advisers
This short animation outlines your responsibilities as a VetGDP Adviser. Below it, you'll find a step-by-step checklist to help get you started.
Video transcript
New graduates must be employed in a VetGDP-approved Graduate Development Practice or Workplace, which includes having at least one VetGDP Adviser who has completed the online training and agreed to support the graduate.
This step-by-step guide shows you how.
The Veterinary Graduate Development Programme – VetGDP – helps new graduates develop their professional and clinical capabilities.
When graduates start their first role as a qualified vet, they will enrol onto the VetGDP.
VetGDP Advisers play a central role in the programme, supporting graduates to become fully competent, confident and independent veterinary surgeons, setting them up for a long and fulfilling career.
If you’ve been on the UK practising register for at least three years, you could become a VetGDP Adviser.
We’ll provide online training to prepare you, which counts towards your CPD.
The online learning is available to all eligible vets; even if you don’t plan on becoming a VetGDP Adviser, you may find the learning valuable in contributing towards the development of graduates in your workplace.
As a VetGDP Adviser you commit to supporting new graduates’ professional development.
The graduate should let you know which areas they need support with, and you should approach them regularly to check if you can support them in any way.
This support might include asking for advice on clinical consultations or feedback on a case, and scheduling monthly meetings to obtain feedback and discuss your development.
Graduates will record their progress through the VetGDP in their e-portfolio.
As their VetGDP Adviser, you will have access to their e-portfolio to add your feedback on cases or the discussions you have together.
At the start of the programme, you and your graduate will meet to review which activities, known as Entrustable Professional Activities, or EPAs, are relevant to their role – you’ll find more information on our website.
Your graduate will upload them into their e-portfolio, where they will record their progress with each activity.
Your graduate must demonstrate that they can perform all activities within their role without support – that they have become a competent, confident vet.
Your graduate should agree with you when the time is right to submit their e-portfolio to the RCVS for peer review and sign off.
We expect it to take around one year, but it may take less or more time than this.
Need further help? Feel free to get in touch.
The VetGDP Adviser checklist
- To qualify as a VetGDP Adviser, you need to have been on the UK Register for at least three years. You’ll also need your employer’s support, including agreement to provide protected time for both you and the graduate.
- Complete the online training. Every vet at your practice can take access this valuable training free of charge, even if they don't intend to become a VetGDP Adviser.
- Once you've completed the VetGDP Adviser declaration, your employer must submit the practice VetGDP declaration.
- Ensure the graduate completes their VetGDP declaration.
- At the start of the VetGDP, meet with the graduate to discuss and agree the Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) relevant to their role. The graduate is responsible for adding the selected EPAs to their e-portfolio.
- This e-portfolio guidance for VetGDP Advisers will help you use the e-portfolio effectively.
- Guidance for graduates on using the e-portfolio is also available.
- Meet regularly with the graduate to review their progress. While the graduate should lead these discussions, do reach out to them proactively if communication has been limited, to ensure they are receiving the support they need.
- The level of support required at the beginning of the VetGDP will likely decrease as the graduate builds their confidence and skills.
- Graduates have up to 18 months to finish the VetGDP, but it could take less time depending on their needs. If they require an extension, they should email [email protected] to discuss.
- When both you and the graduate agree that sufficient progress has been made, and their e-portfolio clearly reflects their learning journey through VetGDP, they can submit it for peer review and approval by the RCVS.
- If you have any queries, contact the VetGDP team at [email protected].