Welcome to the RCVS!

Continuing professional development (CPD) is the process of maintaining and improving your knowledge and skills. It's a professional responsibility and is compulsory for all vets and vet nurses (RVNs) on the RCVS Register. 

In order to help vets and VNs plan, record and reflect on their CPD, we have developed a bespoke 1CPD app, which all veterinary professionals should use to facilitate their learning and development. 

Find out more about CPD and the 1CPD app on our CPD page. 

The RCVS Academy is a free digital learning platform designed to support vets and nurses in meeting professional standards. The platform provides relevant and engaging interactive learning materials. 

Developed with expertise from across the College, the Academy provides support for students, veterinary nurses and surgeons on topics such as leadership, coaching, resolving complaints, animal ownership and CPD reflection. 

The RCVS Academy brochure

A detailed guide with all our courses, giving veterinary professionals an overview of what the Academy has to offer.

View the publication 

To explore the RCVS Academy and all it has to offer, visit the RCVS Academy website, and log in with your RCVS My Account details. 

The Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) is a voluntary initiative that aims to promote the highest standards of veterinary care for participating veterinary practices. It regularly assesses these practices to ensure they are meeting the established standards. 

Veterinary practices that successfully complete the assessment and join the accreditation scheme are awarded 'RCVS-accredited' status, with the specific category determined by the size and type of practice. Veterinary practices in the scheme can also demonstrate the areas in which they excel by applying for additional PSS awards in fields such as client service and in-patient care. 

Visit our PSS section for more information. 

Launched in 2021, the Veterinary Graduate Development Programme (VetGDP) provides a period of structured, work-based support for all new veterinary graduates. 

Each graduate is supported by a VetGDP Adviser who has completed the online training and works in the same practice. The Adviser will focus on developing the graduate's clinical and professional capabilities.

For more on VetGDP, including information on how to become a VetGDP Adviser, visit our VetGDP section.  

Established in 2015, the Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) is an RCVS-funded and delivered programme which supports the mental health of veterinary professionals at all levels and in all settings. It does this through accessible, high-quality, evidence-based mental health projects, research, information and events.

Full details of MMI’s current programme of activities can be found on the Mind Matters Initiative website. 

You can contact the MMI team via email on [email protected]. 

We are pleased to host a free online compassion course for Veterinary Mental Wellbeing on the Mind Matters website. The course was developed by previous Mind Matters Research Grant recipients Dr. Katherine Wakelin and Sarah Corthorne.

Interested in the science behind veterinary mental health? Discover cutting-edge research from our fourth Mind Matters Mental Health Research Symposium via the Mind Matters Initiative website, where a report and videos from the day are available to view.  

VN Futures is a joint initiative led by the RCVS and the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) that aims to ensure veterinary nursing is a vibrant, rewarding and sustainable profession. 
 
Throughout 2024, a series of face-to-face and online forum sessions are being delivered, exploring a vision for veterinary nursing and team-based veterinary healthcare in 2035 and beyond. This is your chance to share your aspirations and shape the future of our profession – so watch out for updates and get involved with VN Vision. 
 
VN Futures has collaborated with the RCVS Academy to bring nurse-centric courses to the platform, including ‘RVN Starting Out’, 'Nurse Return', and a Nurse Mentor course due for release soon. 
 
To find out more, including how you can get involved, visit the VN Futures website.  

The RCVS Leadership project recognises that leadership skills aren’t just for senior management or business owners, but that the skills and knowledge that make good leaders are applicable for all members of the veterinary team, at any level. 

Visit our Leadership Library section for more. 

Published in February 2021, the RCVS Diversity & Inclusion Strategy sets out how we are working to help create veterinary professions where everyone can flourish, whoever they are. The strategy action plan focuses on improving recruitment and retention, widening access, and engendering culture change to ensure the professions are more diverse and inclusive.

In July 2024, we published ground-breaking research on Disability and Chronic Illness in Veterinary Work and Education - learn more about this project.

The RCVS has a suite of Honours & Awards for outstanding achievements among veterinary professionals, recognising and celebrating the breadth of achievement across the veterinary sector. These encompass not only veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses, but also students and laypeople contributing to animal health and welfare. 

The nomination period for the RCVS Honours and Awards 2025 is now open, with this year’s awardees being announced in March 2025. 

For more information, visit our Honours and Awards section. 

The RCVS Fellowship has existed for nearly 150 years. It aims to advance veterinary standards by providing a resource of independent knowledge for the benefit of the veterinary professions through its role as a thriving learned society. There are over 500 Fellows, from GPs to specialist researchers, all contributing to veterinary medicine.  

Visit our Fellowship section for more information, including how to apply and our current activities.  

The RCVS is a member of the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change (UKHACC), which coordinates action, provides leadership, and amplifies the voice of health professionals across the UK. The College participated in two UKHACC policy focus groups, Energy Transition and Food Systems, enabling us to provide a veterinary perspective to both policy reports. These reports are: 

A) A just energy transition for the good of health report, which was launched on 4 September 2023. The report outlines six recommendations for the UK’s governments, highlighting the devastating health consequences of our current reliance on fossil fuels. These fossil fuels are the key driver of climate change and air pollution, and are destructive to the natural environment on which all life depends.

B) Building a healthy and resilient food system report is almost complete subject to final approval. The aim of the food systems working group was to produce a policy report and recommendations for the NHS and the governments of the UK to promote and deliver a healthy and sustainable food system with low carbon and environmental impacts.

We offer two postgraduate qualifications - one for veterinary surgeons (CertAVP) and one for veterinary nurses (CertAVN). These qualifications are designed to further develop skills and expertise in specific areas of practice.  

For more information, including a full list of modules and providers, visit our postgraduate qualifications section. 

Advanced Practitioner status

The List of RCVS Advanced Practitioners provides a clear indication to the profession and the public of those veterinary surgeons who have demonstrated knowledge and experience in a particular area of veterinary practice beyond their initial veterinary degree.

For further information and details of how to apply, please visit the Advanced Practitioner status page.

Specialist status

To be included on the List of RCVS Specialists (on our Find a Vet website), an individual must have achieved a postgraduate qualification at Diploma level at least, and must additionally satisfy the RCVS that they make an active contribution to their specialty, have national and international acclaim and publish widely in their field. For further information, please see our website.

Veterinary Clinical Career Pathways (VCCP)

RCVS Council has recently approved an ambitious and exciting project to expand and diversify the career options available to veterinary surgeons working in clinical practice. As part of this work, we are holding several in-person and online focus groups. If you are interested in attending or would like further information, please email [email protected].

Extra Mural Studies (EMS) has been identified by new graduates as one of the most valuable components of their undergraduate education. All veterinary students in the UK must complete EMS throughout their veterinary degree. This includes 10 weeks of animal husbandry EMS (AHEMS) in the first two years of their studies, where valuable experience is gained in the handling and husbandry of a range of species. The time students spend on AHEMS helps prepare them for the rest of their clinical education and is known to have a significant impact on their decisions relating to which area of veterinary practice (eg: farm, equine, companion animal) they want to work in following graduation.

In response to stakeholder feedback on improving the accessibility and implementation of EMS, the RCVS has created a new national booking database. This database aims to support students, vet schools and placement providers in organising EMS placements.

EMS providers, both current and new, are invited to showcase their placement and establishment on the database. They will be able to include a range of information, which will be visible to students across the country, highlighting the type of service(s) they offer. This can include, but is not limited to: placement type, geographical location, species involved, expected caseload, facilities and equipment available and more.

The RCVS EMS National Booking Database will enable students, placement providers and vet schools to communicate with each other before the placement. The messaging facility will allow them to ask questions and set expectations, and encourage the sharing of learning objectives.

For further information, please contact [email protected]

RCVS Knowledge is the charity partner of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. It is an independent charity sitting at the heart of the veterinary professions with a mission to advance the quality of care for the benefit of animals, the public and society. 

To find out more about RCVS Knowledge and how it can support you, visit the RCVS Knowledge website.