Welcome to the RCVS!

As a veterinary professional in the UK, your voice matters in shaping the future of leadership in the profession.

Whether you’re currently working in clinical practice or have in the past, we want to hear your insights. You do not need to be in a management role to participate: we are interested in perspectives from all team members to help understand what effective leadership training and development should look like at every level.

If you’re interested in helping shape change in this area, we would welcome your participation in small group discussions, through which you will be able to discuss topics of leadership and management with like-minded professionals. We will use this information to feed into the development of a training and support package for veterinary leaders.

If you are interested in sharing your views, or would like to know more about the study, please reach out to the research team at [email protected]

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 assist vets and VNs in planning, recording and reflecting on their CPD, we created a custom 1CPD app. All veterinary professionals are encouraged to use it to enhance their learning and growth.

Learn 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 vet nurses in meeting professional standards. It offers useful and engaging interactive learning resources.

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

View the publication 

To explore the full programme, visit the RCVS Academy website, and log in using your RCVS My Account details. 

The Academy's new Academy Live sessions are perfect for people who thrive in an interactive learning environment. The sessions offer a unique opportunity to engage in real-time discussions with experts and fellow professionals. For more information and session dates, please visit the RCVS events listing.

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. The category depends on the size and type of the 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 the 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 a programme funded and delivered by the RCVS 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. 

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 offer 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.

MMI Symposium 2025:

On Friday, 10 October 2025, we will be celebrating 10 years of Mind Matters and are inviting all those interested in the field veterinary mental health to get involved in our 2025 MMI Symposium - Advancing veterinary mental health research: learning from the past, considering the present, and looking to the future.  

Registration is now open, please visit our Symposium event page to find out more and book your place.

Interested in research into veterinary mental health? 

Did you know MMI has awarded over £135,000 in research grants to advance our understanding of veterinary mental health? You can learn about the research that Mind Matters is currently supporting through its Research Grants programme, find out how to get involved, and discover previous MMI-funded research projects on subjects such as neurodiversity, moral injury, and racism.

The first MMI RCVS Academy course, 'Civility Fundamentals', was launched in November 2024. It highlights the critical role civility plays in creating a positive, respectful and supportive workplace within the veterinary professions. The course consists of six engaging, interactive sessions and is available for free on the RCVS Academy. 

Supported by VN Futures - a joint initiative led by the RCVS and the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) - the RCVS has hosted a series of 'VN Vision' engagement events throughout 2024/25. These events have provided a platform for veterinary nurses to share their aspirations for the profession and explore the future of veterinary healthcare delivery. With an open-minded and forward-thinking approach, discussions have focused on the evolving role of veterinary nurses in practice.

Through these events, the RCVS and VN Futures have gathered valuable insights, identifying key themes and priorities that will shape future projects and initiatives aimed at advancing the profession.

VN Futures has also collaborated with the RCVS Academy to develop nurse-focused courses, including 'RVN Starting Out' and 'Nurse Return', while also contributing to a mentorship support course for veterinary practices.

To learn more and get involved, visit the VN Futures website. 

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

The RCVS Leadership Library provides learning opportunities for anyone looking to develop and reflect on their leadership skills. These opportunities also count towards the yearly CPD requirement for veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses.

The Leadership Library is free to use and offers veterinary-specific resources along with non-veterinary content from trustworthy sources, enabling learners to explore their interests in an informal way. It contains a range of free, self-paced learning materials, including presentations, interviews, video clips, blogs and articles, as well as webinars on key leadership topics including Delegation Skills, Difficult Conversations, Quality Improvement, Inclusive Leadership, Leading and Working in Teams and Leading and Managing Change.  

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 diversity in recruitment and retention, widening access, and engendering culture change to ensure the professions are inclusive. For more information about our projects, campaigns and initiatives, visit the Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion section. 

Our recent survey with the British Veterinary Chronic Illness Society, Disability and Chronic Illness in Veterinary Work and Education (2024), showed a need to talk about reasonable adjustments in veterinary workplaces. In February 2025 we launched our 'Let’s Talk Adjustments' campaign, in partnership with the Mind Matters Initiative. The campaign aims to raise awareness and empower everyone in veterinary workplaces to engage in important conversations about reasonable adjustments.   

To learn more, visit Let's Talk Adjustments. 

The RCVS has a suite of Honours and 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 closed.

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 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) The 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. They must also 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 Specialist status page. 

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 ten 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. It also greatly influences their decisions about which area of veterinary practice (eg: farm, equine, companion animal) they want to work in after graduation.

In response to stakeholder feedback on improving the accessibility and implementation of EMS, the RCVS has created and will be launching its new national booking database in mid-March 2025. 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 nationwide, 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 email [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.  

The RCVS Workforce Summit was hosted in November 2021. The aim of the Summit was to find solutions to a question with which the veterinary sector is grappling: how do we tackle the current workforce crisis? Following this, the RCVS published the Workforce Action Plan, which identified seven key Workforce Ambitions: 

1. To shape leaders at all levels
2. Confidence, culture and recognition 
3. Greater responsibility for veterinary nurses 
4. Welcoming a modern way of working 
5. General practice – a chosen pathway 
6. An attractive career for everyone, including those who have left 
7. Improving client interaction and communication 

Working with these ambitions, we aim support the veterinary workforce with the three Rs: Recruitment, Retention and Return. 
 
Please participate in our current recruitment survey. 
 
Our 'Ambitions Revisited' webinars, looking at the ambitions one by one and reflecting on what has changed since they were first published are now taking place online, if you would like to sign up and attend, please visit our Ambition Revisited webpages.

We are also planning a podcast series which will focus on the non-regulatory functions of the RCVS as a Royal College. Details on this will be available in due course.
 
If you would like to know more, or participate in upcoming research, webinars and podcasts, please email the Advancement of the Professions team at [email protected]. 

Are you a veterinary student interested in social media and content creation? Apply to become an RCVS student social media ambassador and help promote the RCVS’ work to other veterinary students. Please email [email protected] to find out more and tell us why you’d like to take part.