Learn more about the team

Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons – MRCVS

Veterinary Surgeons must be registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) in order to practice in the UK. They will have the initials ‘MRCVS’ or ‘FRCVS’ (Member or Fellow of the royal college of veterinary surgeons) after their names. The title ‘Veterinary Surgeon’ is protected in law and only those registered with the RCVS can use the title. All RCVS-registered Veterinary Surgeons have achieved an educational qualification that meets the RCVS registration requirements. In addition, they agree to abide by the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons and commit to keeping their skills and knowledge up to date, by means of continuing professional development (CPD). Examples of university degrees that meet the RCVS standard registration requirements for Veterinary Surgeons are BVSc, BVetMed, BVM&S, DVM, MvDr, VetMB.

Further learning & Skill Development

Veterinary Surgeons have the responsibility to ensure that they maintain and develop their knowledge and skills relevant to their professional practice and competence. The recommended minimum CPD is 105 hours over a rolling three year period, with an average of 35 hours per year. Most Veterinary Surgeons will have interests in certain fields, which means that they particularly enjoy a certain aspect of the job, and therefore have greater skills in this area compared to the average Veterinary Surgeon. At Animates we strongly value continuing education to ensure our staff remain up to date, and we also encourage obtaining advanced qualifications. This enables us to be excellent general practitioners with a higher level of expertise in our particular areas of interest.

Recognised Postgraduate Certificates (Equivalent of a Masters level of Qualification) and RCVS Recognised Advanced Practitioner Status

A limited number of Vets go on to study for recognised postgraduate certificates in their area of special interest. To achieve a post graduate certificate requires further learning, study and exams in a particular field. Once Vets receive their Certificate they can choose to apply to be recognised by the RCVS as an Advanced Practitioner. Advanced Practitioner is an official recognition of a veterinary surgeon’s particular knowledge and experience in a designated field of veterinary practice. This is the step before a Diploma which is required to achieve RCVS Specialist status.

Diploma and RCVS Recognised Specialist Status

A Diploma is the next level of qualification. To achieve a diploma requires submitting a thesis on new research, publishing regularly and sitting an extensive set of examinations, both written and oral. Once a Vet has achieved Diploma level they can be included in the RCVS list of recognised specialists if they can demonstrate their active contribution to their specialty, have national and international acclaim and publish widely in their field. An RCVS Specialist must also be available for referral by other veterinary colleagues.