If you are looking to take your RCVS Veterinary Nursing Practical (OSCE) Exams this winter (29 November to 1 December), then you may apply to do so at our Huntingdon centre in Cambridgeshire (Exam Centre number 01).
Exam application forms can be downloaded here.
Directions to our Huntingdon centre can be found here. There is free parking on site (subject to availability) and is only a five minute taxi journey from Huntingdon railway station.
We are delighted to confirm that 94% of CAW students that took the RCVS Summer Practical (OSCE) Examinations achieved a pass; this is well above the national pass rate of 77%.
We would like to give personal recognition to Emily Philpot of Highcliff Veterinary Practice in Brantham who achieved full marks in all twelve OSCEs which is a fantastic achievement!
City & Guilds OSCE results were also very pleasing with seven of the nine students achieving a pass.
Well done to all students involved.
The veterinary profession’s reaction to the outcome of the recent disciplinary hearing into Mr M Chikosi was discussed by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ new Operational Board at its first meeting, on 26 July.
The hearing had found Munhuwepasi Chikosi guilty of unreasonably delaying attending a dog that had been run over at a farm, and of unnecessarily causing her to remain in pain and suffering for at least an hour.
The Disciplinary Committee (DC) had directed that Mr Chikosi’s name be removed from the Register for serious professional misconduct; the appeal window now being closed and no appeal having been made, this has been done.
Speaking on behalf of the Board, President Neil Smith said: “We fully support the decision taken by the independent Disciplinary Committee with regard to the Chikosi hearing, with one comment requiring clarification: the issue of whether a blanket can be used to move an injured dog. We consider that it is acceptable, in most cases, to transport an injured dog with the aid of a blanket.
“The profession should be reassured that our Standards Committee [the new name for Advisory Committee] will consider the general issues raised by the Chikosi hearing at its next meeting. This will not be a review of the decision, but form part of the routine consideration of DC hearings made by the Committee to see if they raise issues that require additional guidance and advice.”
In addition to the ‘communication tab’ on the Nursing Progress Log (NPL), there is now a ‘sampling function’ available which allows your designated Quality Assurance Supervisor (QAS) to give direct feedback on the NPL in relation to the skills they have sampled.
Your QAS will be auditing the skill to check the following; that any guidance notes have been fully covered; that there is appropriate case referencing throughout; the frequency of activity logging; reflective comments; expert witness information.
If the audit is satisfactory, it will appear on the NPL as:
If the audit is unsatisfactory, it will appear on the NPL as:
Only if the sampling is unsatisfactory, will it appear on the home screen. It will remain there until the relevant experience/information has been added by yourself or your student. Your QAS will re-sample the skill and if all is satisfactory, the status will change to satisfactory and it will be removed from the home screen.
Your QAS will continue to send out NPL Moderation Reports and any sampling of the NPL will be detailed on this report. If you have any questions, please contact your QAS.
The College of Animal Welfare is delighted to announce the release of 30 bursaries, each with a value of £1000, to support the training of team leaders and managers in veterinary practice.
Leading a team of staff or managing a practice are two of the biggest challenges that exist in the veterinary profession, yet often the training of staff involved in these roles can be overlooked. A practice with a clear direction and goals, assisted by leaders who can really lead their teams towards the achievement of these goals will be one that thrives and can deliver clinical excellence, not once, but to every animal and client every time.
Each awarded bursary can be used towards the College’s new range of Leadership and Management qualifications awarded by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). These qualifications are studied by distance learning and supported by study weekends from the Huntingdon centre in Cambridgeshire.
All applications must be made between 1 August and the 31 December 2013. Applications can be made online or an application form can be requested by email to admin@caw.ac.uk. Full terms and conditions can be found below.
Terms and Conditions
The available bursaries are intended to help towards the cost of further education and training in order to improve the skills and knowledge of practising, or aspiring, team leaders or managers in the veterinary profession. The bursaries aim to aid the efficient operation of their workplace, and ultimately the welfare of animals in their care.
The main criteria for selection of applications is the improvement of workplace skills to allow candidates to fulfil their potential.
1. There are a maximum of 30 bursaries, of £1000 each, available. Applications may be made from 1 August 2013 until 31 December 2013 or until all available bursaries have been awarded.
2. The bursaries may be awarded to qualified veterinary nurses, veterinary surgeons or veterinary practice managers in the UK.
3. The bursaries are to assist with course fees only and not with any other associated costs such as awarding body fees, travel or accommodation.
4. The awarding of bursaries will be carried out by the Principal of The College of Animal Welfare, whose decision is final.
5. Upon completion of the qualification to which the bursary has been awarded, the bursary recipient will be required to complete a brief report.
6. The bursary will be awarded towards either The College of Animal Welfare’s Level 3 Certificate in Leadership and Management or the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management. The qualification must be started by the end of January 2014.
City & Guilds now require Quality Assurance Supervisors (QAS) to carry out Direct Observations of Clinical Coaches in the workplace. If all targets are being met by both the student and practice then observations are only required annually. Observations will be carried out during normal annual visits or during placement visits. If your TP is with another Primary Centre, your QAS will liaise with you to arrange a mutually convenient time to visit.
The observation will be based on the QAS observing the Clinical Coach observing a student and giving feedback. The activity can be opening a task (demo/demo back), declaring competency, or as part of the QA scheme. It could also be practice of an OSCE task or completion of a Tutorial.
If you have any questions please contact your QAS.
Huge congratulations to our 20 Level 3 City & Guilds Dog Grooming students who sat two exam papers in June and have all passed both papers and all at distinction level! This is a brilliant achievement for all our students and their lecturers, well done everyone!
The Enhanced London AGE 16-24 Grant is a grant of £3000 for London employers who recruit an apprentice aged between 16 -24 years of age. The enhanced Grant comprises of the £1500 available as part of the existing NAS (National Apprenticeship Service) AGE 16 to 24 Grant, which has been matched by another £1500 from the LEP (London Enterprise Panel) to make a total enhanced Grant to eligible employers of £3000!
So if you are an employer who needs a helping hand then why not consider an apprentice? Employers with a London Borough postcode, who have less than 1000 employees and have not employed an apprentice within the last 12 months should be eligible to apply for the grant. And what’s more, The College of Animal Welfare can even help you recruit an apprentice for free – from advertising to setting up interviews for you! To speak to our administration team about this just call us on 01480 422060.
To find out more information surrounding the Grants and to see the terms and conditions please visit the Apprenticeships website
Update (18 September 2013) – Please note this offer is no longer available, however employers may be still able to apply for the £1500 AGE Grant, click here for further details.
We are delighted to hear that Julie Cory, veterinary nursing lecturer at our Huntingdon centre, has recently had her first paper published in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour on the comparisons between humans and companion animals (cats and dogs) with regard to age-related cognitive dysfunction (Alzheimers).
Julie first developed a keen interest in behaviour and its links to medical disease, especially neurology, through her job as a veterinary nurse. The paper looks at the development and management of cognitive decline in older animals, comparing this to the suggested risk factors and treatment options available for Alzheimer’s disease.
We are all very proud of Julie, this is an incredible achievement!
The Registered Veterinary Nurse Disciplinary Committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) this week [16 July 2013] suspended from the Register a Northants-based registered veterinary nurse who admitted to acting dishonestly with her employer, a client and a pet database company by taking home a patient that was supposed to have been euthanised.
During the two-day hearing, the Committee heard how Sally-Ann Roberts, formerly of the Best Friends Veterinary Group in Thrapston, had deliberately gone against the wishes of the owners of a 14-year-old Maine Coon cat called Jason that he be euthanised, rather than treated further, and instead had taken the cat home with her for “intensive nursing”.
Jason had subsequently escaped from Ms Robert’s residence, leading her to fabricate a story, first to the pet database company, and then to Jason’s owners and her employer, that he had escaped from the practice, before being returned by a member of the public two days later and then euthanised as originally requested.
Ms Roberts acted with her veterinary surgeon colleague Przemyslaw Bogdanowicz, who chose not to euthanise Jason and who, for his part, received a three-month suspension from the RCVS Disciplinary Committee in December 2012. She repeated the false account on a number of occasions, both orally and in written statements, and also forged the signature of Jason’s owner on official documentation in order to substantiate her story.
Only when Ms Roberts was interviewed for a second time by her then employer’s area manager, did she finally admit to what had actually happened. Shortly afterwards, Ms Roberts was suspended from the practice and, following an internal disciplinary hearing a few days later, was dismissed by them for gross misconduct, along with Mr Bogdanowicz. There was no evidence available as to what ultimately happened to Jason.
Explaining her actions to the Committee, Ms Roberts said she was upset that Jason’s owners wanted him to be euthanised and felt that he could recover if given some love and attention. She had asked Mr Bogdanowicz to discuss this possibility with Jason’s owners, but he had refused, agreeing instead that she could continue Jason’s treatment at her home. After Jason escaped, Ms Roberts said she was “devastated” and had “panicked”, inventing the story of Jason’s escape to cover her actions, which she now acknowledged were “wrong” and “stupid”, and which she “bitterly regretted”. Ms Roberts expressed sorrow and remorse for her behaviour, which she said would never occur again, and stated that being a veterinary nurse was everything to her.
In view of the admitted facts, the Committee judged that Ms Robert’s dishonesty and breach of client trust, as well the distinct risk of injury to which she exposed Jason, amounted to serious professional misconduct. In deciding on an appropriate sanction, the Committee balanced a number of aggravating factors (in particular, the forged signature) against Ms Roberts’ “strong mitigation”, which included her admitting the entirety of the charges against her, her medical and personal problems at the time, the insight she had shown into the effects of her actions on Jason’s owners and her previous unblemished career.
Professor Peter Lees, chairing and speak on behalf of the Committee, said: “The Committee has concluded that the Respondent has shown insight into the seriousness of her misconduct and that there is no significant risk of repeat behaviour. In light of the Respondent’s admission, her insight, her remorse and the high regard in which she is held by her professional colleagues, it is the Committee’s view that the sanction of two months’ suspension is appropriate and proportionate.”
The Committee’s full decisions on facts and sanction are available here