FAQs

RVP is contextual. What is regarded as routine veterinary practice in relation to a specific veterinary professional, patient, species or condition at one point in time, may not be regarded as routine veterinary practice if carried out by a different veterinary professional in a different clinical setting, in relation to a different patient, species or condition, and/or at a different point in time.

It is also relevant to consider the clinical setting. For example, it may be RVP to carry out a complex new procedure in a large hospital with advanced diagnostic equipment and numerous experienced support staff available to assist if complications were to arise, but it may not be RVP for the same procedure to be carried out by a veterinary surgeon in a small practice with limited equipment and staff. Timing and planning are also important. For example, not undertaking surgery when the practice is about to close (please see Chapter 2 of the supporting guidance to the Code of Professional Conduct, paragraph 15).

Where you have not performed the procedure and technique before, you should consider the following:

1. Do you possess the required skills, qualifications, and competence to perform the procedure or technique?
   This refers to your relevant experience, training, and knowledge of the proposed procedure or treatment. Have you performed the procedure or applied the treatment before? Have you performed a similar procedure or administered a similar procedure before? Do you hold specialist or advanced practitioner status in the field?
2. Do you have access to the necessary facilities to perform the procedure or technique?
   This refers to the practice setting, e.g. clinical facilities, diagnostic equipment, surgical equipment, etc.
3. Is appropriate support available if complications were to arise?
   This refers to the available team support that may be required. Are appropriately qualified staff available and able to provide the assistance that may be required, if necessary, for example, to assist in responding to an emergency arising during the course of treatment, or to provide overnight nursing care if required?

Only veterinary surgeons are permitted to use ‘vet’ in a company name where the company provides veterinary services as it may imply that the person running or managing the company is on the RCVS register as a veterinary surgeon.

An alternative name such as, ‘Jake’s Animal Physio Limited’ could be considered and no letter of non-objection will be required from the RCVS.

Each term is a maximum of four years, although some Council members may retire early for personal reasons.

The term of office remains at four years, but a maximum limit of three consecutive terms has been introduced. A mandatory two-year break is required before a person may stand again.

Under the Code of Conduct for Council and Committee Members a mechanism is in place so that Council members may be investigated and potentially removed for issues relating to poor conduct/behaviour. 

Each term is a maximum of three years, although some may retire early for personal reasons. As above there is a three consecutive term limit that an elected VN Council member can serve, after which they will have to wait two years before re-standing.

Under the Code of Conduct for Council and Committee Members a mechanism is in place so that Council members may be investigated and potentially removed for issues relating to poor conduct/behaviour. 

No, this guidance only relates to the prescription of prescription-only veterinary medicines (POM-Vs).

Although this guidance does not cover POM-VPS, these should of course be prescribed responsibly and in line with the requirements of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations (VMRs). 

All clinical veterinary research should be subject to ethics review. This includes, but is not limited to, all studies where one would be expected to obtain permission from the owner/keeper of an animal prior to being enrolled, or when consent is needed for use of previously collected samples or the use of data from an animal’s clinical records.

In addition, veterinary surgeons might find it helpful to consult a peer or colleague who is not directly involved in the case, and who is preferably not an employee of the veterinary surgeon or the veterinary practice. A record of the consultation discussion should be made.

Veterinary surgeons in practice may find the BRAN framework useful when undertaking peer review:

• Benefits – what are the benefits of the procedure or treatment?
• Risk – what are the risks of this procedure or treatment?
• Alternatives – what are the alternative procedures or treatments?
• Nothing – what would happen if nothing was done?

Regarding collection of data in practice, the primary purpose for doing so is clinical, the secondary purpose is internal clinical audit, and the tertiary purpose is collating data from a number of practices for research. Note that ethics review is not required when undertaking internal clinical audits, such as quality improvement work, unless the intention is to publish the results.

Veterinary surgeons, registered veterinary nurses, and veterinary students conducting veterinary clinical research outside the scope of a university, other institute of further education and/or in an industry context and not covered by Home Office licensing under ASPA or other appropriate ethics review bodies may seek ethics review from the RCVS Ethics Review Panel (ERP) or another appropriate panel. For further information about seeking ethics review from the RCVS ERP, please see the Ethics Review Panel page.

This depends on the committees and working parties on which you are asked to sit. RCVS committees generally sit four times a year.

The new smaller Council meets more frequently (usually six, but up to eight, times per year) allowing it to communicate more effectively with the profession and to make decisions in a more timely fashion.

You may also be asked to join a working party on a particular issue, and there may be other College events and activities that you can attend on a voluntary basis.

On average, therefore, successful candidates might expect to spend around 15-to-18 days a year on Council business in terms of formal meetings during their first year on Council. Additional time will be required to attend other committee meetings to which a successful candidate is allocated, as well as to keep on top of emails, read paperwork and so on. 

As your Council career develops, you may be required to take a more active role meaning that you may be expected to spend more than the average days a year on Council business, for example, if you become a Committee Chair or member of the Officer Team.

This depends on the committees and working parties on which you are asked to sit.

There are at least four VN Council meetings per year, plus RCVS Day (our AGM and awards ceremony). Additional VN Council meetings may be called.

In addition, you will be asked to sit on a VN Council Committee or an RCVS committee, which generally sit four times a year.

You may also be asked to join a working party on a particular issue, and there may be other College activities, such as Regional Question Time meetings which you may choose to attend.

On average, therefore, successful candidates might expect to spend between eight and 10 days a year on VN Council business in terms of formal meetings during their first year on Council. Additional time will be required to keep on top of emails, read paperwork etc.

As your Council career develops you may be required to take a more active role. For example, two members of VN Council sit on RCVS Council which meets between six and eight times a year.

The words, ‘vet’, ‘veterinary’, ‘veterinary surgeon’, and ‘veterinary practitioner’ are sensitive words for the purposes of company incorporation because it is an offence under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (VSA) for a person not on the RCVS register to take or use these titles to imply that they are.

Companies House therefore require the RCVS to provide a letter of non-objection (LONO) as standard and to consider the context in which the title is to be used.

It is therefore a matter for the RCVS to consider each request on a case-by-case basis, however, where no offence is likely to be committed, because the company is unrelated to the veterinary profession, as in this case, or where it provides only operational services to the veterinary sector (for example, “Veterinary Accountants Ltd”), a LONO is likely to be issued.  

Please see Chapter 23 of the supporting guidance for further information on how to request a LONO and what information to provide.

Several universities and awarding organisations expressed concerns regarding student veterinary nurses’ attendance in clinical placement and employment, due to the precautions around transmission of Coronavirus. This applies to all students in all years of a programme, although there were particular concerns as to the impact this will have on final-year students being unable to complete the required number of hours in order to complete their licence to practise qualification and be eligible to apply to register with the RCVS.

There have also been concerns raised over the completion of the RCVS Day One Skills for Veterinary Nurses (DOS) should students be unable to attend their clinical placements or employment. The RCVS Day One Competences and Day One Skills for Veterinary Nurses set out the minimum essential requirements that we expect all student nurses to have met when they register, to ensure they are safe and competent to practise on day one, in whichever area of the profession they start to work.

Universities and awarding organisations requested a degree of flexibility around the RCVS VN Registration Rules and completion of the RCVS Day One Skills, in light of the Covid-19 situation.

The following therefore applies:

• Veterinary Nurses Council recognises that it should not be compulsory for students to complete clinical placements or employment during the current pandemic. This will apply to students in any year of their studies.

• It is also recognised that for students in their final year of study, it may be difficult for them to make up the hours of clinical placement or employment missed prior to completing their programme. Universities, awarding organisations and colleges should continue to support their students and explore alternatives, however any shortfall relative to the requirements should not be a barrier to completion of the programme.

• It is anticipated that both further and higher education students not in their final year of study would have sufficient time to make up the number of hours prior to completing their programme however, this will be reviewed as the Covid-19 pandemic progresses.

• Student veterinary nurses will still be required to complete the RCVS Day One Skills for Veterinary Nurses in their totality as these seek to assure competence at the point of registration. Where a student has completed the Day One Skills in fewer than the required 1,800 hours, this will be assessed on a case-by-case basis on application to register.

• The RCVS Veterinary Nursing Department has issued guidance on completion of the RCVS Day One Skills to all programme providers. This guidance includes the use of professional discussion, set tasks and simulation where appropriate.

Contact the VN team:  [email protected] / 020 7202 0788

Last reviewed: 15 February 2022