A new approach to support students, providers and vet schools in delivering EMS

achieved through additional quality assurance measures, enabling the number of weeks of EMS required by students to be reduced.

Reduction in weeks

The future policy for EMS will be for students to complete ten weeks of animal handling EMS (AHEMS) and 20 weeks of clinical EMS - a reduction of eight weeks in comparison with the 2023 policy. There will be no species requirements imposed, and students will be able to choose placements that align with their development needs and interests. Further exemptions for some AHEMS may be possible where students could demonstrate considerable prior experience.

Improved quality assurance

To enhance the consistency of quality across EMS placements, new quality assurance measures will be put in place to increase the likelihood that each EMS experience is positive and valuable for both the student and the placement provider. This will involve taking a more outcomes-focused approach to planning EMS placements, and improved pro-active communication between students, schools and providers to ensure expectations are clear in advance and subsequently met on all sides.

EMS database

Students should receive support from their tutors to identify and record their learning objectives for EMS in advance. This could be done periodically and adjusted as necessary as their experience develops.

We are developing the RCVS EMS National Booking Database to support students in searching for and booking placements relevant to their needs. Providers will be invited to submit information about the EMS placement(s) they offer. This should include the non-clinical support they can provide, as well as the type and range of clinical and professional experiences that students can expect (see below).

The EMS database will also provide students and schools with a mechanism to communicate with providers in advance, to ask questions, share learning objectives and discuss any additional support needs. It will also facilitate communication with the school during longer placements, for example, to understand if expectations are being met or adjustments are needed.

The vet school will continue to gather provider and student feedback after the completion of EMS placements. However, by using the RCVS EMS National Booking Database to improve communication and set expectations, we envisage the new approach to EMS will be achieved without additional resource burden on schools. The national database would also signpost to our new guidance on best practice, which would be beneficial for new providers, and particularly to AHEMS providers who may be less accustomed to hosting students.  

Greater flexibility

The amount of EMS required will continue to be measured in weeks, but students will have increased flexibility in how they complete the required weeks, rather than adhering to a strict deadline. This should provide further options for students who currently struggle to balance their studies with other responsibilities, such as being a carer or working part time.

EMS providers will be encouraged to offer longer placements where feasible. This will help students integrate into the team and gain solid experience of what it is like  to work in that environment. Alternatively, EMS requirements could also be fulfilled through intermittent placements, such as a student attending a placement every Wednesday afternoon or Saturday over a longer timeframe. All placement hours, whether continuous or intermittent, would contribute towards the overall EMS requirement and help students achieve the desired learning outcomes.

Setting own learning objectives

With the support of their tutor, students will identify and set their own learning objectives, without needing to do a certain amount of EMS in predetermined areas, for example, across species. This will increase the likelihood of students actively engaging with the placement rather than attending as a tick box exercise. In addition, a more outcome-focused, student-led approach allows for greater flexibility. As students gain more experience, their learning outcomes can be adjusted. As students develop their skills and knowledge, it's often not until they encounter new situations that they may reflect on their understanding and identify areas needing further exploration.

Managing expectations

The RCVS EMS National Booking Database will encourage providers to share a range of information about their placements for students to consider. Importantly, this will include the types of cases seen in their workplace, what a student could reasonably expect to experience, and how they will be supported. Students will be able to consider this information against their own needs and learning objectives when booking a placement, resulting in expectations on both sides being better managed in advance.

Additional information for students

To help improve accessibility to EMS placements, particularly for students facing additional constraints around finances or transport, we will encourage EMS providers to offer a range of additional information to help students choose placements that meet their needs.

The information can include:

• Geographical location
• Availability
• Whether payment or financial support is offered
• Whether accommodation is provided
• Public transport links

In addition, providers will be able to promote their workplace and EMS placement through demonstrating additional qualities, such as having staff trained in equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), or coaching / mentoring techniques, Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) or other awards. Practices that promote qualities such as these can offer students a glimpse of the long-term employee experience. This can be an additional benefit for practices looking to attract future, like-minded team members.

Promoting the value of EMS

Although the reduction in the number of weeks of EMS required will ease the increasing demand to a certain extent, there is still a need to attract more individuals and practices to offer animal handling, clinical and professional EMS placements to meet the future needs of students. We will work to promote EMS and the many benefits it brings to providers themselves, as well as to students and the next generation of our profession.

Providers have shared with us the sense of personal and professional satisfaction it gives them to pass on their experience and expertise to vet students, and the valuable contributions students make to the workplace during the time they spend there. Following a particularly good experience of EMS, students may also be keen to return to that workplace later in their studies or upon graduation.

Recognition and reward

In addition to access to ‘free CPD’ on coaching and mentoring via the RCVS Academy, practitioners who support students on EMS have also reported these activities to be rich learning experiences for themselves, and therefore can also be counted as part of their own CPD.

To enhance the profile of EMS and ensure EMS providers are recognised across the profession for the value and commitment they bring, further incentives and rewards will be explored, such as awards for the best placements or providers who go above and beyond to support students, and further recognition through our Practice Standards Scheme.