More than 500 people register an interest in leadership course

More than 500 people have pre-registered for an online leadership course pilot being run as part of our new Leadership Initiative.

Some 550 people veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses, students and practice managers have registered an interest in joining the first cohort of the Edward Jenner Veterinary Leadership Programme, a massive open online course (or MOOC) being run through the FutureLearn digital education platform.

"It’s been wonderful to see such high levels of interest and high numbers of sign-ups for the MOOC, and we want to thank all those who have volunteered," Amanda Boag, RCVS Junior Vice-President 

The individuals who have registered an interest will, in due course, be sent an email providing them with details on how they can formally sign-up to the pilot version of the course.

The MOOC was developed in conjunction with the NHS Leadership Academy and aims to emphasise the importance of leadership and deliver information on the art of good leadership and decision-making, build confidence, develop an inclusive leadership culture and encourage active reflection and application of leadership skills.

To do this the course includes a fictional audio drama featuring veterinary professionals living in the county of Glenvern, which provides a vehicle for reflection and learning about the diverse leadership challenges veterinary professionals face on a daily basis.

Our Vice-President Amanda Boag (pictured right), who is heading up the Leadership Initiative, said: ‘It’s been wonderful to see such high levels of interest and high numbers of sign-ups for the MOOC, and we want to thank all those who have volunteered.

“We are particularly glad that the people who have registered are a diverse group with around a fifth of them being veterinary nurses and also including practice managers, students and non-clinical staff because the course aims to develop everyday leadership within the whole veterinary team, no matter what stage a person is at in their career.

“We very much look forward to receiving their feedback and making the necessary changes and improvements.”

The MOOC is a key part of the RCVS Leadership Initiative, launched on Thursday 5 April at the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) Congress in Birmingham, and inspired by our joint Vet Futures project with the British Veterinary Association (BVA).

The initiative is also part of the RCVS Strategic Plan 2017-2019 which had as one of its ambitions ‘to become a Royal College with leadership and innovation at its heart, and support this creatively and with determination.’ The College is running it in parallel with its innovation project, ViVet, which was launched in September 2017.

The initiative’s goals include integrating leadership into veterinary professionals’ continuing education, in part by creating the MOOC, leading by example in the College by developing Council and staff members’ leadership skills, and highlighting more diverse leadership opportunities.

To listen to the first two episodes of the audio drama and preview content, as well as watch a video with further information about the programme, please visit www.rcvs.org.uk/leadership or contact Oliver Glackin, Leadership Initiatives Manager, for more information at [email protected]