Professions invited to attend focus group on developing a curriculum for ‘GP specialist’ training

With the recent launch of the RCVS exciting new project to further develop veterinary clinical career pathways (VCCP), the College is inviting veterinary professionals with an interest in speciality training in primary care to attend a focus group which will begin to look at the needs of the profession in this respect, and contribute to the development of a proposed curriculum.

The VCCP project was launched in November 2023 as a way of expanding and diversifying the clinical career options available to veterinary surgeons, including via new training programmes and statuses.

The focus group, which takes place on Friday 3 May 2024 between 9.30am and 4.30pm at the Woburn House Conference Centre, will concentrate on the first of the VCCP’s three workstreams which is the development of a veterinary specialty training programme in primary/ general care.

Dr Linda Prescott-Clements (pictured), our Director of Education, said: “The overall aim of this event is to gather stakeholders' thoughts and insights on the need for GP specialty training, the potential impact and advantages to the profession as well as any potential risks. Those in attendance will also discuss what appropriate content for this training should be and explore potential learning environments, and prerequisites for how the training might be implemented.

“After an introduction to the VCCP project, we will then be asking participants to consider some of the key questions around the development of this curriculum. This includes: establishing the overarching purpose of the training programme with reference to the needs of the workforce, the profession and veterinary care services; identifying appropriate areas of content for the training; identifying suitable learning environments; and establishing consideration of the required mechanisms of supervision and support.

“In terms of attendees, we are very keen to have a good mix of people including those working in independent veterinary practices as well as corporate environments, those working in general practice, Advanced Practitioners, Specialists and those who work in the education sector. The focus groups will be on interactivity, finding solutions and building engagement – we want all voices to be heard and all ideas to be shared.”

You can register to attend the event, which is free, by visiting the focus group’s dedicated Eventbrite page where you will also find the full agenda, information about preparatory work for delegates ahead of the focus groups and anticipated outcomes. There will be several stakeholder events held throughout the duration of the project, the next one scheduled to be in Edinburgh on the 20 June.

Following the focus groups a report of the event will be presented to the VCCP Working Group and the RCVS Education Committee with proposals for developing the training programme based on the discussions.

Further focus groups focusing on the two other workstreams of the VCCP – the definition of veterinary clinical roles and the development of flexible and accessible routes for specialist training – will be announced in due course.

For further information about the event please contact Jenny Soreskog-Turp, RCVS Lead for Postgraduate Education, on [email protected]