Veterinary Clinical Careers Pathway

Veterinary Clinical Career Pathway (VCCP) Working Group

Members

• Professor Nicholas Cooper (chair)
• Dr Heather Bacon
• Ms Erin Burnett
• Mr Tim Charlesworth
• Mr Phil Cramp
• Ms Eilidh Corr
• Dr Karen Coumbe
• Mr John Fishwick
• Miss Emily Gascoigne
• Dr Jennifer Hammond
• Mr Peter O'Hagan
• Dr Aoife Reid
• Professor Adam Tjolle
• Mrs Kirsty Young

Terms of Reference

1. The Veterinary Clinical Career Pathway (VCCP) Working Group reports to Education Committee and is responsible for overseeing the development of the new clinical career pathways for veterinary surgeons working in the UK, which includes the following workstreams:
   
   
   1. Workstream 1 (W1): Curriculum development for Veterinary General Practice (GP) specialty training
   2. Workstream 2 (W2): Definition of veterinary clinical roles
   3. Workstream 3 (W3): Developing flexible routes for specialist training.
2. The VCCP Working Group will:
   
   
   • Establish the overarching purpose of the veterinary GP specialty training programme. (W1)
   • Review and agree the curriculum statement for GP specialty training. (W1)
   • Identify the intended learning outcomes of the GP specialty training programme. (W1)
   • Consider existing evidence of effective training structures, learning environments, factors leading to trainee satisfaction, effective assessment strategies and quality assurance mechanisms, in order to develop the proposed GP specialty training programme. (W1)
   • Oversee the development of an implementation plan for the GP specialty training programme. (W1)
   • Oversee the development of a quality assurance process for the GP specialty training programme. (W1)
   • Consider the available research on the impact of RCVS Advanced Practitioner (AP) status and outcomes of the stakeholder event. (W2)
   • Oversee the development of clear definitions of the different clinical career statuses, and the educational requirements associated with each (W2)
   • Oversee the development of guidance on the scope, focus and responsibility of the roles associated with different clinical career statuses within the clinical veterinary team (W2)
   • Consider the effectiveness and impact of existing specialist training structures and learning environments across the veterinary sector and other professions (W3)
   • Oversee the development of proposals for more flexible routes to achieving speciality status (W3)
   • The working group will provide feedback on the proposals developed within the workstreams, and make recommendations to Education Committee for future plans associated with each.

Meetings

3. The working group will be in place for two years (2024 and 2025) and meet 4 times each year. It will meet remotely, unless there is a specific requirement to meet in person and some of the business may be conducted by email if considered appropriate by the Chair.
4. The working group has a quorum of 50%

Membership

5. Working group members should have a good understanding of the needs of veterinary surgeons. There will be 12 members, including representation of the following areas:
   
   
   • across species domains
   • independent practice
   • corporate practice
   • recent graduate / early career veterinary practitioner
   • Advanced Practitioners
   • Specialists
   • Education experience
   • lay member with knowledge of postgraduate education and training in a similar field (chair)
   • Remote/rural background
   • RVN

6. The working group may nominate new members as appropriate, to be approved by Education Committee.
7. The working group may co-opt individuals for their particular expertise for a defined period or defined task.

January 2024