What is the right CPD for your career?

02 March 2023
2 mins read
Volume 7 · Issue 2

Abstract

Finding CPD is easy, but sourcing a suitable option can be the issue. The perfect course must fit in with a busy schedule, work for a small budget and be easily accessible. So where do you start when looking to do your CPD?

Training

Veterinary surgeons and nurses are eager to develop their knowledge, so Improve Veterinary Education has several postgraduate training courses designed just for veterinary professionals.

Programmes for nurses cover a number of different clinical areas: anaesthesia, schedule 3 surgery, dentistry, surgical nursing, emergency and critical care, transfusion medicine, and more. Courses are delivered face-to-face, online or as short courses to give greater learning flexibility.

Veterinary surgeons also have all these learning options available; they can do some advanced training or take an accelerated programme to fast-track their learning over a shorter period of time. These courses cover a range of clinical subjects, including a new month-long online short course called the Equine Oncology semester. This has been developed in conjunction with the Cambridge Equine Hospital and will run in June. Anna Hollis, Daria Coleridge and Sarah Voss have crafted the lessons and participants will get 12 CPD hours at the end.

With all these training courses, the entire practice can benefit because anyone who takes part in them can apply this learning with their team.

Accredited qualifications

The International School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ISVPS) accredits all Improve Veterinary Education training programmes and awards qualifications, giving a guarantee of quality. It has over 5700 alumni since 2003 and works to ensure the academic rigour of both its qualifications and the training courses. Its international examining board comprises more than 70 worldwide veterinary specialists and diplomates and its academic board, made up of 10 specialists in different disciplines, guarantees the highest integrity of its qualifications.

Nurses can earn an ISVPS Nurse Certificate or ISVPS Veterinary Para-professional Certificate, and vets can achieve an ISVPS General Practitioner Certificate or even an ISVPS Advanced General Practitioner Certificate if they take one of the advanced courses.

Planning career progression

A new points-based pathway has been introduced to allow veterinary surgeons and nurses to plan their career progression over a number of years, set achievable targets and give structure to their training.

The pathway for nurses is called My Veterinary Nurse Career and if nurses gain enough points, they earn the ISVPS Lead Veterinary Nurse Practitioner. For vets, this pathway is named My Veterinary Career and works the same. If vets earn enough points, they can also get the ISVPS Master General Practitioner.

Having a clear view of and structure for a career in veterinary practice will make the effort involved in the learning and exams worthwhile.

News and resources

Having completed the CPD training and passed the exams, it is important to remain up to date with the latest discoveries and developments in veterinary practice.

Improve Veterinary Practice provides reliable, useful and interesting news written by expert authors and covers small animal, large animal, equine and practice management sectors of the veterinary surgeon and nursing professions. It is also great for staying up to date with how the veterinary industry is evolving and how the sector is adapting to new medical findings.

The Improve International Group is here to support the lifelong learning journey and provide innovative CPD learning to veterinary professionals everywhere.