Blog

Emily Cook, 4th year vet student, tells us what it feels like to prepare to enter the profession.  Getting here I am mid-way through my 4th year at Bristol vet school, with the end in sight and thoughts of what to do when I qualify beginning to take shape, permeated by worries about the challenges still ahead of me in the next year and a bit. Rotations. Real clients. Finals. Terrifying.  It feels strange now that just a few years ago I was happily working at the BSAVA in the Publications Department, copy editing and proof reading manuals, when the niggling idea that maybe I could be a vet crept into my brain. After checking on UCAS I learned that actually this might be possible. I have a Biology degree that meant I could apply as a graduate. 

A few years ago, when I was Chair of BSAVA's Membership Development Committee (MDC), the membership category we were focusing on was new and recent graduates. We had noticed a dip in membership just after vets graduated.  Some of this was inevitable (student membership of BSAVA is free so uptake is high and not all graduates go into small animal practice) but the drop was a little greater than usual and implied that this group did not feel they were getting enough from their membership.  

London-based John Bonner takes a view on the explosive topic of year-round firework celebrations. One of the benefits of living in a multicultural area is that your neighbours can always find an excuse for a party. From January 26 (Australia Day) to December 22 (Unity Day, Zimbabwe) there is scarcely a week goes by without some family, newly settled in the area, celebrating either a religious festival or a national holiday.

It’s more than 30 years since I qualified as MRCVS – and inevitably in those three decades so much has changed in our veterinary schools when it comes to how we train the future of our profession. A key change in recent years is that there is now much less reliance on lecture-based teaching. Self-directed learning is something we’ve all always done, but it is now a structured part of the undergraduate’s experience – and whilst this can be a little scary at first, even for the brightest, veterinary students always impress me with their readiness to learn – an attitude we need to retain throughout our careers.