RCVS agrees 25% reduction in hourly vet and vet nurse CPD requirement during 2020 in response to COVID-19 outbreak

31 March 2020

BSAVA have welcomed The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) announcement that the annual requirement of hours of continuing professional development (CPD) that veterinary professionals are expected to undertake in 2020 will be reduced by 25%.

This change comes in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the UK Government’s measures to reduce its transmission, which sees many veterinary professionals with reduced workloads and facing significant and competing challenges in the coming weeks and months

The annual minimum requirement for veterinary surgeons will be reduced from 35 to 26 hours of CPD, while that of veterinary nurses will be reduced from 15 to 11 hours. The reduction comes into force immediately to help relieve the pressure on vets and vet nurses. A similar 25% reduction will also be introduced for veterinary surgeons holding Advanced Practitioner or RCVS Specialist status, as retaining these statuses requires additional hours of CPD, including in the specific areas of designation.

BSAVA President, Sue Paterson, said:

“Many practicing vets and nurses are facing unprecedented challenges, adjusting to new ways of working and juggling professional and personal needs and obligations. For some, the opportunity to sit down and read an article or listen to a webinar or podcast will be a welcome break, for others nothing will be further from their thoughts than CPD.”

RCVS have also acknowledged financial constraints during this period which may force some practices to reduce CPD budgets this year. Though RCVS have acknowledged the importance of CPD and encouraged members to undertake CPD as and when they can.

Amanda Stranack, BSAVA CEO, said:

“CPD is so critical to personal and career development. For those that are able to continue with CPD during this period, there is a lot that can be done remotely and cost effectively. BSAVA provides a huge range of CPD – including much that is free to members. We know that the cancellation of BSAVA Congress has created a CPD hole in many people’s year, so we are in the process of recording more than 100 hours of Congress 2020 lectures over the next few weeks so look out for further details.”

The policy will be under regular review and may be extended further if the circumstances demand. Those with any questions on the policy change should contact the RCVS Education Department on cpd@rcvs.org.uk

For BSAVA CPD opportunities, please visit https://www.bsava.com/Education

For BSAVA resources relating to COVID-19, please visit https://www.bsava.com/adviceforCOVID19