Vet’s Guide to Moving to the UK Part 2: Veterinary Work Specifics

This article is Part 2 of the series: The Vet’s Guide to Moving to the UK. To see all posts, click here.

Now you’ve got all the basics down for moving to the UK, its time to start the ball rolling on the specific stuff you’ll need to do to work as a Vet or Vet Nurse. Get ready for the acronyms!

Here’s what we’ll cover in this post:

1) Veterinary Registration and the RCVS

2) Continuing Profession Development (CPD) Requirements

3) Professional Indemnity Insurance

4) National Veterinary Associations

5) Radiation Exposure Badges

6) OV Qualifications

7) Vehicle and AccomodationIf you’ve not already

Note: Vet Nurses in the UK are commonly referred to as Registered Veterinary Nurses, or RVNs, so that’s what I’ll be calling them throughout this article..

I’ll do my best to keep all the information up to date, but please remember this guide is written from my own personal experience. I am not an immigration specialist, and you must check with all relevant government departments to ensure you are complying with UK laws before making any major decisions.

1. Veterinary Registration and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS)

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) are the regulatory body of the Veterinary industry in the UK. They’re based in London, and you’ll need to get in touch with them if you’re planning on working as a vet anywhere in Great Britain or Northern Ireland.

The ease of registering with them will depend on whether or not your veterinary degree is RCVS accredited- you should be able to find this out on your university’s website. If so- great! You’ll need to make an appointment for registration at the RCVS headquarters in central London. The appointments generally need to be booked a few weeks to months in advance, and you’ll need to take a stack of official paperwork (including your original vet degree, a letter of good standing and a cheque) along with you on the day. The appointment turned out to be a lot less terrifying that I expected (no pop-quizzes or essays involved), it was just a case of filling in paperwork and reciting the RCVS oath with a bunch of other immigrating vets. And as a bonus, once everything is official you can then add an additional 5 letters after your name- MRCVS, or Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons!

If you’re university is not RCVS accredited, you may need to undertake extra examinations to have your qualifications recognised- see the RCVS website for further detail.

Keep in mind this process will take some weeks, and you will have to visit London in person for your appointment- so don’t arrange a start date with a UK employer until you’ve got your registration arranged.

Vet Nurses

RVNs are also held to a very high standard in the UK, and like vets, need to be registered with the RCVS to practice. The registration process can also take weeks to months to finalise, and may involve an exam or work placement to prove you are adequately skilled.Find out more here.

2. Continued Professional Development

While registered in the UK, you must keep up with your Continued Professional Development (CPD) requirements. You must complete 105 hours of CPD every 3 years to remain registered- the details are outlined here.

So what counts as CPD? There’s the obvious stuff, like attending seminars, but you can also gain hours by doing your own research on cases, reading journals, shadowing colleagues and holding case conferences- provided you record those hours in a private journal as proof. Importantly, volunteer work can also count as CPD- particularly those hours when you are learning something new. Make sure you record your volunteer work, and write a reflection on what you’ve learned and how it will changes the way you’ll do things in future.

The Professional Development Phase (PDP)

If you’re a new graduate coming to work in the UK, you’ll be asked to sign up for the RCVS’s PDP Program. The PDP, or Professional Development Phase, is a compulsory program for all UK veterinary graduates to ensure they continue to learn and develop their skills throughout their first few years as a vet. Basically, its an extensive check-list of skills and cases that you need to keep up to date. The idea is to show your RCVS-allocated mentor that you’re improving on all the skills required to be a competant vet, and to give you a hand if there are any areas of experience you are missing. While its only compulsory to new grads with under a year of experience, its recommended to recent grads and those returning to work too. It also counts as one years’ worth of CPD (35hrs), so that’s a bonus too.

Vet Nurses

RVNs are also required to keep up with continued education to maintain their registration- they need 45 hours every 3 years of CPD. Like with vets, there are a variety of ways you can complete theses hours, but the British Vet Nursing Association website is a good place to get started if you’re looking for learning opportunities.

3. Professional Indemnity Insurance

Professional Indemnity insurance is very important when working as a vet or RVN, and serves to support you should any legal issues arise at work. It covers you should any complaints be made against you in relation to your professional skills- for example, if one of your patients dies and the client puts in an official complaint. Most permanent employers and veterinary umbrella companies will provide their employers with this insurance through the business, but if this is not the case it is essential that you arrange it yourself.

You can find a heap of Professional Indemnity Insurance options with a google search, but the most well known insurer is the Veterinary Defence Society. The VDS specialises in insurance for vet professionals, and has a great helpline if any issues should arise. You can take out short or long-term policies. The fees vary with the type of work you do- mixed practice insurance is more expensive than cover for smallies only, for example. The VDS has a great helpline, so its best to give them a call and talk through your options. Make sure you do some research and pick the right insurer for you.

Other types of insurance you may consider are Public Liability Insurance (which covers property damage and public injuries that could occur as result of your work) and income protection.

Health insurance is also highly recommended if you are not covered by the NHS- we work in a dangerous industry after all! Any legally settled resident of the UK is covered by the NHS, but you will need to register- see my previous post to find out how. If you’re not covered or would prefer private health insurance, do your own research to find a health insurer that meets your needs.

4. National Professional Associations

The UK has a number of national associations you can join if you choose. The largest one is the BVA (British Veterinary Association) (https://www.bva.co.uk/), but there is also a number of subsets for difference interest groups, including:

– The BSAVA (British Small Animal Veterinary Association)

– The BEVA (British Equine Veterinary Association)

– The BCVA (British Cattle Veterinary Association)

– The BVZS (British Veterinary Zoological Society)

– The Young Vets Network– hosting events and CPD to connect young vet professionals

– The BVNA (British Veterinary Nursing Association)

and many more.

These groups generally have annual fees, and the benefits include online resources, discounts to CPD events and access to the veterinary community, so they’re worth checking out, especially if you have a special interest.

While we’re at it, I also recommend checking out a couple of UK veterinary facebook groups. These forums are where a lot of UK professionals hang out, debate and answer queries, so they are a good way to start becoming involved in the UK Veterinary Community:

– VSGD (Vets: Stay, Go, Diversify

– Veterinary Voices UK

– Vet Nurse Chatter– for RVNs

5. Radiation Exposure

– All UK personnel that work with radiation are required to have their dosimetry badge. The badge must be worn whenever you are taking x-rays, and is posted back the manufacturer quarterly to record your exposures. Permanent employers will order and take care of your badge for you, but locums are responsible for sourcing and maintaining their own. You can order one from JAK Marketing.

6. OV Qualification

If you are likely to be involved in importing or exporting animals (either commercial livestock, or to sign passports for pets travelling overseas) you will need a further qualification- called OV training. This isn’t necessary for every vet, but may be looked on favourably by your employer.

7. Acommodation and Vehicle

Many employers (especially mixed jobs and those in rural locations) will provide you with accommodation and/or vehicle during your employment. Make sure you keep an eye out for this when searching for your next role, as it can make relocating a whole lot easier (and cheaper). To find out more about how to find work in the UK, check out my post, read my post Finding Permanent and Locum Veterinary Work in the UK (coming soon).

Further Information

Thanks for reading. If you’d like to see more advice about moving to the UK, read Part 1 of this series- Vets Guide to Moving to the UK- General Work and Life in Britain. Or if you’re more interested in finding work in the UK, have a look at my post on how to find veterinary work in the UK.

Or to read about living and working in different countries, check out the Working Overseas as a Vet Page!