Vet Times

Tag: CPD

  • Teaching old dogs new tricks

    Teaching old dogs new tricks

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    Like most vets I do well in excess of my required CPD, and am even steering towards more demanding types than just sitting in a lecture theatre drinking coffee. My CertAVP seems suddenly to have become an awful lot harder and I’m struggling to get my case reports ticking all the boxes and remaining under…

  • Attracting and retaining clients (pt.1)

    Attracting and retaining clients (pt.1)

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    “Are owners who buy jumpers for their dogs unhinged, odd, eccentric or perfectly normal?” A strange question perhaps, but – in the first part of her TMS presentation* – Onswitch MD Alison Lambert explains that people who visit your practice aren’t like you. In fact, no matter how daft you think they are, many loving…

  • Failure

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    Failure is another taboo subject in the profession, as it is in most walks of life. We don’t like it, and we don’t like talking about it. The CertAVP, as part of its “A” module (Foundations of Advanced Veterinary Practice), has you analysing learning methods. Apparently I am a strongly experimental/empirical learner, which means I learn better…

  • CPD in the sun?

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    I’m revisiting the eternal question of how to achieve 45 hours of CPD over the course of three years. One of my previous blog posts named vet specialist sites offering free and low-cost CPD and is worth a look, but more recently I have been exploring the world of MOOCs (massive open online courses). Simply…

  • Do we need diversity of a different kind?

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    There is an ever-present drum beat in the profession’s media, and that is of ever-improving standards and regulation; steadily increasing bureaucracy, compulsory CPD, increasing practice standards and the inspections and approvals and licences that come with them. All very well and good. I’m all for it; I’m just like you – always thinking how can I do this…

  • Personal finance for the veterinary nurse

    Personal finance for the veterinary nurse

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    We know we aren’t that well paid compared to vets, but can we do things to improve our lot? YES! Budget – and stick to it (do you need that latte every day?) Save – even a little can help (also, make it difficult to get at – think ISAs or Premium Bonds) Pensions –…

  • Boost client numbers and build loyalty with Purina

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    PURINA PETCARE, maker of Purina Veterinary Diets, has announced the details of its exciting new Purina Partners Programme. Dedicated to the veterinary industry, the programme is aimed at helping practices make the most of their business – ultimately through maintaining strong client relationships and providing the best all-round care for pets. The Purina Partners Programme…

  • eCPD is harder than you might think

    eCPD is harder than you might think

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    I am just coming to the end of a six-week course run online by the Royal Veterinary College on anaesthesia and analgesia. I needed a brush-up and it’s pretty much fundamental to every practising vet’s skill set. Integral to the course are the discussion forums where participants discuss cases both from “real life” and the…

  • Where are the training practices?

    Where are the training practices?

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    The RCVS has announced an increase in the number of Training Practices (TPs) to just over 2,000. In a recent article I wrote of the differences between EMS for vet students and the TP scheme for student nurses. I have been spurred on by a recent Twitter chat (@JaneRVN) with @vetinpractice about where the TPs…

  • CPD and “Death by PowerPoint”

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    Over the next couple of years I have a full plate; the postgraduate degree I’m doing culminates in a six month project and dissertation, and I’m starting a CertAVP. I’ve always enjoyed CPD because it’s part social, part learning, new things you can put in to practice. My degree is done with didactic lectures at…