Professor Sarah Freeman is Professor of Veterinary Surgery at the University of Nottingham’s School of Veterinary Medicine & Science, and leads the Nottingham Equine Colic Project, which works with organisations such as the British Horse Society to raise awareness of the potentially fatal condition.
Professor Freeman’s talk, “Generating an evidence-based educational campaign on colic”, will be addressing the new evidence that the project has developed by working with vets and horse owners, and how this led to the REACT colic campaign. She will be sharing experiences of how the campaign has worked and asking whether we can change people’s attitudes and behaviours.
The evening starts at 6.15pm with food and refreshments with Professor Freeman’s talk starting at 7pm, after which there will be an update on the College’s latest projects and initiatives. Following this there will be a question and answer session with senior officers and staff from the RCVS – including RCVS President Dr Niall Connell, and Chair of RCVS Veterinary Nurses (VN) Council Racheal Marshall.
Dr Connell said: “Thank you to Professor Freeman for agreeing to speak about the colic project which, through its Colic Awareness Week, is helping to raise knowledge of the early signs of colic amongst horse owners, allowing them to get their horses treated in good time and saving their lives.
“I also look forward to talking to members of the profession about some of the issues currently on their minds – the evening is very much led by what those who attend want to discuss – from mental health, to our under care review, to the Practice Standards Scheme. Attending the event can also count to up to three hours towards your continuing professional development (CPD) requirement.”
The event is open to all members of the practice team including veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses, practice managers and others. The event is free and places can be booked via the RCVS website.
In the afternoon before the event, between 12 noon and 5pm, the College will also be holding a series of free 45-minute Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) surgeries with PSS Lead Assessor Pam Mosedale.
The surgeries are open to both RCVS-accredited practices and those considering joining the Scheme and allows delegates to discuss the assessment process, how to apply for awards, how to meet particular requirements and any other questions they may have about the PSS.
Places at the surgeries are limited, and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and can be booked via the RCVS website.