The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has announced that it is launching a new course – the first of its kind in the UK – for practicing veterinary surgeons with an interest in primary care and shelter medicine. The course, a Post Graduate Diploma in Primary and Accessible Care and Education Internship (PG Dip PACE) – will help develop students’ skills in teaching and research within a practical setting. Teaching for the PACE course is scheduled to begin in August 2022.
The PACE course will offer interns the opportunity to receive advanced training and support – as well as being awarded Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. This learnt theory will then be applied by teaching other RVC students about primary care and shelter medicine.
Throughout the duration, interns will complete various placements in hospital and charity partner sites across Camden, London and Huntington, Cambridgeshire.
The PG Dip PACE course has been developed in line with the RVC’s wider offering of leading internship programmes. This means there are four modules to complete in the year: shelter medicine, primary care practice, foundations in veterinary education and practice-based research. The practice-based research module will teach interns how to design and undertake a study and analyse data from a primary care related project.
Louise Allum, head vet at the RVC Shelter Medicine Programme and course director, said: “The ideal candidates [for the PACE course] will have been in practice for at least two years and are now looking to develop their careers. If you are a vet in your practice who all the extra-mural studies (EMS) students follow or you are always identifying and suggesting ways to improve your practice, this course could help you further develop your skills in these areas. This new programme is a great opportunity for all vets with a passion for primary care and shelter medicine in particular.”
Professor Adrian Boswood, vice principal for learning, teaching and assessment at the RVC, said: “Clinical internship training has previously been targeted at interns wishing to focus on speciality practice. We were keen to develop an internship that offered a deeper understanding and broader experience of primary and accessible care while developing expertise in education; allowing these interns to share their enthusiasm for practice with the next generation of vets.”
Graduates from the PACE course will be able to contribute to and influence the development of future veterinary surgeons by pursuing veterinary education as part of their career. This may form part of the Veterinary Education pathway at the RVC, or similar institution, while working in a clinical educator role in a primary care setting at an associated practice.
Alternatively, holders of this qualification will have the opportunity to pursue further primary care focused research via a Masters or Doctoral level research qualification. Graduates also have the option to work as veterinary clinical teaching fellows or can simply return to work in primary care with a deeper understanding of the expertise and evidence base required for such work.
For more information, visit: the PACE course page on the RVC website or for general internship application enquiries, contact Louise Allum, course director at the RVC.
