CVS is launching a new graduate farm vet exchange programme to give young vets with up to two years’ experience the opportunity to spend time at another farm practice to develop their knowledge and skills.
Launching this Spring, it is the only programme of its type in the veterinary sector and will run throughout the year.
The CVS new graduate farm vet exchange programme will be open to all 16 of its young vets and will operate within all 12 of its farm practices in the England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Each CVS farm graduate vet will be able to go on an exchange in their second year of the programme and every placement will last up to two weeks.
The subject matter of each exchange will be at the direction of the graduate rather than following a specific programme. This will mean each participating graduate vet has the freedom to explore their own individual areas of interest. For example, a new graduate may be keen to assist with a run of bovine caesareans during a spring week; or have more exposure to dairy or smallholder work.
It is expected that the exchange programme will also help to build strong links within the wider CVS Farm Animal team, meaning individuals will have a network of support for their new skillset.
To apply to join the programme CVS has created a dedicated farm vet exchange page on its unique knowledge hub learning and development online platform. Here, applicant vets can find out more information about the exchanges, outline the learning outcomes they would like to develop during their exchange, and complete an ‘expression of interest’ form. This then connects them with the practice they have opted to visit, so that they can be booked in.
Anna Bruguera Sala, programme co-ordinator and vet at Alnorthumbria Farm Vets, said: “We are a large farm veterinary team. Within our group we have colleagues who are enormously experienced in different fields, often as a result of the cases presented in their geographic location. We know our vets want to share this knowledge – as it is valuable to individual graduates and their respective practice.
“The major benefits of our new graduate exchange programme is that it is open to all young vets of different levels of experience and provides bespoke learning opportunities tailored to each individual. It will also create connections, so experienced colleagues can support an exchange student with their new skillset when they are back within their own practice.”
