The RVC has created a new course – the first of its kind in the UK – for veterinary surgeons with particular interests in primary care and shelter medicine. The Postgraduate Diploma in Veterinary Primary and Accessible Care and Education Internship (PG Dip V-PACE) is designed to develop clinicians’ skills in teaching and research within practical settings.

The PG Dip V-PACE is a one-year full-time programme. Course members will complete various intern placements in hospital and charity partner sites in London and Cambridgeshire. Sites include the RVC Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital on our Camden Campus and Wood Green near Huntingdon. Teaching is scheduled to begin next summer.

Interns will receive advanced training and support in education, leading to the additional award of Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. The taught theory will then be applied by teaching other RVC students about primary care and shelter medicine.

The PG Dip V-PACE 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.

The candidates

Louise Allum, Head Vet at the RVC Shelter Medicine Programme and Course Director, said: “The ideal candidates 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, added: “Clinical internship training has previously been targeted at interns wishing to focus on specialty 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 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 master’s 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.

All applicants must be a member of the RCVS by the date the internship starts, and ideally by the date of application and interview. Course members would have had a minimum of two years' experience as a veterinary surgeon in small animal primary care. There are English language requirements for entry onto the course. For more information, click here, or for general internship enquiries, contact Louise Allum, Course Director, at: lallum@rvc.ac.uk.