Dear Practice Principal
A number of student veterinary nurses who are in training and are on placement or are employed as Apprentices have been in touch seeking guidance on continuing to work in practice.
Students who are on placement may themselves suspend their placement at any time as could the practice.
However, The College of Animal Welfare’s advice is that all students should suspend their placement with immediate effect.
For Apprentices and employed students then the option of working or not working are a matter for agreement between the employer and the student. If the employer has furloughed the apprentice or employee or a student has been instructed by their employer not to attend work the College needs to be informed immediately. The students course will be continuing online.
We appreciate that some students may well be reluctant to suspend their work in the belief that it would end their opportunity to being able to Register as a Veterinary Nurse by their planned achievement date however as City and Guilds have already postponed all OSCE examinations until further notice there is doubt that students will be able to qualify this summer regardless.
We have received guidance from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons which explains the revised circumstances under which students would be able to complete their qualifications. https://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/news/coronavirus-vn-council-agrees-temporary-suspension-of/
Combined with this guidance and the College’s decision to replace the face to face part of our courses with online alternatives that could be accessed over the internet including from overseas, and individual tutorials that are made available by tutors via Skype or other similar software, the students veterinary nursing course has been adapted to cope with the current situation.
Assessment remains a challenge and whilst the College is in conversation with the Awarding Organisations (City and Guilds and VetSkill) until agreement is reached between them and the RCVS for a different approach the OSCE’s remain unavailable for the time being.
The College’s advice to International students is that they should consider immediately returning to their family home in their native country whilst transport links remain in place.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further query.
With kind regards
Barbara Cooper
Principal
The College of Animal Welfare