Fee reminder
By now, you should have received a letter from the RCVS to remind you that fees are due for 2014 listing/registration.
The fee for 2014 is £61 and is due by 1 November this year. You can complete your renewal online or by post/fax, and payment can be made online, or by credit card (by completing a post/fax form, unfortunately we can’t take payments over the phone), cheque, bank draft or bank transfer.
Earlier this year, the VN Council decided to discontinue the listing/registration cards for VNs on the basis that employers seem rarely to ask to see them, and, now that the disciplinary system for RVNs has been introduced, they can become out of date. Instead, we encourage employers and the public to use our online 'Check the Register’ tool to ensure a VN is properly registered or listed.
If you have not yet received your fee reminder, please contact our Registration Department on 0207 202 0707, as we may not hold your up-to-date contact details.
Salisbury way for free CPD
Don’t forget to sign up for our Regional Question Time meeting, which will take place on 23 October in the Milford Hall Hotel in Salisbury. All VNs, together with vets and other practice staff, are welcome to attend.
What happens on the night is up to the delegates – because the ‘agenda’ is formed by questions from the floor. So, if you have a burning topic you would like to discuss with members of VN and RCVS Council, now’s your chance!
It’s a free event (and can count towards your CPD), starting with a buffet at 6.30pm and finishing around 10pm. Contact Fiona Harcourt for more information on f.harcourt@rcvs.org.uk or 0207 202 0773.
Is Practice Standards your bag?
If you are involved with the Practice Standards Scheme (PSS), you may find our PSS surgeries useful. These free 45-minute sessions with a PSS inspector take place from l-5pm on 23 October, in the same venue as the Regional Question Time.
It’s a great opportunity to ask an Inspector all of your questions about applying to the Scheme, or preparing for an inspection or re-inspection. Please contact Fiona on the details above to reserve your slot.
Meanwhile, the PSS is in the process of review, with exciting plans to develop it into a more modular scheme that will be accessible to a broader range of practice types. If you are attending the BVNA Congress (Telford, 11-13 October), then you can hear more about our plans from Practice Standards Group Chairman, Jacqui Molyneux (Saturday, 3.15pm).
We will also be on hand to answer questions on any other RCVS topics on our stand on the Friday and Saturday of the event – and please come and help us to trial some new practical exam tasks!
Winter exam chances
The closing dates for the winter RCVS examinations are as follows:
• 1 November for the OSCE (practical examination): students will receive an acknowledgment by 14 November. The examinations are being held between 29 November and 1 December, with results expected by 9 January 2014.
• The Level 3 Diploma Theory examinations theory booking window opens on Monday 30 September and will close on 25 October. Students eligible to enter this examination will have received an e-mail from Pearson Vue towards the end of September.
If you have any difficulties booking the appointment, please contact the VN Department on 0207 202 0788. Hie examinations will be held between 28 October and 10 November, and the results will be available by 12 December.
Good luck to all those who are sitting the examinations this time round.
• VOL 28 • October 2013 • Veterinary Nursing Journal