RCVS Practice Standards Scheme

Practice Standards Scheme

The RCVS Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) is a voluntary initiative to accredit veterinary practices in the UK.

Through setting standards and carrying out regular assessments, the Scheme aims to promote and maintain the highest standards of veterinary care.

It offers peace of mind to clients of accredited practices and a more informed choice to the animal-owning public.

To become accredited, practices volunteer for rigorous assessment every four years and will have met a range of minimum standards including hygiene, 24-hour emergency cover, staff training, certain types of equipment and cost estimation procedures.

Practices are also subject to spot-checks between assessments.

More Information on the scheme can be found here.

Veterinary Nurse Training Practice

Ashlands Veterinary Centre is an approved veterinary nurse training practice. To achieve this status we were inspected by our Veterinary Nursing Approved Centre (VNAC) Myerscough College. A VNAC is an organisation approved by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) to manage veterinary nurse training and to enforce training standards.

This practice has two inspections a year by Myerscough College to ensure that standards are maintained and to assist with training methods to help our student nurses. The standards we have to meet focus primarily on the range of facilities and equipment we use, and the procedures undertaken in the practice, as well as health and safety issues.

There are two ways of training as a veterinary nurse. The first is to be employed as an apprentice by the practice and attend a two-year day release course at Myerscough College, leading to a Diploma in Veterinary Nursing. The second way is to do a degree course. The foundation degree course lasts three years and the honours degree course takes four years. The College places the students at veterinary practices to obtain practical experience. These courses ensure that all veterinary nurses who qualify in Britain have achieved a recognised national standard of competence in the industry.

We have clinical coaches who look after the trainees’ wellbeing and help them to complete their training.

To maintain our training status is very time-consuming and expensive. However, as a practice we believe that investment in enthusiastic young people reaps ample rewards, in the form of valued long-term employees who are trained to the highest standard. Our nursing staff are able to offer our clients a high quality of advice to support them in all aspects of pet ownership. They are also able to support our veterinary surgeons during every procedure, ensuring the best in-patient care for our patients.

For more information on training as a veterinary nurse click here