Veterinary Nurse CPD

CPD for veterinary nurses is mandatory under RCVS rules, requiring 15 hours of recorded and reflected learning every year. iLearn by Agilio provides online, non-clinical CPD courses for registered veterinary nurses, written by industry experts and accessible on any device.

Online CPD for veterinary nurses

Veterinary practice is busy. Clinical teams are stretched and it can be a challenge to find veterinary nurse CPD that is both cost-effective and easy to access around a hectic schedule. There just aren’t enough hours in the day. Of course, maintaining a good work-life balance needs to be factored into the equation too.

If you are looking to find ways to meet your CPD requirements, you’re in the right place. Read on for everything from the activities that count as CPD, to our top tips for reflecting, as well as how Agilio’s iLearn platform, which includes free veterinary CPD, can help you meet your annual target. If you’re interested in finding out more on our structured training for your nursing team, see our veterinary nurse training page.

From in-house case discussions to shadowing colleagues and self-directed reading there are lots of ways to clock up your veterinary nurse CPD.

A recent survey revealed that on-demand video-based CPD ranked as the top choice of leaning platform for 47 percent of respondents. Agilio’s iLearn, with flexible learning options for all members of the practice team, makes fitting CPD around busy work schedules a breeze.

Considering a career in veterinary nursing? Check out our article on how to become a veterinary nurse: essential skills and qualifications to find out more.

Vet nurse CPD requirements

When it comes to vet nurse CPD, you may wonder what counts. Well, the answer is anything that is relevant to your role. This might include clinical topics such as anaesthesia best practice, emergency and critical care or diagnostic imaging. But equally important are non-clinical CPD topics like consulting skills and communication or bereavement counselling and mental health support. As well as being mandatory, CPD helps not only keep you at the top of your game, but also inspires, engages and provides excellent care to your patients.

vet nurse doing online cpd training at desk

How many hours of CPD do vet nurses need?

Vet nurses must complete, record and reflect on 15 hours of CPD every year. And more counts as CPD than you might think. Just remember to record and reflect on case discussions with a colleague, the monthly clinical team meeting, or the hour spent shadowing another vet nurse to learn a new skill.

Can vet nurse CPD hours be rolled over to a subsequent year?

It used to be possible to complete 45 hours of CPD over a rolling three year period but this is no longer the case. Fifteen hours must be recorded and reflected on annually.

How much vet nurse CPD do I need to complete if I am part-time?

You still need to complete 15 hours of CPD and that is the case whether you are a part time vet nurse, full time vet nurse or a locum.

Need more information? Head to the RCVS website to find out more.

Planning your CPD

Take some time to set out your objectives for the year and think about which skills you would like to develop or the areas of knowledge you would like to grow. If you are thinking of getting diabetic clinics up and running, a combination of medical nursing topics and vet nurse consulting skills might tick the box. Or maybe you’re looking to develop the dentistry services in your practice. Whatever your goals for the year ahead, use them to plan your learning and make the most of the opportunities available.

Recording your CPD

To meet the veterinary nurse CPD requirements set out by the RCVS, it is important to record your learning, including details of activity and the date it was completed, in your vet nurse CPD log. With individual log-ins and a manager dashboard, the iLearn platform can help you keep track. However, as part of the RCVS CPD requirements, all learning also has to be logged using the 1CPD platform. The platform can also be used to help plan your CPD for the year. And our top tip? Make life easier by recording CPD as you go.

Reflecting on your CPD

Just as important as recording your CPD is reflecting on it. While reflecting may seem like a chore, until this part of your vet nurse CPD record is complete, your logged hours won’t count. Consider your learning needs, what you have learnt and how you will use your new-found knowledge when you are back in the consult room, kennels, or operating theatre. So…

Reflect as you go – don’t leave it to deadline day

Keep it short and to the point – a few sentences will suffice

Record reflections in a short audio clip if that works better for you

Use a simple structure

What? Briefly outline the topic or content

So what? Consider what that means for you

Now what? Outline what you may do differently, what you are likely to do more or less of

Focus on specific, achievable actions

Not found a particular course useful? That’s OK as long as you reflect on why.

Looking for structured training for your nursing team?

See our veterinary nurse training page

FAQs

Any learning that is relevant to your role counts towards your annual requirement. This includes clinical topics such as anaesthesia, emergency and critical care, and diagnostic imaging, as well as non-clinical subjects like communication skills, bereavement support, mental health awareness, and practice management. Case discussions with colleagues, team meetings, shadowing, and self-directed reading can all count too -the key is that you record and reflect on each activity.