BEVA pod

The Horse Trust, BOVA and VetPartners talk to us about why they support BEVA Congress year on year, and why the in-person event is such an important opportunity to communicate as a whole industry.

BOVA

VetPartners

BEVA New Grad rep, Maisie Parsons, and Nottingham student, Jess Smith, talk about their experiences of BEVA Congress last year. Maisie embraced the benefits of the networking, the socials and the broad range of CPD on offer, which was a great way to fuel her first year in practice. Meanwhile, Jess took the opportunity to present her third year project, but to a audience she wasn't expecting! However, she took full advantage of the opportunities offered at Congress and is looking forward to doing the same this year once her final year rotations release her to Birmingham!

A rundown of the most important news from the last month that you need to know as an equine veterinary professional.

Further information on each news item can be found at the following links:

• Free membership for all Ukrainian vets

Maisie graduated a year ago and entered first opinion equine practice with all the knowledge she gained at vet school, but no prior equine industry experience and having not passed a nasogastric tube and having never 'rectalled' a colic. The learning curve was steep, but she recognised that many 'day one skills' in equine are not so routine that you must manage them alone, and that it's ok to stop and ask for help. Knowing when to seek help is a sign of development, not failure, and balancing this with growing your own self-confidence is key to enjoying any career, but never more applicable than to equine ambulatory practice. Fully expecting the ups and downs all new grads will experience, Maisie rode the rollercoaster of her first year with the help of friends, family and a supportive practice, and is now setting her sights on the next stage of her career as an equine vet.

Nurse Committee members, Marie, Louise and Rosina, discuss their roles at Congress, in Birmingham this September, and what they are looking forward to the most from this year's offerings.

View the full programme and book your tickets before the early bird deadline on 2 August.

Lucy and Meg are third year veterinary students at Harper-Keele. Lucy has practically grown up in equine veterinary practice, while Meg has had to learn her headcollars from her chiffneys, and her stifles from her knees. Both have experienced challenges, but with their refreshingly honest and supportive approaches, they are comfortable and confident of their futures within equine practice. How can we all help the next generation of vets blossom in the equine industry, no matter where their roots were laid?

Council members Gemma Dransfield and Sophie Eaden discuss a time when Gemma was finding equine practice particularly challenging. How can you recognise when you're struggling at work what can you do next? Gemma shares how she made equine practice work for her and some valuable advice for anyone who might be finding it difficult.

A rundown of the most important news from the last month that you need to know as an equine veterinary professional.

Further information on each news item can be found at the following links:

VMD anonymous reporting of illegal animal medicines

RCVS Knowledge VetTeamAMR

RCVS MMI Symposium - Manchester - 10th October 2023

Q1 2023 Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance Report

SPVS Vet Fees survey

FEI Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission survey

PPID Quality of Life Survey

RVC - Equine Register - Horse Trust tracking data and infectious disease research

WHW Horses in Sport and Social Licence event - BEVA news coverage and YouTube video

BEVApod

EVE podcasts

EVJ podcasts

Third year RVC student, Shiv Patil, was inspired to become a vet during his time riding horses and helping with dog rescue centres back home, in Bangalore. Advised to acquire the best veterinary education he could, he came to the UK with the intention of learning all he could. His plan is to take that knowledge back with him, to improve the lives of sports horses, working equids and rescued dogs in India. Recognising the value of education, he is intent of making veterinary education and CPD more accessible to vets in India, whilst improving access to veterinary care for the animals they care for.

Final year veterinary student, Yuliia Zaruda, tells us about life as a vet student in Kyiv. With a lack of modern teaching resources and infrastructure to support the profession, vet students are working as qualified vets before they graduate and are taking self-directed learning to a whole other level. After completing an internship here in the UK, Yuliia hopes to one day bring her surgical skills back to the Ukraine to build a future for equine vets in her home country, and to enable the horses there to have access to the veterinary care that we so often take for granted here in the UK.