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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.

Arundown 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:  Genetic testing for type 2 polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM2), myofibrillar myopathy (MFM) or Muscle Integrity Myopathy Use of animals in sport - BVA Live discussion Accusations IVC "placing profits before people" over jobs axe threat RCVS and BVCIS "Disability and Chronic Illness in Veterinary Work and Education"survey BEVA Trust reaches halfway target to fund power to Ukraine BEVA Sportive RCVS Academy "Starting Out" programme for VNs EVJ Article of the Week - Five- versus seven-day dosing intervals of extended-release injectable omeprazole in the treatment of equine squamous and glandular gastric disease" BEVA Council candidate nominations open Submissions invited for 14th International Equine Colic Research Symposium abstracts Scottish Regional Meeting Advanced Equine Behaviour Feeding the Surgical Patient A

Tania Sundra of Avon Ridge Equine Veterinary Services, Australia, reveals how much the community we foster within our profession enables us to feel safe, satisfied and supported through out careers. We are all accountable for our own experiences, but by reaching out to others and building a professional network we can achieve so much more within our own lives and within the industries we work in.   Links Avon Ridge Equine Services BEVA Leg Up Career Coaching Come and network at BEVA Congress!  

Naomi Mellor talks to us about how 'networking' is the key to discovering opportunities within the equine veterinary profession. With so many ways to network nowadays, how can we '"kick open the doors" to finding a career which works for us as individuals, and have fun in the process!

Council member, Sophie Eaden, speaks to Mental Health First Aid trainer and equine vet, Kirstie Pickles, about the role mental health first aid can have in embracing a practice culture which is supportive of good mental health. Having both had times where their mental health has suffered while in equine practice, they know the impact the team around you can have. Passionate about making that experience less painful for others, they discuss what individuals and practices can do to make it better.

Olly King has experienced first-hand how reluctance to change the way a practice runs can cripple employees' happiness and erode business's bottom line. He has set out to help others understand how involving the whole team, being innovative and being willing to make changes, can create people-first cultures that co-nurture team and business success.   Links: The Meraki Initiative Watch our story Search Meraki map  EMS Grants  Instagram  LinkedIn Facebook

Sarah Freeman and Katie Lightfoot, have both been working on student engagement at Nottingham vet school. The 'Stable Footing' initiative has been pivotal in opening up the door to career paths in equine practice. By breaking down the barriers which are invisible to so many of us already in the field, this team have made it an inviting, accessible and welcoming route to take, with equal opportunities and even funding available for those who need it. If we want to see the equine profession thrive going forwards, we all have a duty and responsibility to invest in the future workforce, and this starts with students 'seeing-practice'. How we interact and engage with students can be the 'make or break' for whether they choose a career in equine or not. Our actions could be putting off our best colleagues of tomorrow, but the good news is, there are simple ways we can avoid being 'that person'. Shining a light for those who come after you can be as rewarding for you as it is for the person you are helping.

On Saturday 29th April 2023, World Veterinary Day will be celebrating 'EDI'. For those who don't know, this stands for equality, diversity and inclusion. But what does EDI look like in equine practice, and perhaps even more importantly how can you identify its absence? Council member, Sophie Eaden, chat to us with Adeel Khan, Clinical Assistant Professor in Equine Medicine at Nottingham vet school, and James Whitmore, President of the British Veterinary LGBT+ Society and partner at Cotts Equine.

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:  Equine Disease Surveillance EHV report Returned supply of UK authorised equine flu and tetanus vaccines BEVA member amongst those elected to RCVS Council BEF Horses4All report BEVA opens nominations for honorary membership BEVA opens nominations for equine welfare award I'm a large animal vet - how can I travel more sustainably? BEVA Laboratory Registration Scheme BEVA Leg Up Scheme Other links: Full list of BEVApod episodes Feeding the Surgical Patient Back Examination Clinical Catch-Up BEVA Congress 2023 BEVA Buddy app for android and iPhone

Florrie Clark, 4th year vet student at Cambridge, talks to us about how students are desperate for the opportunity to hone their skills in equine, which they feel lag behind their small animal skills. While the disparity is 'the nature of the beast', with a bursting curriculum and the difficulty of getting 'hands on' during equine EMS, there are plenty of other skills to be practiced and opportunities to be had. Observing procedures, working with the nurses, understanding case management and talking to clients, are all just as valuable. The key for new graduates and their employers and colleagues, is accepting the different starting point to that of a small animal vet. Nuturing confidence should be a priority, and can be done in the right environment with the right people. We all need to take up that gauntlet in order to create a profession which people want to be part of.

Connor Fettes, a third year mature student, has encountered first-hand the challenges students are facing trying to achieve their EMS goals. With pressure on all sides, equine practice is feeling the consequences of being squeezed out of the curriculum. By making equine EMS more accessible and a better experience for all involved, can we use it to future-proof our profession?   Connor's FREE TO JOIN (and not for profit) EMS Database for students and practices.

Mel Lean was leading a glamorous life in London when she fell in love with the equine veterinary industry. Having realised her dream, she got the bit between her teeth, overcame the challenges thrown at her, and made it happen. It might not be the conventional path but it was the right path for her, and with a penchant for networking and modest determination, it paid off.

Flexible working can seem incompatible with equine practice... but maybe it isn't. As one of the most important factors influencing employment across the board, can equine practice learn to embrace the concept in a way that works for businesses and the workforce?

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:  RCVS fee increases  Equine vet reprimanded after kicking a horse Proposal to enable the RCVS to pursue private prosecutions  RCVS council election voting  Protect the Title campaign publishes preliminary findings VMD launched CANTER initiative  VMD medicines update The UK Governments Spring budget The new Windsor Framework for Northern Ireland agreed Vaccine supply updates Power to Ukraine Fundraising appeal BEVA Congress super early bird tickets on sale

Gayle Capps discusses her experience as a coach on the BEVA Leg Up Scheme, and why coaching can be valuable to both coach and coachee.

Heather Frankiel and Cat Mackenzie discuss their experiences as coachee and coach, on the BEVA Leg Up Scheme, and how it has changed how they both feel about career progression and  professional journeys.

Tim Barnett chats to Sidney Ricketts about his life and career.

Lucy Grieve takes us through the Equine Veterinary News for February.   This month she covers infectious diseases, raceday veterinary protocols for the Grand National, RCVS elections and much more!

Tania Sundra of Avon Ridge Equine Veterinary Services, talks to us about publishing papers whilst running your own ambulatory practice in Western Australia... one way to keep yourself fulfilled in first opinion practice!