Scotland’s Rural College’s (SRUC) School of Veterinary Medicine showcased its world-class teaching talent, state-of-the-art equipment and innovative curriculum at the London Vet Show this week.

The school which offers a BVSci in Veterinary Medicine, the UK’s newest vet degree and the first in Scotland for 150 years, welcomed its first cohort of students last month.

The BVSci in Veterinary Medicine was established with the aim of tackling the recruitment crisis faced by rural veterinary practices and is attempting to widen access to the veterinary profession.

“We are thrilled to take part in the London Vet Show once again, but now with full Taught Degree Awarding Powers,” said Professor Caroline Argo, dean of veterinary medicine and head of the vet school.

“With our new degree, we are dedicated to addressing the chronic shortage of vets in rural settings across Scotland in particular, through our unique admissions process and focus on first opinion mixed practice and veterinary public health.”

The 43 students who embarked on the five-year BVSci in Veterinary Medicine in October are based at the Aberdeen Campus.

Well-equipped

The students will be provided with multiple opportunities to study in agri-industry settings. The final year of their training will take place in veterinary practices with the aim of giving them all a vast array of skills to thrive in the profession.

Also in attendance at the show, which took place at Excel in London on 14-15 November, were SRUC Veterinary Services and representatives from the new Inverness-based Rural and Veterinary Innovation Centre (RAVIC).

At the show, SRUC Veterinary Services were promoting ‘HerdPlan’ a new online tool which enables farm teams to work together efficiently on beef and sheep health planning and is designed to facilitate collaboration between vets and farmers.

RAVIC is a new £12.5m facility which is developing links between science and industry to help address planetary health challenges and grow the natural economy. At the show, it celebrated six months since its official launch. In that time it has supported over 100 businesses, from major multinational companies, to family farms, SMEs and entrepreneurs.

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