During February, March and April 2023, the RCVS delivered a series of seven Workforce Action Plan sessions endeavouring to explore in more detail the insights from those within the professions.
Each of the seven webinars had an experienced panel of key stakeholders, and experienced members of the professions talking about their activities, initiatives, experience from their organisations towards showcasing commitment to the ambitions, and overall contribution to making positive change in the areas of Recruitment, Retention and Return, in the professions.
The RCVS ViVet innovation project will be holding a series of online workshops – ‘Ambitions Explored’ – over the coming months to explore the ambitions outlined in the recently published Workforce Action Plan.
The Plan, which grew out of the RCVS-led Workforce Summit in November 2021, looks at how the RCVS, organisations, veterinary employers and individuals within the professions can collaborate to mitigate the workforce issues currently affecting the veterinary sector under seven over-arching ambitions. The ambitions propose solutions that cover how to recruit more people into the professions, how to better retain those already in the professions, and how to encourage those who may have decided to leave the professions, to return.
Each of the online sessions organised by ViVet will focus on one of the seven ambitions and will comprise of a panel who will be discussing the ambition in more detail, what this means to them and will be inviting questions from the audience.
Thursday 16 February 2023 – Ambition One: Shape leaders at all levels – this session, chaired by Amanda Boag FRCVS, Past-president of the RCVS and Chair of the RCVS Knowledge Board of Trustees, will explore how promoting everyday leadership, embedding equality, diversity and inclusion at all career stages, and launching more opportunities for free and accessible learning resources can help recruitment and retention.
Wednesday 22 February 2023 – Ambition Two: Confidence, culture and recognition – this session is chaired by Jill Macdonald RVN, Lead for the VN Futures project, and will look at how to improve retention by ensuring that there’s a welcoming and supportive environment for the whole veterinary team, continuing to deliver leadership training and raising awareness of and signpost resources to mental health support.
Tuesday 28 February 2023 – Ambition Three: Greater responsibility for veterinary nurses – this session will explore specific themes for improving recruitment and retention for veterinary nurses, including demonstrating the capabilities of the VN role, ensuring clear career pathways for veterinary nurses, and continuing to progress the need for legislative change so that veterinary nurses can gain more autonomy and responsibility.
Thursday 9 March 2023 – Ambition Four: Welcoming a modern way of working – this session is chaired by Belinda Andrews-Jones RVN, Vice-Chair of the RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council, and will look at how workforce issues can be improved by: promoting return-to-work support for clinical and non-clinical veterinary roles; continuing to strengthen relations between UK and overseas regulators and representative bodies; and encouraging the use of innovation and technology to tackle some of the sector’s major challenges.
Thursday 30 March 2023 – Ambition Five: General practice – a chosen pathway – this session will consider specific actions for improving recruitment into and retention within general practice through encouraging confidence into pursuing a GP career and the opportunities it offers; encouraging shared training, where appropriate, between vets and VNs at undergraduate level; and learn from and model actions against other professions, including the medical professions.
Wednesday 5 April 2023 – Ambition Six: An attractive career for everyone, including those who have left – chaired by Dr Kate Richards MRCVS, RCVS Senior Vice-President and Chair of the Mind Matters Initiative, this session will look at improving the workforce crisis through direct RCVS accreditation of overseas veterinary degrees; launching an Extra-Mural Studies policy leads to a more consistent high-quality experience for students and providers; and ensuring employers understand the re-entry process and the importance of welcoming people back after career breaks.
Wednesday 12 April 2023 – Ambition Seven: Improving client interaction and communication – chaired by RCVS President Dr Melissa Donald MRCVS, this session will look at how to improve retention by elevating and driving the status of communication and other interpersonal skills in the professions; and developing clearer and more easily accessible explanations of the veterinary role and the scope of vet and vet nurse roles to the general public.
Angharad Belcher, RCVS Director of Advancement of the Professions, said: “These sessions are focussed on how we can all translate these ideas into our organisations and working lives, as well as being an opportunity for open discussion. The speakers all come from different types of practice and can share their experience of responding to these issues. We encourage participation by the audience, and there is the opportunity to submit questions in advance. It should give people ideas and practical concepts to take back into their organisations as we know there is not a ‘one-size-fits-all approach.”
“One thing that we made clear through the Summit and the Action Plan is the importance of collaboration, no one organisation can solve as complicated and multi-factorial an issue as the workforce challenge on their own. We hope to welcome you to these sessions to share your insights and contribute to the on-going discussions.”
https://vivet.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/rcvs-workforce-action-plan-cover-crop.jpg500500ViVet Press Officehttps://vivet.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/vivet-logo.jpgViVet Press Office2023-02-03 15:44:192023-05-11 12:33:03Ambitions for dealing with the veterinary workforce issues explored in new online sessions
The RCVS has published its Workforce Action Plan setting out the key areas in which the veterinary sector, including representative organisations, employers, charities and other stakeholder groups, can work together to mitigate the impact of the ongoing workforce shortages in the professions.
Via its seven ambitions, the Action Plan presents what the College is doing to tackle the issue and details how collaboration, culture change, career development and leadership, among other things, could help with workforce shortages by improving retention of current members of the professions, encouraging more people to join, and making it easier for those who have left the professions to return.
The seven ambitions – with a selection of some of their key actions – are:
Shape leaders at all levels: this includes promoting inclusive everyday leadership; ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion considerations are embedded at all career stages; and launching more opportunities for free and accessible learning resources.
Confidence, culture and recognition: this includes ensuring that there’s a welcoming and supportive environment for the whole veterinary team; and continuing to deliver to raise awareness and signpost mental health support.
Greater responsibility for veterinary nurses: this includes demonstrating the capabilities of the veterinary nursing role; ensuring clear career pathways for veterinary nurses; and continuing to progress the need for legislative change which would see veterinary nurses gain more autonomy and responsibility.
Welcoming a modern way of working: this includes promoting return-to-work support for both clinical and non-clinical veterinary roles; continuing to strengthen relations between the UK and overseas regulators and representative bodies; and encouraging the use of innovation and technology to tackle some of the sector’s major challenges.
General practice – a chosen pathway: this includes encouraging confidence in pursuing a career in general practice and the opportunities it offers; encouraging shared training where appropriate between vets and vet nurses at undergraduate level; and learn and model against other professions, such as the medical profession.
An attractive career for everyone, including those who’ve left: this includes continuing to promote direct RCVS accreditation of overseas veterinary degrees; launching an Extra-Mural Studies (EMS) policy that leads to a more consistent high-quality experience for students and providers; and ensuring employers understand the re-entry process, and the importance of welcoming people back after career breaks.
Improving client interaction and communication: this includes elevating and driving the status of communication and other interpersonal skills in the professions; and developing clearer and more easily accessible explanations of the veterinary role and the scope of vet and vet nurse roles to the general public.
The full list of actions, with context about what has fed into ambitions, can be found here in the Action Plan.
Throughout the document there are references to how both the RCVS and partner organisations, including the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) and other organisations and employers, are already working to fulfil many of the actions it sets out.
Dr Melissa Donald MRCVS, RCVS President, said: “We made clear from the outset that there was no one organisation or one big red button to push that would solve the problem, that it would take imagination, trial, grit and, most importantly, positive and constructive collaboration between all those in a position to make a difference to the situation.
“Our Action Plan reflects this, it is a list of ambitions and actions that organisations and charities and companies can look at and, where actions are relevant and achievable, take on board and implement in order to approve retention and outcomes.
“Of course, organisations like the RCVS can play a major role in this area, and this is why we have included activities we are undertaking such as reform of the EMS system, making the Veterinary Graduate Development Programme available for those returning to veterinary work after a long absence, and the development of resources that can make ‘quality of life’ improvements for the professions such as Mind Matters, the RCVS Academy and the RCVS Leadership project.”
Dr Sue Paterson FRCVS, Junior Vice-President and Chair of the RCVS Advancement of the Professions Committee, added: “This is a very complex, broad and multi-faceted area of concern so the Action Plan has been a long time in the making to ensure that we adequately capture what needs doing and how, in order to enable us to work collaboratively with all veterinary organisations going forward. This is not a finished list, but gives all within the veterinary sector the ability to look at the key areas of work that need to be done and prioritise the ones that most suit their organisational needs.
“I would like to thank all those organisations who have contributed to this project from its very outset, including attending the Workforce Summit in November 2021, those who provided thoughtful and constructive feedback following the publication of the summit’s summary report and those who contributed information about what they are already doing in this area for the Action Plan.
“Furthermore, this is by no means the end of the project however, we will continue to review the actions in terms of what has been successful, what can be improved and where we can collaborate. In 2023 we will also be holding a series of online interactive events for members of the professions, and those who work in veterinary organisations, looking at each ambition in more detail so that the conversation and planning can develop around how they embed the actions in their own workplaces.”
https://vivet.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/rcvs-workforce-action-plan-cover-crop.jpg500500ViVet Press Officehttps://vivet.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/vivet-logo.jpgViVet Press Office2022-11-11 12:00:002023-03-27 14:27:41RCVS publishes Workforce Action Plan setting out how the sector can work together to mitigate crisis
The RCVS ViVet initiative has announced a series of free Design Thinking webinars that will be open to all members of the professions to attend. The aim of the webinars is to help attendees to overcome everyday challenges that arise in practice by using an innovative method of problem solving. Design Thinking is a creative human-centred approach to innovation and a collaborative way of working as a team to solve problems. Design Thinking has been successfully used in industries like healthcare and tech, and was used to guide the creative process and idea formation at the RCVS Workforce Summit last November.
Webinar 2 – Design Thinking, Innovating your client’s veterinary experience, Empathy session: 8 June 12.30pm and 7pm
Webinar 3 – Design Thinking, Making client interaction skills seen as a valuable investment for both employee and employer alike: 21 September 12.30pm
Sophie Rogers, ViVet Manager, said: “Design Thinking is an incredibly useful way for us to frame problems as opportunities so we can explore solutions in a positive way. We’re putting on these sessions as we believe that this human centred approach to innovation can be used in day-to-day practice life to help staff to come up with ideas for how to solve everything from small niggles to larger, more prevalent issues.
“We hope that these workshops will encourage people to not shy away from problems, and instead, view them as a means of working collaboratively to improve their practice’s day-to-day life for everyone. We will cover how to use these techniques with client interactions, in practice life and within the wider veterinary profession. I’m really pleased that we are able to offer these sessions free of charge for the professions and I would urge anyone who wants to learn a new way of problem solving in a friendly and supportive environment to register.”
https://vivet.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/220325design-thinking-webinar-news.jpg500500ViVet Press Officehttps://vivet.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/vivet-logo.jpgViVet Press Office2022-03-25 11:18:192022-03-25 11:18:23RCVS innovation initiative launches series of Design Thinking webinars to help the professions develop key problem-solving skills
The ViVet innovation initiative has announced a series of free-to-attend 90-minute innovation training sessions.
These sessions are the fourth instalment in the ‘Turning ideas into Innovation’ workshop series, which provides veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses with the tools they need to turn ideas into innovations. The upcoming workshops will focus on idea testing and validation, with teams learning how to use innovation processes to take an existing idea and turn it into a finished, marketable product.
Taking place throughout September 2021, the three interactive workshops which you can sign up to via the Eventbrite page, will cover different stages of the innovation process, including how to find a target audience, how to successfully test an idea and then how to roll out an idea after the testing stage. As well as the workshop content, participants will also have access to a virtual collaboration platform, workshop tools and innovation templates to use after the sessions have finished. The topics covered in each session are:
Workshop One – 7 September: This workshop will cover how to approach an idea as a team, how to outline a target audience and map out the stakeholders who could influence and support your idea
Workshop Two – 14 September: During this workshop, participants will learn how to use tools to work out what assumptions need testing on an idea, how to create a prototype and how to design and run experiments on an idea
Workshop Three – 28 September: In the final workshop, participants will review their tests, write a press release for the launch of their innovation and put an action plan together so the idea can be progressed after the workshops have ended.
Throughout the workshops, each group taking part in the programme will also have access to a 30-minute coaching session with an experienced innovation coach.
Dr Chris Tufnell, RCVS Innovation Lead, said: “I’m really pleased that RCVS is continuing to champion innovation in the veterinary profession by offering these free workshops with innovation experts. I encourage all veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses with an idea that they want to develop to apply to take part in the workshops. Testing the properties and functionality of new products, services, technologies, or processes is a vital component of nearly any innovation. Learning from the interaction of the tests and the target user or system can uncover mistakes or raise questions that have not been previously considered making innovation safer whilst maximising the positive real-world impact. The sessions will give everyone that takes part the practical skills and understanding of the innovation process needed to turn their idea into a finished product.”
There are spaces for five teams (group sizes can be between 3- 5 people) on the workshops, who will need to commit to attending all three sessions. If you are interested in participating in the workshops, you can sign up via the Eventbrite page , where you will also need to complete a short value proposition and answer a couple of questions about your idea to see if you are eligible to take part. If you have any questions about the workshops, please get in touch with ViVet Manager Sophie Rogers by emailing s.rogers@rcvs.org.uk.
https://vivet.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/innovation-workshop-2021.jpg500500ViVet Press Officehttps://vivet.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/vivet-logo.jpgViVet Press Office2021-07-20 12:07:272021-07-20 12:14:53RCVS initiative announces new innovation workshop for testing and validating ideas
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) ViVet innovation project is launching a new series of free-to-attend ‘reflection sessions’ to encourage members of the veterinary professions to take stock of the changes that have taken place in the delivery of veterinary services in the past few years and reflect on improvements and innovation.
The first of the reflection sessions takes place via Zoom on Thursday 27 May from 12.30pm to 1.30pm and looks at how veterinary practices have had to work differently and adapt to the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic and its associated restrictions.
Chris Tufnell, RCVS Council Member and Innovation Lead, will be chairing the session. He said: “In the past 15 months we have been in innovation overdrive, adapting at a unprecedented pace to transform how we work, serve our clients and patients, and continue to function as veterinary businesses in less-than-ideal circumstances.
“This event is an opportunity to take a step back, look at what has happened, how we have changed and consider what aspects of these changes we might carry over when we return to near normal working conditions.
“For those who join us, we would like to know what kind of innovation solutions you and your colleagues have developed, and share your stories and ideas to help and inspire others.”
Joining Chris on the panel will be a selection of veterinary professionals who will share their own experience of how they have had to adapt the way they work during the pandemic. Participants include Anita Patel, an RCVS-recognised Specialist in Veterinary Dermatology, who runs her own dermatology referral service, and Richard Artingstall, Clinical Director of Vale Referrals in Gloucestershire.
The event, which will feature short presentations followed by a reflective discussion, is free to attend and can be signed up to via its Eventbrite page at: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/152857028487
Further reflection sessions are planned for the rest of the year – these are:
Wednesday 16 June: A special session for veterinary nurses titled ‘Problem-solving in difficult circumstances
Tuesday 20 July: Implementing new technology
Wednesday 8 September: Innovative technology and learning new skills
Further information about these sessions will be published on the ViVet website in due course.
If you have any questions about the sessions or would like to take part as a speaker please email the ViVet Manager, Sophie Rogers on s.rogers@rcvs.org.uk or info@vivet.org.uk
https://vivet.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/vivet-reflection-sessions-500x500-1.jpg500500ViVet Press Officehttps://vivet.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/vivet-logo.jpgViVet Press Office2021-05-25 09:54:512021-06-01 11:44:27Innovation initiative holding ‘reflection sessions’ on how the professions have met the challenges of Covid
ViVet innovation project will be holding an interactive workshop to celebrate World Creativity and Innovation Week and introduce veterinary professionals to different creativity techniques that can help them develop innovative thinking within the veterinary practice team.
The two 60-minute interactive sessions will take place at 12.30 pm and 6 pm on Wednesday 21 April, the United Nation’s World Creativity and Innovation Day. Each session will introduce a range of creative techniques that can be used to spur innovation – Different breakout groups will then have various problems to solve and will utilise these techniques to tackle challenges and issues encountered within everyday veterinary practice.
The benefits:
to practice creativity and bring creative confidence
to enhance your ability to look at problems as opportunities
to find new solutions to personal opportunities and change your life
to find creative solutions to commercial opportunities and transform your business
Members of the veterinary team can sign up for the session, which will count towards their continuing professional development (CPD) requirement.
Note: this webinar is designed for active participation; therefore, a limited number of places are available.
This workshop is a collaborative programme by Customer Faithful and Level7.
Gill Stevens, Founding Director of Level7 focuses on merging coaching with design thinking methodology as a way to support innovation and team productivity.
Rick Harris is Founder of Customer Faithful – a research-led consultancy, specialising in customer research, proposition design and employee engagement.
This hands-on webinar is aimed at enabling veterinary professionals to use design thinking principles for tackling challenges and problems within their everyday practice. The was session was interactive, enabling attendees to experience some of the techniques first-hand and collaborate with others to make real-time progress! Feel free to pause the recording or work with your team to complete the activities in the webinar.
The benefits:
gain an introduction to what design thinking is
learn about a practical problem-solving process that suits busy veterinary professionals and their teams
try out some hands-on breakout tasks that bring design thinking alive (not just theory!)
gain an opportunity to test design thinking against the backdrop of Covid-19 challenges
work with examples and issues that are relevant to everyday veterinary practice
experience an approach that supports innovation, working collaboratively, and even fun!
Note: this webinar was designed for active participation and was conducted via the Zoom platform. Breakout sessions have not been included in the recording.
This workshop is a collaborative programme by Customer Faithful and Level7. Gill Stevens, Founding Director of Level7 focuses on merging coaching with design thinking methodology as a way to support innovation and team productivity. Rick Harris is Founder of Customer Faithful – a research-led consultancy, specialising in customer research, proposition design and employee engagement.
We’ve produced a series of six podcasts addressing the topic of innovation in the workplace. Perhaps you’re interested in finding out more about using innovation at work? Maybe you’d like to understand how to use innovation to make decisions, collaborate with others and overcome challenges? Our new podcasts will guide you and help you develop skills and self-reflection associated with having an innovative mindset.
They have been developed as part of our ViVet initiative, designed to ensure veterinary professionals are at the centre of innovation in the animal health sector. They can of course be counted towards your CPD targets if they align with your objectives for the year.
The podcasts are hosted by Harvey Wade of Innovate21. Harvey’s work is focused on embedding innovation as opposed to doing innovation which helps organisations deliver consistent and measurable results.
Each podcast will cover a different topic these are described below. Whilst valuable as standalone sessions, each podcast in the series is designed as a counterpart to the others so that listener can achieve a clearer understanding of what it means to have an innovative mindset.
The full series is available below. We hope you enjoy them and find them helpful.
1. Diverse mindsets needed
The need to collaborate to achieve better outcomes. Innovation is not an individual activity, a team is needed to provide thought diversity, missing skills and support when the journey is hard.
2. An enabler, not an outcome
A tool to create the desired future. Innovation must be aligned to vision, and being clear what it needs to achieve. Being purpose-led ensures a better chance of innovation success.
3. Near and far-sighted
How to create success both today and for tomorrow. The importance of having different innovation horizons to both improve today’s organisation and create the future organisation that will be successful.
4. Navigating the current environment
What currently stops or hinders ways how common barriers can be overcome. Exploring how innovation progress is hampered in an organisation and how common barriers can be overcome.
5. Creating supportive cultures
What are the outcomes and behaviours needed to create an innovative environment? Exploring what culture is needed to provide the right conditions for innovation to thrive and what behaviours support this environment.
6. Stop talking, start doing
Identifying the actions to establish a successful, impactful innovation program. Brings the previous episodes together to create the roadmap for the innovation journey, and being able to measure the progress that is being made.
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We are reaching out to the profession to understand how veterinary professionals, practices and organisations have been innovating during these challenging times.
We recognise that this has been a difficult time for everyone and that members of the veterinary profession have had to adapt and become driving forces for innovation.
We want to hear from individuals, practices, organisations and vet and vet nurse educational establishments about how innovation has been used to overcome the challenges that Covid-19 and its associated restrictions have presented.
Examples could be:
novel ways that a practice has adapted to continue to deliver services to clients who, for example, are vulnerable or isolating;
ways an organisation or vet school has transformed from face-to-face delivery of services to digital; or,
changes to the structure or business model of an organisation that have enabled them to adapt to the current situation and navigate the barriers put in place by Covid-19.
Dr Chris Tufnell, RCVS Council member and Innovation Lead for the RCVS, said: “We are living through a time of unprecedented change where members of the veterinary community have become the driving forces for innovation. We have been in an innovation overdrive, adapting at pace to transform the ways of working, of serving our clients and patients, and getting things done in less than ideal circumstances.
“So, we would like to know how, over the last five months, what kind of innovative solutions have you been developing or seen people within your organisation developing? We really want to hear from you so we can share your stories to help disseminate knowledge and ideas, and inspire others.”
Submitted stories will be showcased on our website and social media channels, so that others can learn from the experiences.
You can send your stories to RCVS Innovation Executive Sophie Rogers, at s.rogers@rcvs.org.uk. You can submit your story in any form you like, for example in blog or case study form, and we would also welcome photographs to illustrate your innovation. Please also make sure to include details of your practice or place of work.
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