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CQ hosts annual VN Symposium
CQ logo
Jacqui Garrett, head of CQ commented: “We really appreciate the efforts of all those who helped make the symposium a great success."
Education professionals gather to share views and knowledge

Awarding body and exam board Central Qualifications (CQ) hosted its annual Veterinary Nursing Symposium this month, providing an opportunity for those involved in veterinary nurse education to develop skills and share views and experiences.

Taking place at CQ headquarters in Suffolk, the two-day event brought together college principals and heads of centres, senior management from CQ , IT staff, internal and external verifiers, head nurses as well as clinical coaches and a representative from the RCVS.

Jacqui Garrett, head of CQ commented: “We really appreciate the efforts of all those who helped make the symposium a great success. The feedback we receive is used to enhance education and training and will help develop programmes for the next generation of veterinary nurses.”

One of the key discussions on Friday, 5 June involved new features added to the Central Skills Log (CSL) - a custom-written electronic system for recording and verifying practical skills.

Other hot topics were effective communication and how to deal with malpractice and maladministration should it occur.

A series of rotating sessions included a communication workshop, IT training sessions and a quality assurance Q&A session. Delegates were also able to spend individual time with the CQ senior management team.

During day two of the event (6 June), the focus was on practical assessments and OSCEs (Objective Structured Clinical Examinations). Examiners were able to review and debate newly constructed scenarios and their suitability for assessments.

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Strangles survey seeks views of horse owners

News Story 1
 With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.

The survey, which has been designed by Dechra, aims to raise awareness of Strangles and promote best practices to prevent its transmission. It includes questions about horse owners' experiences of strangles, together with preventative measures and vaccination.

Respondents to the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win two VIP tickets to Your Horse Live 2025. To access the survey, click here 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
DAERA to reduce BVD 'grace period'

DAERA has reminded herd keepers of an upcoming reduction to the 'grace period' to avoid BVD herd restrictions.

From 1 May 2025, herd keepers will have seven days to cull any BVD positive or inconclusive animals to avoid restrictions being applied to their herd.

It follows legislation introduced on 1 February, as DAERA introduces herd movement restrictions through a phased approach. Herd keepers originally had 28 days to cull BVD positive or inconclusive animals.

DAERA says that, providing herd keepers use the seven-day grace period, no herds should be restricted within the first year of these measures.

Additional measures, which will target herds with animals over 30 days old that haven't been tested for BVD, will be introduced from 1 June 2025.

More information is available on the DAERA website.