In Small Animal Medicine

IN SMALL ANIMAL MEDICINE

Bongers, J.J. (Jos) 01/04/15 – 01/06/15

Abstract 1

Contents Abstract ...... 2 Introduction ...... 3 Materials and Methods ...... 5 Results ...... 7 Discussion ...... 11 Conclusions ...... 13 Recommendations ...... 13 Country profiles ...... 14 Belgium ...... 15 Germany ...... 19 Norway ...... 23 Poland ...... 25 Romania ...... 28 Spain ...... 31 The Netherlands ...... 33 The United Kingdom ...... 36 Annex Survey ...... 41

Abstract 2

Abstract All veterinarians should regularly update their competences to stay engaged in the new developments in the veterinary field by participating in postgraduate education, also called continuing professional development (CPD) or Life Long Learning (LLL). This study focusses on CPD in companion animal medicine in 9 different countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area based on their geographic position, number of veterinarians and the complexity of the regulation of CPD. CPD training for companion animal practitioners is available in all countries of this pilot study. However, the type of CPD and how it is regulated differs greatly. Most of the countries have a variety of courses, lectures, congresses and online modules which take up for a couple of hours to several weeks. There are also structured programs available for vets working in practice who would like to become more specialized, such as in Germany, Belgium, Norway, Poland and the UK. The CPD providers are usually universities, national veterinary associations and private providers who often collaborate with each other. Elaborate, public available registers with CPD training of several providers can often be found on websites of the national association or Statutory Body. The Statutory Body is often strongly involved in quality assurance and usually does not provide CPD itself. The implementation of a mandatory or voluntary CPD system is determined by each individual country. This also account for the quality assurance of the CPD training (see fig 1). There is a movement in most of the countries to ensure the quality of all training provided. After all, the knowledge and skills are the important end result obtained by high-quality CPD training, not the hours spent acquiring these. The accrediting body for quality assurance is, in most countries, the Statutory Body. When looking at CPD abroad, countries are mostly using their own system to accredit foreign CPD.

It is clear there are many different CPD systems across the EU+EEA which are highly complex and there is no clear distinction which is best. Still, an Fig 1: CPD mandatory for vets and quality assurance obligatory international system would facilitate the for CPD accreditation of international CPD training. With the growing focus on quality assurance of CPD and participating in CPD abroad becoming more frequent and easier, looking for a model of international harmonization of CPD systems in the veterinary profession could be a logical next step forward. We already have VetCEE for middle tier level education, why not using a similar system for ordinary CPD which after all makes up for the biggest part of all CPD training available.

CPD and its quality CPD is mandatory, but there is assurance are for all CPD no quality assurance training both mandatory

CPD is mandatory and CPD and its quality assurance quality assurance only for for all CPD training are accredited CPD training both not mandatory

Introduction 3

Introduction

The veterinary competences are dynamic and development does not stop after graduation. All veterinarians should regularly update their competences to stay engaged in the new developments in the veterinary field by participating in postgraduate education. Maintaining skill and knowledge related to profession is also called continuing professional development (CPD) or Life Long Learning (LLL).

There are different levels of CPD available which vary greatly between the different countries. Overall, veterinary education is divided in roughly three levels: diplomat, middle tier and graduate programs. The quality of provided training on each of the above levels is assured for: the diplomat programs by EBVS (European Board of Veterinary Specialization), the umbrella organization for veterinary specialization within Europe1; for middle-tier structured programmes by VetCEE (Veterinary Continuous Education in Europe), while the quality of many postgraduate courses is assured on national level by the Veterinary Statutory Body or national committee. EAEVE (European Association of the Establishments for Veterinary Education) looks into undergraduate programs. This is illustrated by figure 12. Figure 2: international recognized education This pilot study focusses only on CPD/LLL and middle tier level education. It does not include education regarding specialization regulated by EBVS (see accentuated part fig 2).

The European Commission released the Directive 2013/55/EU amending Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications in November 2013. European legislation considers continuous professional development to cover technical, scientific, regulatory and ethical developments. It puts emphasis on CPD by stating that the member states should ensure that health professionals are able to update their knowledge, skills and competences by encouraging CPD-lifelong learning programmes3. However, lifelong learning and overall education is not regulated at a European level and remains always under national responsibility. As a result CPD for vets is voluntary in some countries and mandatory in others, although it is strongly recommended from professional bodies in all countries.

1 http://ebvs.eu/about 2 http://fve.org/education/postgraduate.php 3 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:354:0132:0170:en:PDF

Introduction 4

Nowadays veterinarian’s mobility in the European market has opened the CPD possibilities for them. Therefore the need for quality assurance and the recognition of CDP provided in the European Union have become more and more necessary.

This study will focus on postgraduate training in companion animal medicine in 9 different countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area (EU and EEA). It has two main goals:

(1) To map the CPD courses or programmes in companion animal medicine addressed to veterinarians (2) To map the existence and organization of a system for quality-assurance of these CPD courses or programmes

In the end, the aim is to create a clear overview of continuous postgraduate education opportunities for companion animal veterinary practitioners in each of the selected countries in the EU and EEA.

Materials and Methods 5

Materials and Methods

This study took place from April to July 2015 and consisted of five steps:

1. Selection of the target countries 2. Identification of the sources of information 3. Collection of data - By direct contact of the national competent authorities in the 9 countries - By a literature review 4. Analysis of the data 5. Design country profiles

Selection of the target countries

9 countries were selected based on their geographic position, number of veterinarians4 and the complexity of the regulation of CPD. These are (see also fig 3):

Participating countries

Country No. Vets Belgium 6 400 Bulgaria 3 400 Germany 26 800 Norway 2 250 Poland 9 500 Romania 7 400 Spain 22 400 The Netherlands 3 800 The United 20 800 Kingdom

Table 1: No. veterinarians per country

Figure 3: CPD countries pilot study

4 Veterinary Demography Survey, FVE, www.fve.org/news/reports.php

Materials and Methods 6

Identification of the sources of information

To receive accurate and specific information on the regulation of CPD we chose first to contact the statutory body or the national veterinary organisation in the different countries. Subsequently we further elaborated on this obtained information through reviewing the currently existing literature.

Collection of data

By direct contact of the national competent authorities in the 9 countries

To obtain structured information this study uses a template of 12 questions regarding the quality of CPD in companion animal medicine as a guideline. After setting up the template we created a list (in collaboration with FVE) of all contact details of the Statutory Body, the Competent Authority and/or the National Veterinary Association of each country. Our first aim was to receive information by telephone conversation. This was not always possible due to a lack of time or due to languages difficulties. In these cases we chose to send an email with a request for information. Both telephone calls and emails have been documented in an excel sheet. This sheet can be found in the annex.

By a literature review

After contacting the countries, we mapped the existence of CPD and the existence of a quality assurance system in the 9 different countries. During our literature review we went more into detail regarding these subjects. Bulgaria was left out this part due to the language barrier. To structure the literature review, we addressed the following subjects:

1. Regulation of CPD 2. Location of CPD

Analysis of the data

The analysis is done by displaying the information by means of graphs and by providing links to important websites.

Design country profile

Each country profile is designed by means of a short summary of the information found by the previous steps.

Results 7

Results CPD training for companion animal practitioners is available in all countries of this pilot study. However, the type of CPD and how it is regulated differs greatly.

Type of CPD Most of the countries have a variety of courses, lectures, congresses and online modules which take up for a couple of hours to several weeks. Next to the well-known courses or conference, discussion groups, submitting a research paper or in house training are as well included in CPD. In Romania, veterinarians reporting adverse side effects caused by the use and administration of VMPs are even given for this CPD points.

Most CPD systems build in the flexibility for vets to do CPD in your own time and in the area you prefer. Germany, Belgium, Norway, Poland and the UK provide structured programs for vets working in practice who would like to become more specialized. These are quality assured and granted with a special certificate or title. For Germany, the program is called ‘’Fachtierartz’’ and ‘’Zusatzbezeichnung,’’ in Belgium this is ‘Vakdierenarts Kleine Huisdieren,’’ Norway has the specialization ‘’Small Animal Medicine,’’ in Poland it is called the ‘’Dog and Cat Specialization’’ and the UK has the ‘’Certificate of Advanced Veterinary Practice.’’

Mandatory CPD and Voluntary CPD In some countries, vets have to follow mandatory CPD in order to keep their license. In other countries, CPD is only recommended.

Mandatory

CPD

Voluntary

CPD

Figure 4: CPD mandatory

Having a mandatory CPD system does not always mean that also a system for quality assurance is in place.

Results 8

Less than half of the countries in the study have a mandatory CPD system (see fig 4). But when considering this figure on the total number of vets, CPD is mandatory for the majority of 60% of the total of vets practicing in these 9 countries. The mandatory system in all countries, where such a system exists, is based on obtaining a fixed number of duration-based CPD points within a certain timeframe, usually meaning 1 hour is equal to 1 CPD point. CPD points are in most cases granted by the Statutory Body or National Veterinary Association, which look and the quality of the training and subsequently accredit them with CPD points according to their national standards.

CPD providers and Registers As there are several types of CPD training available, there are also many kind of CPD providers. CPD providers are usually universities, national veterinary associations and private providers and they often collaborate with each other.

Elaborate, public available registers with CPD training of several providers can often be found on websites of the national association or Statutory Body. In some countries there is also a private register available with all postgraduate education, such as in Poland and in Romania. For The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Norway, this register contains only accredited CPD training. The UK, Spain and Bulgaria do not have such a register.

The Statutory Body is often strongly involved in quality assurance and usually does not provide CPD itself, except for the ones of Germany and Spain.

Quality Assurance The figure below illustrates in which countries quality assurance is present.

Quality assurance is present and accounts for all CPD training

Quality assurance is present but not for all CPD training

Quality assurance for CPD training is not present

Figure 5: presence quality assurance of CPD training

Results 9

Quality assurance of CPD is present in more than half of the countries, but in most countries quality assurance does not account for all training (see fig 5). For these countries it only regards the training which is provided or registered by the national association or statutory body.

Having a system for quality assurance does not always imply that CPD is mandatory.

It is also worth noting there are different drivers for the development of a national system for the quality assurance of CPD, e.g. a specific system for special titles or certificates in response to the need from the profession in Germany or a basic system as result of the demand for the responsible use of antibiotics in The Netherlands. Although many Statutory Bodies set standards for CPD training, almost all cases, programme providers are not obliged to follow them that is to say to assure the quality of their training programmes.

Quality assurance for CPD training is obligatory

Quality assurance

for CPD is not obligatory

Figure 6: quality assurance CPD obligatory

There is a big difference between the number of countries which have some kind of quality assurance system and the ones having an obligatory quality assurance system (see fig 6). Only in Belgium and Romania, quality assurance of all its training is obligatory. There is a movement in most of the countries to ensure the quality of all training provided. After all, the knowledge and skills are the important end result obtained by good CPD training, not the hours spent acquiring these. A small recent study analysing 12 different CPD approaches, concluded that an outcomes-focused approach results in behaviour changes which benefits for the patient, owner and business5.

5 May S. A. & Kinnison. T (2015), ‘’Continuing professional development: learning that leads to change in individual and collective clinical practice’’, Veterinary Record

Results 10

The accrediting body for quality assurance is in most countries the Statutory Body. In case of the Netherlands this done by the National Veterinary Association alone and in Norway by the Ministry of Health in close collaboration with the National Veterinary Association. In some countries a special CPD Committee exists.

Next to submitting a CPD registration form to receive CPD points, some countries also use a CPD recording system. In the UK this is called ‘’PRD’’ (Personal Development Record) and the Netherlands ‘’Permanent Education Online’’.

All countries have a different way of accrediting their CPD training, in which it is interesting to look at how this is regulated by the countries at international level and see whether there are common grounds. For international CPD training, most of the countries accredit the most well-known international training or the ones requested so. In these cases, the accrediting body determines the points granted by their own standards. Although countries are mostly using their own system for accrediting foreign CPD, there is a growing request by several countries for a system of international accreditation for all CPD training.

International systems A European system for developing standards for structured continuing professional development and mutual recognition across Europe already exists, called VetCEE (Veterinary Continuous Education in Europe). VetCEE, however, only accredits programs of middle tier level and does not accredit single one day courses (see fig 7)6. VetCEE has also a registry of the VetCEE approved structured programmes Figure 7: quality assurance different levels of education (http://www.fve.org/education/vetcee.php).

Whether CPD should be mandatory for all veterinarians is still questionable for some countries, but countries that already have quality assurance system for post-graduate training in place, they already have a CPD system for veterinarians mandatory or are considering to set up one. In the countries that do have quality assurance system yet, the quality criteria for LLL are now looked into, while some countries even consider of setting up a national committee focussing only on CPD.

6 http://fve.org/education/postgraduate.php

Discussion 11

Discussion It is clear there are many different CPD systems across the EU+EEA which are highly complex and there is no clear distinction which is best. There are clear differences to what extent a country has a CPD system but CPD is becoming more and more important in all countries. With a growing number of accreditation systems, this asks for international harmonization. But how to do this with the few common grounds in the existing CPD systems? There is no right or wrong regarding the different CPD systems and which CPD system is preferable differs per country. Still, an international system would facilitate the accreditation of international CPD training. What that is now done mainly on national level is having cross-border recognition. Additionally VETCEE has addressed this need at European level and for structured programmes. Maybe the answer can be found when looking at how it’s done in other health professions.

Figure 8: mandatory CPD for veterinarians vs. doctors

When we look at how CPD is regulated internationally in humane medicine, they actually experience the same problems. A 12 month study funded by the EU, launched in October 2013, reviewed and mapped CPD for five health professions (doctors, nurses. Dentist, midwives and pharmacists) in 31 EU/EEA/EFTA countries7. The differences between CPD mandatory and voluntary, comparing our study to the EU funded study of 2013, are also illustrated by figure 8. They concluded, just as our study, that there are many different CPD structures and none is preferable to another. This was also concluded by the study of Schostak et al (2010), which looked at the effectiveness of CPD in the humane medicine8. The study of CPD in the five health professions further states that the different systems must be viewed in the context of professional regulation and cultures at national level and harmonization of CPD at EU level is neither realistic nor necessary in these professions. But they also state that cross-border recognition of their formal CPD activities appear to be relatively well established.

7 Study concerning the review and mapping of continuous professional development and lifelong learning for health professionals in the EU, http://ec.europa.eu/health/workforce/docs/cpd_mapping_report_en.pdf 8 Schostak J.et al (2010), ‘’The effectiveness of continuing professional development’’, report commissioned by the General Medical Council/Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, http://www.gmc- uk.org/Effectiveness_of_CPD_Final_Report.pdf_34306281.pdf

Discussion 12

What ‘‘relatively well established’’ exactly means is not defined, but this is for sure not the case in the veterinary profession in which cross-border recognition is overall still tailor-made. With the growing focus on quality assurance of CPD and participating in CPD abroad becoming more and easier, looking for a model of international harmonization of CPD systems in the veterinary profession could be a logical next step forward. But the question whether there is an ideal system has frequently been discussed. Harmonization was already recommended by the position paper on Continues Professional Development by UEVP (Union of Veterinary Practitioners) adopted in 2005. To improve harmonization the paper suggests a National CPD Accreditation Committee for national events and a European CPD Accreditation Committee for all international events9. A CPD Working Group was established by the UEVP in 2014 with their main goals to review the current CPD systems and to formulate a template for other countries to follow10. These activities are still ongoing. We already have VetCEE for middle tier level education, why not using a similar system for ordinary CPD which after all makes up for the biggest part of all CPD training available.

9 Position Paper on Continuing Professional Development, UEVP GA 2005, http://www.fve.org/members/uevp/pdf/working_documents/education/023_cpd_position_paper.pdf 10 http://www.fve.org/members/fve/ga/2014/Biarritz/biarrtiz_ga_presentations_pdf/uevp%20rec.pdf

Conclusions 13

The following conclusions and recommendations can be made:

Conclusions CPD national  CPD training is available in many types such as physical meetings including courses, lectures, workshops etc., non-physical meetings such as online modules, research and many others  CPD training is changing and becoming more flexible and diverse  CPD is mandatory in 4 of the 9 countries participating in this study and for 60% of the total of veterinarians in these countries  Many countries have some kind of accreditation system and the responsible body for this is the Statutory Body, Veterinary National Association or Ministry  Accreditation based on duration is at the moment the most widely accepted system of accreditation, although also looking at the end result, is currently being discussed

CPD European  There are many different CPD systems across the EU+EEA which are highly complex and there is no clear distinction which is best  There are clear differences to what extent a country has a CPD system and CPD is becoming more and more important in all countries of this study  There is no European harmonization in CPD systems for CPD training. Nevertheless VETCEE is the tool for a Europe wide recognised system of structured CPD.

Recommendations  The importance of CPD should be recognized by all involved: veterinarians, Statutory Bodies, National Veterinary Associations, Competent Authorities, CPD providers and any other actors involved.  A broad range of CPD should be provided, covering all disciplines and species  All CPD provided should be of basic quality standards  All veterinarians should have the opportunity to undertake basic quality CPD  CPD and CPD accreditation systems should have their main focus on the end result of the training  An increasing cross-border collaboration and exchange of information regarding CPD between veterinary authorities and associations should be encouraged to contribute to best practice models  Further research on the different CPD systems is indicated to investigate the possibility for a model of best practice  Better use of existing tools, like VETCEE, can facilitate harmonization of quality of prost-graduate programs and mutual recognition among European countries.  A CPD recording system for individual vets can facilitate the record keeping of CPD

Country profiles 14

Country profiles

Country profiles 15

Belgium

Regulation of CPD Belgium can be considered to have two parts: the Flemish speaking part and the French speaking part. The Flemish speaking part of Belgium is represented by the ‘Nederlandstalige Gewestelijke Raad van de Orde der Dierenartsen’ (NGROD) and the French speaking part by the ‘Conseil regional francophone de l’Ordre des medicines Veterinaires’ (CRFOMV). The umbrella organization ‘Hoge Raad’ (High Council) is the competent authority which develops the code of conduct; including the regulations regarding CPD. NGROD and CRFOMV subsequently implement these regulations. Both orders are equally represented with in the High Council.

The Belgian law states that every person that wants to practice veterinary medicine has to be registered by the Order11. The regulations of the Orders state that for every practicing veterinarian that is registered and obliged to pay a fee to the Order, it is mandatory to participate in CPD. The High Council sets up the rules regarding CPD and the Orders implement them. Both Orders have their own version of the Code of Conduct available on their website.

CPD is mandatory in Belgium since January 2013. For newly graduates it is mandatory after the second year of receiving their diploma. For CDP in Belgium, both quantity and quality are regulated. The quantity is regulated by obtaining a set amount of ‘Bijscholingspunten’ (CPD points) or ‘Erkende Bijscholingspunten’ (approved CPD points), in which veterinarians who are in practice, have to obtain a minimum of 60 CPD points or approved CPD points over 3 years. The difference between CPD and approved CPD points lays in the insurance of the quality of the CPD. CPD which yields CPD approved points, has been checked in advance by the Order and therefore has a different calculation. For CPD point, 1 point is equal to 1 hour of CPD. approved CPD points have a different coefficient according to type of training.

The formula is as following: duration of the training in hours x training-coefficient x knowledge- coefficient (see table 2).

Trainings- Knowledge- Lecture coefficient1 Participation coefficient 1 Demonstration of technical 1.5 Passed evaluation test 2 Interactivehandlings session 2 Dry lab necropsy 2.5 Wet lab animals 3 Table 2: trainings-coefficient and Knowledge-coefficient Belgium

11 http://www.ordederdierenartsen.be/_cms/files/file_sys_Documenten_Bestand_3.pdf

Country profiles 16

Even if the quality is not assured by the Order, the CPD training has to live up to the following 4 criteria:

1. Comply with the rules of the Code of Conduct 2. Up-to-date academic level 3. Comply with the needs of the profession and of the society 4. Taught in fitting logistic and didactic resources

Both Orders acknowledge each other’s CPD or acknowledged CPD points312.

Location of CPD Four big website that provide a register with CPD training in Belgium are:

1. The Order of the Flemish speaking part (NGROD) http://www.ordederdierenartsen.be/index.php/cursussen/lijst

12 http://www.ordederdierenartsen.be/index.php/ordederdierenartsen/FAQ#cat_14

Country profiles 17

2. The Order of the French part (CRFOMV) http://www.ordre-veterinaires.be/index2/index2.htm

3. The ‘Instituut voor Permanente Vormgeving’ (IPV) (Institute for Continuing Professional Development) of the Veterinary Faculty of Ghent University. http://www.ipv-dgk.ugent.be/v3/pages/programmas/?cat=khd

Country profiles 18

4. Formavet, private CPD provider http://www.formavet.infodata.lu/wiapp?w3exec=fv.web.page&page.name=FV.LST.CAT.D3P&w3 hostname=asp

All four websites have a register of CPD training available for the coming period. Examples of the CPD providers on these websites are: IPV, Limburgse Dierenartsenvereniging, Formavet, 2 Learn – Neo Animalia, and B.E.V.C. The training exists mainly of courses taking up from 1 to several hours, but there are also lectures, workshops, congresses and online training available. IPV has also many of its courses available for third year veterinary master students. And it provides a program called ‘Vakdierenarts Kleine Huisdieren’ (Section Veterinarian Small Animals)13. This a two year CPD program to update and deepening your knowledge and skills in Small Animal Medicine for more experienced veterinarians. The program is in addition to your regular job and is approved by VetCEE14.

13 http://www.ipv-dgk.ugent.be/v3/pages/programmas/Infopakket%20vakdierenarts%20kleine%20huisdieren14-15def.pdf 14 http://www.fve.org/education/vetcee.php#APPROVED

Country profiles 19

Germany

Regulation of CPD The German law does not discuss CPD specifically, but it states that it is mandatory for a veterinarian to train and to update knowledge on the latest state of veterinary medicine15.

The statutory body of Germany is called Bundestierärztekammer [Federal Chamber of Veterinary Surgeons] (BTK). BTK is a federation existing of 17 members16. The Akademie für tierärtzliche Fortbildung [Academy for Veterinary Continuing Education] (ATF) is part of BTK and is responsible for the certification of CPD training for veterinarians. The accreditation uses ATF-credits with the unit ‘ATF-hours’. This is comparable with the RACE accreditation in the USA, the CVE rules of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in the UK and the CE-credits of the Veterinary Council of Ireland.

In Germany, there are two kinds of CPD

1. ‘Fortbildung’: continuing education to maintain, refresh and update your expertise. This obligatory for every veterinarian and covers all small animal species17. 2. ‘Weiterbildung’: To deepening and widening the veterinary knowledge with the aim to specialize. This is not obligatory and covers specific species or topics. These programs are called the ‘Fachtierarzt’ (specialized veterinarian) and the ‘Zusatzbezeichnung’ (additional title, in between veterinarian and Fachtierarzt) 6.

The general regulation Weiterbildung can be found in the ‘Muster-Weiterbildungsordnung’ issued by BTK2. The veterinary chambers are subsequently responsible for the administration and there is a constant harmonization of training between all veterinary chambers. The species/topics are:

For Fachtierarzt:

- Small Animal Medicine - Small Animal Surgery - Small Internal Medicine - Companion Animal Medicine - Reptiles

15 http://www.vetmed.fu-berlin.de/einrichtungen/institute/we08/vortraege/Vortrag_vets_up.pdf 16 http://www.bundestieraerztekammer.de/downloads/btk/fortweiterbildung/MWBO.pdf 17 http://www.bundestieraerztekammer.de/downloads/btk/MBO_Version_3_14.pdf

Country profiles 20

For Zusatzbezeichnung:

- Acupuncture - Small Animal Anaesthesiology - Small Animal Ophthalmology - Biological Animal Medicine - Small animal Dermatology - Homeopathy - Small Animal Cardiology - Physiotherapy - Animal Behaviour - Small Animal Dentistry

It is mandatory in Germany to obtain an amount of CPD points per year. These points vary between the different CPD programs. This means for:

- Veterinarians: 20 hours per year - Veterinarians with an Zusatzbezeichnung (additional title): 24 hours per year, of which a minimum of 6 within the area of the Zusatzbezeichnung - Fachtierarzt (specialized veterinarian): 30 hours per year, of which 15 hours per year in the concerning discipline - Veterinarian with authorisation to train other veterinarians to receive a specialization: 40 hours per year, of which a minimum of 20 hours in the area of specialization

Shortage in points can be compensated within three years. CPD training provided by the chamber of ATF will receive the full amount of points. Other training such as E-learning can only be acknowledged for 25% of the total amount of participated hours.

Location of CPD There are different websites that have a register with available CPD training and their providers. These are the biggest ones:

Country profiles 21

1. ATF http://www.bundestieraerztekammer.de/index_atf_termine.php?Year=2015&Month=7&Sel=x

2. Bundesverband Praktizierender tierartzen (bpt) http://www.tieraerzteverband.de/fortbildung/?category%5B%5D=123456000000

Country profiles 22

3. Myvetlearn (E-learning) http://www.vetion.de/myvetlearn/kurse/index.cfm

4. Websites of the chambers: Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thüringen and Westfalen-Lippe

5. Websites of the Universities:  Free University of Berlin – Department of Veterinary Medicine http://www.vetmed.fu- berlin.de/einrichtungen/kliniken/we20/tae_weiterbildung/index.html  Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich – Faculty of Veterinary Medicine http://www.tiho-hannover.de/en/studies-education/further-education/  University of Giessen – Faculty of Veterinary Medicine https://www.uni-giessen.de/cms/faculties/f10/studyandexaminations/postgraduate  University of Leipzig – Faculty of Veterinary Medicine http://dekanat.vetmed.uni-leipzig.de/en/node/119  University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover http://www.vetmed.uni-muenchen.de/forschung_promotio/index.html

6. Vet Magazin, an independent magazine for veterinarians containing an elaborate register of CPD providers and their training http://www.vet-magazin.de/deutschland-magazin/fortbildung-tieraerzte-deutschland.html

7. Overview in the Deutsches Tierärtzteblatt (Official journal of the Federal Chamber of Veterinary Surgeons [BTK]), printed and online calendar of CPD training (incl. training of all above- mentioned providers http://vetline.de/termine/158/2818

Country profiles 23

Norway

Regulation of CPD The code of ethics for veterinarians by the Norwegian Veterinary Association (NVA) states that ‘‘it is the duty of the veterinary profession to remain conscientiously and with expertise. Veterinarian must keep their knowledge up to date and strive to strengthen their professional skills’’. Generally, all activities that help to raise your competences are considered CPD. More popular are courses, conferences and congresses. But informal networking with colleagues, training programs in your own work place, specialized training, research, publications and other clinic activities can also be states as part of a competence. Online learning is currently not included. Ultimately, it is your own responsibility to register your CPD training. It is recommended that you create a personal folder where you save your certificates, examination results, publications and other written material that document you have strengthen your competences. The association recommend that documentation forms are made visible to employers when requested. DVN does not accredit CPD courses, but arranges several courses each year, both alone and in cooperation with Norwegian Veterinary Sciences18.

Specialist training for veterinarians was established in 1993 and the term ‘’specialist’’ is a protected title in Norway. Veterinarians who had special education abroad cannot translate their foreign title to the Norwegian ‘’specialist’’ title. The NVA is responsible for the management and implementation, while the Food and Safety Authority approve and authorize the title to candidates that have completed their education. These specializations are: Aquaculture, Horses, Food Hygiene, Livestock and Small Animals19.

The education, examination and assessment of candidates for Eye Panellists is done by a joint Nordic Committee – NEEC (Nordic Eye Examination Committee) including representatives from Norway, Denmark Sweden and Finland20. The NEEC is responsible for the education and training requirements including exams for the Common Nordic Education Program on Diagnostics of Hereditary Diseases of the Eye in Dogs and Cats in the countries listed above21.

Location of CPD There are several big program providers which offer CPD courses:

1. The Norwegian Veterinary Association (Den Norske Veterinærforening - DNV). NVA provides several courses: http://www.vetnett.no/kurs1, but also specialized programs mentioned above: in Aquaculture, Horses, Food Hygiene, Livestock and Small Animals. The specializations are completed with a final examination.

18 http://www.vetnett.no/skjema-for-etterutdanning 19 http://www.vetnett.no/spesialistutdanning 20 http://www.vetnett.no/autorisert-oyelyser 21http://www.svf.se/Documents/S%C3%A4llskapet/Specialistutbildningar/%C3%84rftliga%20%C3%B6gonsjukdomar/Guidelines%20for%20NEE C%202014%20final%20.pdf

Country profiles 24

2. CPD provider Jan F. Andersen: http://www.jfa-as.no/. 3. Norwegian University of life Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences: http://www.nvh.no/en/Home/ 4. Dyreidentitet: https://www.stipendium.no/kursoversikt.aspx, provides a register with specialized training produced by ESAVS. 5. Evidensia, a chain of more than 130 animal hospitals for veterinary care in Scandinavia. They provide 2-year and 4-year courses in which veterinarians at the end receive a general practitioners certificate: http://issuu.com/evidensia/docs/academy_1- 2014_presentation?e=13991324/10288122 6. AniCura, developed in 2012 as a forum for experts in various fields to share their knowledge with their colleagues. The AniCura Academy now also provides high-quality courses in cardiology, nephrology, orthopedics and soft tissue surgery. It as well provides a research program. http://www.anicura.no/anicura-akademi/

Country profiles 25

Poland

Regulation of CPD The Polish National Veterinary Council is the coordinator for CPD in Poland and they have a special CPD Committee. The CPD Committee is the executive authority regarding registration, verification and awarding points for every form of CPD training. To register and receive points for CPD training, CPD providers have to apply their training to the CPD Committee by using a registration form. Eventually, veterinarians receive a certificate of CPD when he or she obtains 200 points within 4 years.

In Poland, there are three areas of professional development able to receive points:

 17 types of Specialization (since 1993)  Professional training, conferences and congresses (since 2011)  Other professional development (2011)

Specialization One or more types of postgraduate specialization are offered by the following Faculties of Veterinary Medicine: - University of Life Sciences in Lublin - University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn - Warsaw University of Life sciences – SGGW - Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences

The specialization takes up to 6 semesters in which the veterinarian attends to postgraduate education and participates in an internship in the authorized specialized clinic. Finally, the veterinarian participating in specialized education has to take two exams before granting this title (1) at the end of the postgraduate education and (2) at the National Veterinary Research Institute in Pulawy. CPD points for this education range from 50 points for one year up to 100 points for a specialist title.

The types of Specializations are22:

1. Ruminant Medicine 2. Equine Medicine 3. Diseases of Swine 4. Dog and Cat Specialization 5. Avian Medicine 6. Fur Animal Medicine 7. Laboratory Animal Science 8. Diseases of Fish

22 http://www.vetpol.org.pl/component/content/category/408-lista-lekarzy-weterynarii-specjalinosci

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9. Diseases of Beneficial Commercially Important Insects 10. Diseases Non-Domestic Animals 11. Animal Reproduction 12. Veterinary Surgery 13. Veterinary Radiology 14. Veterinary Prevention and Feed Hygiene 15. Hygiene of Food of Animal Origin 16. Veterinarian Laboratory Diagnostics 17. Veterinary Epizootiology and Administration

Professional training, conferences and congresses CPD points for this type of training range from 10 up to 40 points per training and veterinarians can participate in national as well as international training. Other types of postgraduate education than the specialization mentioned above can also be granted up to 50 points per year. A professional degree can even be awarded with up to 200 points in total.

Other professional development These include other forms of professional development which may gain up to 100 points in total. Examples are: publication of a book (up to 100 points), publication of an article in a scientific journal (up to 20 points), translation and publication of an article or a book (15-75 points) and taking a membership in a veterinary association (5 points per year)23.

The total list of points awarded for different types of CPD can be found in annex IX.

Localization of CPD The 17 specializations are provided by collaboration between the Polish National Veterinary Chamber in cooperation with Ministry of Agriculture and Food Economy12. Different websites also provide CPD training:

1. Training provided by the Chamber of Veterinary Medicine of Warsaw http://wilw.waw.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=67&Itemid=105 2. CPD training and specializations provided by Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences http://www.up.wroc.pl/studia/287/wydzial_medycyny_weterynaryjnej_studia_podyplomowe_i _specjalizacyjne.html 3. CPD offer of Warsaw University of Life sciences – SGGW http://wmw.sggw.pl/category/dla_studentow/studia-podyplomowe/ 4. Website of postgraduate education of all different kinds of professions

23 Presentation ‘’Voluntary Continuing Professional Development of Veterinarians in Poland,’’ Paris January 2016 by the Polish National Veterinary Chamber

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http://www.podyplomowe.pl/swps-warszawa/studia-podyplomowe/prawo/prawo- weterynaryjne-i-sanitarne 5. CPD training and specializations provided by University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn

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Romania

Regulation of CPD In Romania, CPD became mandatory since in 2008. The Romanian law (160/1998) states that veterinarians have the right to participate in continuing professional training. According to the veterinary statute, temporary or permanent withdrawal of practicing veterinary medicine is done by the Executive Board of the Country Council/ Bucharest Council in case of failing to achieve the score established for CPD by the National Council of the College of Romanian Veterinarians (CRV).

There are several requirements for veterinarians regarding CPD in Romania:

 Since 2012 all veterinarians have to gain 120 per year  Self-evaluation reports and evidence at the end of the year  Verification of the country branch of CRV  Keep up a database with all points and possible suspensions

CRV grants CPD points to various types of training such as: attending congresses, symposiums, seminar, conferences, workshops and round tables, published articles, books, presentations of papers/poster, research, online courses and webinars. But Romania also grants points to reporting an episode when administering a veterinary medical product (VMP). In this reporting to the competent authority of any suspicion of an adverse reaction or serious side effect that could arise from the use and administration of VMPs, is granted with 10 points. This new regulation is implemented since 2015.

The current CPD system has resulted in CRV achieving several prizes. CRV has also set up perspectives for future developments which are:  Establishing a national commission for the accreditation of providers of CPD training  Filling in the assessment report electronically  A new database  Membership card that will be used for attending all the events  The number of points established for two years instead of one

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Location of CPD There are two big websites in Romania that provide a CPD event schedule. These are:

1. Website of the College of Romanian Veterinarians http://cmvro.ro/evenimente/

2. CRV conducted a European project in October 2010 named ‘’Improvement of human resources in veterinary medicine’’. The objective was to provide an online platform for veterinary education. http://edu-veterinar.ro/calendar

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The online courses provided by CRV are very popular and were participated by 58% of the total of participants of online courses. But there are also other websites providing online courses, such as:

1. Euroveterinarian-online http://practic.veterinarul.ro/index.php?option=com_guru&view=guruPcategs&task=view&cid=4 -animale-de-companie&Itemid=1162 2. Bayer-CMV-online http://bayerpentruveterinari.ro/

For other CPD training there are several different providers. See the full list in the table below24.

CPD Training Provider Seminars AGMVRO (General Association of Romanian Veterinarians), Biovet, Nova Group, FMV Iasi, Biovet, Intervet, Boehringer, Zoetis, National forum for comparative oncology and Conferences VetecoAMVDIR (As.Vet. Imaging Diagnosis), Biochem, FMV Buchuresti (Veterinary Faculty of Bucharest), SRMF (Feline Medicine Romanian Society), SRPatolgie aviara, SROV (Romanian society of veterinary orthopedics), Org. med. Vet. Maghiari, Synovovet, Red Panda, Didactica, CMV-CT, FMV-TM, Bayer, AMVAC (Association for Companion Animal Medicine) Scientific ROMVAC Company (Pharmaceutical company) and FMV Timisoara (Veterinary Faculty Sessions of Timisoara) Workshops SRMF, FMV Bucharesti, ARVID (Diagnostics Association), Red Panda, Medical Partners, FMV Iasi, AMVAC Symposiums Biovet, Bayer, Royal Canin, Monterovet, Romvac, Maravet, Veteco, FMV Iasi, Elanco, Mars Congresses Ceva Sante, SRDV (Dermatology Veterinary Romanian Society), SROV, AMVAC

Table 3: CPD training providers Romania

24 Presentation ‘CPD in Romania: Regulations, Results, Perspectives by Dr. Ruxandra Costea http://www.fve.org/members/everi/pdf/general_assembly/June%202015/ppts/CRV%202014.pdf

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Spain

Regulation of CPD In Spain, CPD training of all health profession is obligatory, but its quality assured is not. There is little to no information regarding its regulation to be found on the website of the Spanish National Veterinary Association.

Location of CPD Spain does not have a register with all the CPD training present, but there are several sites which provide CPD, including the universities and private providers. Examples of the biggest ones are:

1. Free University of Barcelona, which provides several masters and postgraduate education:  Degree in Surgery and Small Animal Anesthesia  Degree in Small Animal Clinic (Barcelona and Madrid)  Degree in Equine Clinic  Degree in Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care in Small Animals  Master in Animal Law and Society  Master in Animal Law and Society (Animal Law and Society)  Master in Ethology Equine Clinic Master in Physiotherapy  Graduate Training Assistance Canine Units  Graduate Education Canine Unit Civil Protection, Prevention, Safety and Emergency  Graduate Training Unit Canine Assisted Therapy and Activities with Dogs  Instruction postgraduate Master's Thesis in Laboratory Animal Science and Welfare

http://www.uab.cat/web/estudiar/masters-y-postgrados/masters-y-postgrados-propios/listado- de-masters-y-postgrados-1345674090842.html/param1-2012/

2. Complutense University of Madrid Veterinary Faculty The Faculty of Madrid has two types of postgraduate training courses: a) Certificates: lasting up to 50 hours. b) Diplomas: lasting more than 50 hours. The continuing education courses are: - Certificate: Use of Experimental Animals - Degree: Technician Assistant Zoos and Aquariums - Diploma: Applied Biotechnologies of Reproduction species of veterinary interest - Diploma: Cytological Interpretation Workshop on Small Animals - Diploma: Education and Dog Training: Behavioral Therapists - Diploma: Veterinary Ophthalmology - Diploma: Technical Recovery Center, Reproduction and Reintroduction of Wild Fauna http://veterinaria.ucm.es/formacion-continua

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3. University of Murcia Veterinary Faculty. Provides courses, congresses, conferences, seminars, symposiums and forums. https://casiopea.um.es/cursospe/casiopea.portal.oferta.do

4. A.V.E.P.A (Spanish Association of Veterinary Specialists in Small Animals), which has the mission to ‘’Provide veterinarians and colleagues the best scientific and human training, pursuing professional excellence, and thus contribute to improving animal welfare.’’ 90% of the Spanish veterinarians who are associated with small animal medicine are a member of AVEPA. The aim of AVEPA is to develop a cultural and scientific level of veterinary specialists in small animal medicine regarding canine, feline, domestic birds, laboratory animals and other companion animals25. It also accredits veterinary specializations as a result of a professional and social demand. With this accreditation it aims to recognize the specialization, but it is not intended to be an alternative to European diplomas. The accreditation is not intended to make a difference between the level of expertise of accredit and non-accredited veterinarians, but is aim is to provide transparency among veterinarians and society. Obtain knowledge and skills according to the criteria are being checked by the Scientific Committee of the specialty group for continuing education. Finally the Scientific Committee approves the specialist. The specialist approved by AVEPA will receive the title ‘’Acre. AVEPA’’26.

The calendar for continues education for small animal specialists can be found using this link: http://avepa.org/pdf/Formacion2015/2015FC_Folleto_10_17.04.2015.pdf This includes the disciplines: dermatology, exotics, surgery, orthopedics and feline medicine For online courses 2015: http://avepa.org/pdf/Cursos_Online_Avepa.pdf

25 http://avepa.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44&Itemid=54 26 http://avepa.org/pdf/acredit_especialidades_veterinarias.pdf

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The Netherlands

Regulation of CPD The regulation of CPD has experienced some big changes in The Netherlands over the last few years. To create more transparency in the veterinary profession, the Royal Veterinary Association of the Netherlands (RVAN) took the initiative to set up a private quality control policy including a central quality register for veterinarians (CKRD)27.

Quality assurance by the RVAN is carried out by setting guidelines, providing CPD training, peer- support/peer-to-peer coaching and keeping several sectorial registers. There are currently three main registers present: one for the acknowledgement of equine veterinarians, one for farm animal veterinarians and one general for all veterinarians, which is the CKRD. There is no specific register for companion animal veterinarians. As there is a growing request for CPD, this could be an opportunity for VetCEE to step in28.

The CKRD (centraal kwaliteitsregister dierenartsen) is a basic register for accredited veterinarians and accredited training. To be registered in the CKRD the veterinarians has to comply with three basic criteria:

1. Gain 100 points in 5 years 2. Confirm to the current legislation, public and private 3. Participate in peer to peer meetings

CRKD is organized by a steering group under responsibility of the RVAN board29. The steering group safeguards the objectives of the CKRD and the online platform PE-veterinair is responsible for the administration. The organisation of CKRD is not independent and part of the RVAN. For the sectorial registers for equine and farm animal veterinarians separate non-profit foundations are set up.

The CKRD is presented by using the platform ‘Permanent Education (PE) -online’30. It is a platform used by many medical professions which have accredited CPD training. For veterinary medicine, the platform is relatively new and called ‘PE-Veterinair’. It is used as register with the full offer of accredited CPD training, an e-portfolio and measures the quality or competences of the vet by several tools.

Although there is a clear demand for transparency in the veterinary profession, the national veterinary Figure 9: spider web of competences association is acting with a conflict of interest with their quality system, currently being the advocacy for both the public and the veterinary profession. Considering the Dutch government is moving towards a self-regulatory system, there is no possibility to transfer the quality system to an independent organization. But it seems to be inevitable as independent quality control becomes more and more

27 https://www.kwaliteitdiergeneeskunde.nl/kwaliteit/ckrd 28 ‘VetCEE-label voor nascholing op hoog niveau’ by Johan Klein Haneveld, Tijdschrift voor Diergeneeskunde, nr 4, April 2014 29 https://www.kwaliteitdiergeneeskunde.nl/artikel/10836988 30 http://www.pqk.be/nl/nieuws/pe-online

Country profiles 34

necessary and setting up a new independent ‘Veterinary Statutory Body’’ has been the subject of many debates31.

Location of CPD The Netherlands has many CPD providers. Some of these providers are focused purely on PE, others are pharmaceutical companies who organize PE as a side-business. There are 5 that provide quality assured CPD training.

The Netherlands has two main website which provide a register with CPD training:

1. RVAN: https://www.kwaliteitdiergeneeskunde.nl/actueel/agenda

31 ‘’De Veterinary Statutory Body in Nederland’’, C. Bruschke & J. Vaarten (2014) https://www.cpd-online.nl/files/9414/2270/4847/141201_tvd_de_vsb_in_nederland_gemarkeerd.pdf

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2. http://veterinaire-nascholing.nl/agenda/: a websites which presents a register and agenda which all CPD providers and CPD training

Figure 9: spider web of competences

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The United Kingdom

Regulation of CPD Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is defined by the British Statutory Body Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) as ‘’the systematic maintenance, improvement and broadening of knowledge and skills and the development of personal qualities necessary for the execution of professional and technical duties throughout the Member’s working life’’. It is obligatory for all members of RCVS to engage in CPD to ensure the maintenance of the highest professional standards which are valued and pursued by RCVS.

CPD requirement It is required for all practitioner members of RCVS, in a clinical practice or non-clinical practice, to comply with the minimum requirement of 105 hours over a rolling 3 year period. Only for non-practising members paying the non-practising-member fee, this legal obligation is not required. A schema of self- recording is provided by RCVS as an online Personal Development Record (PDR).

Types of CPD  Ad hoc, undocumented private study  Clinical audit activity  Discussion group – informal learning set  Distance learning – online/formal (assessed and/or moderated by third party)  Distance learning – online/informal (not assessed)  Distance learning – webinar  Lecture by external provider  Mentoring or being mentored  Practical – clinical skills lab  Practical – wet lab  Preparing a new lecture/presentation  Project – working on a new project/in a new area of work  Reading – planned and documented private study/reading  Research – clinical  Research – scientific  Research – veterinary business  Secondment to another workplace  Seeing practice – work-based observation  Seminar/workshop – external  Studying for an external qualification  Training – in-house  Training as examiner/assessor32

The training listed above usually takes up for one or a few days. RCVS also provides a self-study distance learning post-graduate qualification that can be completed over 10 years, called the RCVS Certificate of

32 http://www.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/cpd-record-card-2014-vn/cpd-card-vn-2014-final.pdf

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Advanced Veterinary Practice (CertAVP). Manageable-size modules, each worth 10 credits, are provided in this system and you can design your own certificate by choosing a combination that reflects your area of interest. In the end, 60 credits are needed for a full certificate33. Most modules can be taken on a free standing basis. However, the assessment is done by the universities which are accredited for this and they also have a range of support packages available from online materials to face-to-face sessions. Besides designing your own certificate, there are also designated certificates available including: Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law, Emergency and Critical Care, General Small Animal Surgery, Laboratory Animal Science, Small Animal Medicine and Small Animal Practice, Veterinary Anaesthesia, Veterinary Cardiology, Veterinary Cardiology, Veterinary Dermatology, Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging and Veterinary General Practice34.

RCVS does not specify the subject of the CPD training or the most appropriate training. This is the responsibility of the veterinarian. RCVS does also not accredit courses, but they encourage course providers ‘’to offer courses appropriate to a wide range of experience and to state the level at which a course is aimed when marketing that course’’. A degree of flexibility is taken into account for members living abroad. The PDR must be kept up-to-date and available for the RCVS when requested. This information can also be used for surveys conducted by the RCVS.

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) promotes education and sciences in small animal medicine. BSAVA runs postgraduate certificate programs which are formally accredited through Nottingham Trent University, which examines the program documentation initially and every 3 years thereafter. BSAVA also has a quality assurance committee which considers student feedback, reports from teachers and examiners, and student participation and progression data, and oversees a rolling action plan to maintain and enhance quality. It does not have published criteria for its CPD. BSAVA CPD is similarly overseen by a committee of volunteers in each region. BSAVA congress also provides CPD each year, and the congress received RACE35 accreditation in 2015. RACE program is to develop and apply uniform standards related to providers and programs of continuing education (CE) in veterinary medicine.

Communication on CPD There is regular communication with the profession on CPD by the following methods:

33 http://cpd.rvc.ac.uk/about-certavp 34 http://www.rcvs.org.uk/education/postgraduate-education-for-veterinary-surgeons/certificate-in-advanced-veterinary-practice/designated- certificates/ 35 RACE program is to develop and apply uniform standards related to providers and programs of continuing education (CE) in veterinary medicine. The RACE program reviews and approves programs but does not “accredit” them. Additionally, RACE approves contact hours/credit hours, not CEUs (continuing education units). RACE-approved continuing education is recognized by most American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB)

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- Annually issue of a new record card and guidance note to all members - Regular articles on CPD in the RCVS Newsletter send to members three times a year - Regular articles on CPD in the veterinary press - Publishing CPD at regional meetings - Guidance on the RCVS website36

Shortcoming current system Although RCVS is progressive with having a mandatory CPD system, there are also some problems with the current approach:

- The knowledge and skills are the important end result of CPD, not the hours spent acquiring these - Attendance at courses and meetings is not the same as learning - Self-directed learning which does not utilise any formal educational provision is hard to verify - Standards are difficult to enforce and to confirm without any form of assessment

Future CPD system When having a compulsory CPD system, the profession will need to address accreditation of CPD providers and courses, assessment of individuals, and recording of participation. There will be a need for:

- More formal provision - A full range of opportunities to meet the needs of each individual surgeon - Method for verifying self-directed learning - Assessment method37

Location of CPD There are several sites that provide a register of CPD providers and CPD courses:

1. BSAVA: provides core training and event http://www.bsava.com/Portals/4/knowledgevault/CPD/files/2015_Regional_CPD_Brochure.pdfa nd regional CPD training and event http://www.bsava.com/Portals/4/knowledgevault/CPD/files/2015_Regional_CPD_Brochure.pdf

2. British Veterinary Association (BVA) CPD 2015: one-day courses characterized by blended learning in which all courses have a pre-event questionnaire to ensure the course content is tailored to your learning objectives. http://www.bva.co.uk/uploadedFiles/Content/Professional_development/bva-cpd-guide-jul- dec-2015.pdf

3. BVA CPD partners: The Webinar Vet. Membership provides: (1) full access to the library of over 150 hours of pre-recorded webinars, (2) invitations to the Thursday members’ live events, at

36 http://www.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/cpd-policy/continuing-professional-development-policy-july-2013.pdf 37 https://www.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/cpd-the-future/

Country profiles 39

least 40 a year, (3) early notification of sponsored webinars and (4) a monthly CD from one of the presentations. https://www.thewebinarvet.com/bva-members-2015/

4. RVC (Royal Veterinary College) Webinar Plus. These pre-recorded RVC Webinar Plus courses are designed to refresh, broaden and deepen delegate’s clinical skills. The series are based on courses that have run in2013 and are not tutor moderated. They contain all learning material and are provided with a set of FAQs. The guide can be found on the website: http://cpd.rvc.ac.uk/Media/CPD/PDfs/WebinarPlusGuide.pdf https://onlinecpd.rvc.ac.uk/

5. RCVS Knowledge Library: independent library associated with the RCVS, which provides evidence based veterinary knowledge. http://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/library-and-information-services/

6. CPDSolutions: Websites with a register for CPD training https://cpdsolutions.infusionsoft.com/app/storeFront/showCategoryPage?categoryId=1

7. VetGrad: Full list of free online CPD courses, free CPD courses and (one or two day) CPD courses http://vetgrad.com/cpd/cpd_courses

8. VetClick: calendar with a register of CPD courses http://www.vetclick.com/calendar/

9. CPD offered by Veterinary Faculties  University of London Royal College Veterinary: http://cpd.rvc.ac.uk/categories/vet?filter=40  University of Glasgow: http://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/vet/cpd/  University of Liverpool: https://www.liv.ac.uk/vets/cpd/  University of Nottingham: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/vet/servicesfortheveterinaryprofession/continuingprofes sionaldevelopment/continuingprofessionaldevelopment.aspx  University of Bristol: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/vetscience/study/cpd University of Bristol also provides a two day course with assessment for becoming Animal Welfare Officer (AWO): http://www.bristol.ac.uk/vetscience/study/cpd/awo/  University of Surrey: http://www.surrey.ac.uk/cpd

10. CPD is also offered by several Animal Hospitals, such as:

Country profiles 40

 Davies Veterinary Specialists: http://vetspecialists.co.uk/veterinary_professionals/CPD_events-overview-vets.html  China House Veterinary Hospital: http://www.chinehousevets.co.uk/chine-house-cpd- veterinary-surgeons/  Vets Now: http://www.vets-now.com/vet-professionals/training/  Eastcott Veterinary Referrals Swindon: http://www.eastcottreferrals.co.uk/results.asp

Annex 41

Annex

Pilot Study - CPD in Companion Animal Medicine

The study uses a template of 12 questions regarding the quality of CPD in companion animal medicine as a guideline.

General information

Veterinary Practitioners working with companion animals more and more look for life-long learning opportunities to enhance their knowledge, capacities and expertise. As a result to this demand, many post-graduate courses, modules or programs are available in the different countries of the European Union.

This study will focus on the quality of CPD for companion animal practitioners in the different countries of the European Union and European Economic Area (EU +EEA). The main objectives are (1) To map the CPD courses or programmes in companion animal medicine addressed to veterinarians, (2) to map the existence of a system for quality-assurance of these CPD courses or programmes and the way that this quality-assurance system is organised in each country. In the end, a clear overview of life-long learning opportunities for companion animal veterinary practitioners in EU and EEA will be presented.

Annex 42

Please provide your contact details.

Name and Organisation Email address Phone Website Surname or Authority number

The Sandra KNMvD [email protected] 0031306348 Kmnvd.nl Netherlands Tummers 900

Joost van KNMvD j.van.herten@knmvd. 003130- Kmnvd.nl Herten nl 6348915

Belgium Hilde IPV [email protected] 0032 9 264 http://www.ipv- Lippens Diergeneeskun 75 41 dgk.ugent.be/v3 de /pages/home/

Trui Calis Orde der info@ordederdierenar 00329 http://www.ord Dierenartsen tsen.be 225.58.18 ederdierenartse (NGROD) n.be/

Caroline Orde der Info@ordederdierenar 00329 http://www.ord Storm Dierenartsen tsen.be 225.58.18 ederdierenartse (NGROD) n.be/

Germany Dr. BTK geschaeftsstelle@btk- 0049302014 http://www.bun Katharina bonn.de 33830 destieraerzteka Freytag mmer.de/

Frau Diane ATF [email protected] +49 (0) 30-20 http://www.bun Hebeler 14 33 destieraerzteka mmer.de/index_ 0049302014 atf_gstelle_detai 33855 ls.php

Frau Astrid Bpt bpt.behr@tieraerztev 004969 http://www.tier Behr bundesverban erband.de 669818-15 aerzteverband.d d e/ praktizierende r tierenartz

Poland Marek National [email protected] (+48 22) 622- http://www.vet Mastalerek Chamber of 09-55 pol.org.pl/

Annex 43

Medical and Veterinary

Dominika Polish National [email protected] (+48 22) 622 http://www.vet Dłutek- Veterinary 09 55 pol.org.pl/ Malinowsk Chamber a

Stanislaw Faculty of [email protected] +48 81 445 http://www.uml Winiarczyk Lublin 62 02 ub.pl/en/

Spain Rafael Colvet [email protected] Laguens

Norway Ellef Vetnett [email protected] 0047 922 80 http://www.vet Blakstad 315 nett.no/

Romania Ruxandra costea.ruxandra@yah Costea oo.com

The United Duncan Ash RCVS [email protected] 020 7202 http://www.rcvs Kingdom [email protected] 0791 .org.uk/ k

Helen BVA [email protected] 0044207908 http://www.bva. Dingle 6336 co.uk/

Bulgaria Chairman Bulgarian [email protected] 0035988477 http://www.bvs Dr. Trifon Veterinary 2600 bg.com/indexde Tsvetkov Union (BVU) tails.php?menu_ id=93

Annex 44

What is considered to be a ‘companion animal’ by your organisation?

The Netherlands Dogs, cats and exotics

Belgium Dogs, cats and exotics

Germany Dogs, cats and exotics

Poland Dogs and cats

Spain Dogs, cats and exotics

Norway Dogs, cats and exotics

Romania Dogs, cats and exotics

The United Kingdom Dogs, cats and exotics

Bulgaria Unknown

Are there CPD courses or programmes for companion animal practitioners available in your country?

Yes No Don’t know

The x Netherlands

Belgium x

Germany x

Poland x

Spain x

Norway x

Romania x

The United x Kingdom

Annex 45

What kind of training is available for companion animal practitioners in your country? More answers are possible. (For example: Course, Lecture, Congress, Intervision, E- learning/ online module, Coaching, Specialized programme, Other (please explain))

The Courses, lectures, congress, peer-evaluation, e-learning/ online module, coaching, self- Netherlands evaluation, visiting a practice and first author in writing articles

The Netherlands does not have specialized programmes at the moment, but there was one in the past: MBE

Belgium IPV: You can find the total selection on our website

NGROD: You can find courses on our website which have permission from the program providers. NGROD has a list, but question is whether we can provide it because it is not public. Please send us an email with this question so the board can discuss it.

Germany All

Poland Postgraduate education for companion vet practitioners is a part of our national specialization system ending with a national exam at the National Veterinary Research Institute in Puławy

Spain Several, look on the website of the big providers or contact them

Norway The national association provide some postgraduate education, such as congresses. It has a department including programs in all fields (maintained by the director and the secretary). Vetnett also provides specialized programs developed to be accredited by VETCEE. These programs exist of: aquatic medicine, public health, companion animals, production animals (sheep, poultry, bovine, porcine). Vetnett provides the programs and the supervision and the candidates take a look into it. Authority is the statutory body (Ministry of Agriculture). Vetnett eventually accredits the vets and not the programs.

Romania Congress, Conferences, Scientific sessions, symposiums, workshops, seminars, FPC courses, Round tables, Royal Canine Webinars, Bayer-CMV-online, Euroveterinarian- online, CMVRO

The United See the website of BVA Kingdom

Bulgaria Unknown

Annex 46

Who are the program providers for CPD in companion animal medicine in your country? More answers are possible.

University National Statutory Private Other (please (name and Veterinary body Providers explain) contact details) Association (name and details)

The PEGD PEGD Denijs educatie Netherlands (collaboration (collaboratio Dingboom & with RVAN) n with Hoekstra university) Spaarne Voorjaarsda gen Coaching Proveto

(email waiting for full list)

Belgium

IPV IPV Several commercial providers

NGROD There are some courses of several providers on our website. The rest is on the list.

Germany Some in Together with Together Deutsche cooperation universities. with veterinãrmedinizi with chambers, National nische such as the associatio Gesellschaft, bpt- cooperation ns Akedemie, between the European School chamber of Advancee (tierenartzenka Veterinary mer) with the Studies (EVAVS), university of Improve

Annex 47

Giessen and the International and cooperation many more between Sachsen and the University of Lipzig have very good programs and courses

Poland Polish Ministry of National Agriculture and Veterinary Rural Development Chamber in cooperation with Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Spain Several Regional Few AVEPA (big!!) Universities associations

Norway Vetnett Two big providers: Anicura

Evidencia

Romania

Bulgaria Unknown

The United BVA Kingdom

Romania FMV Buchuresti AMVAC Royal Canin, Bayer, AMVDIR Biovet, Nova Group, AGMVRO FMV Iasi, Biovet, Intervet, Boehringer, Zoetis , Biochem, , SRMF, SRPatologie aviara, SROV, Org. med.

Annex 48

Vet. Maghiari, Synevovet, Red Panda, Didactica, CMV, FMV-TM,

Is CPD mandatory in your country?

Yes No

The Netherlands x

Belgium x

Bulgaria x

Germany x

Poland x

Spain X, for all health professions

Norway x, but strongly recommended

Bulgaria x

The United Kingdom x

Romania x

Annex 49

Is quality assurance of the CPD training present in your country?

Yes Yes, but not all courses/ No programs

The x Netherlands

Belgium x

Germany x

Poland x

Spain x, there is an accreditation system for all health profession

Norway x

Bulgaria x

The United x Kingdom

Romania x

Is quality assurance of the CPD training obligatory in your country?

Yes Yes, but not all No courses/ programs

The x Netherlands

Belgium x

Germany x

Poland x

Spain x

Annex 50

Norway x

Bulgaria x

The United x Kingdom

Romania x

Which is the accrediting body? More answers are possible.

University Statutory Body National National Private Other (please (name and Authority Veterinary Accredita explain) contact Association tion details) (name and details)

The RVAN Accreditors from Netherland other work fields s with veterinary overlapping courses or programs

Belgium Hoge Raad sets Formavet up the in regulations for Wallonia CPD and the (Hired by Orde der l’Ordre Dierenartsen des in Vlaanderen medicins and l’Orde des Veterinai medicines res) veterinaires implements and acknowledge them

Annex 51

Germany 17 different National Chambers

Poland CPD National Committe Committee for e of the Veterinarian Polish Specialization Veterinary appointed by the Council Polish National Veterinary Council

Spain Ministry of Health

Norway Ministry of Agriculture

Bulgaria Unknown

The United None, but there is Kingdom a movement for a collaboration between the RCVS and the BVA to look into the quality in the future

Romania Romanian College of Veterinarians

Annex 52

Q10

Does the accredited body also accredit international courses or programmes?

Yes, for all Yes, but not all. No postgraduate courses/programs in companion animals

The Netherlands RVAN accredits well known congresses abroad which are already present in their database and should be requested before it takes place. Other courses/programs will be accredited before and points will be given after the CPD takes places. Points obtained abroad will be given to a maximum of 40 points.

Belgium Only on their list. There are also commercial providers.

Germany The training will receive an ‘’ATF- Acknowledgement’’, such as courses of ESAVS

Poland

Spain No

Norway No, not at the moment

Bulgaria No

The United Kingdom No

Annex 53

Romania Yes, by the Romanian College of Veterinarian

Q11

Is there a registry of the postgraduate education courses/programs in companion animal medicine in your country?

Yes, for all Yes, only for accredited No postgraduate postgraduate courses/ courses/programs in programs in companion companion animals animals

The Netherlands x

Belgium x

Germany x

Poland x

Spain x

Norway x

Bulgaria x

The United Kingdom x

Romania x

Annex 54

Q12

Who is responsible for the registry of postgraduate education in companion animal medicine in your country? More answers are possible.

University National Statutory Private Organisation Other (please (name and Veterinary Body (name and details) explain) contact Association details)