The Association of Veterinary Students [AVS] (UK & Ireland)

🗣 Bristol Veterinary School would like to invite you to take part in a research project into left-handedness and its impact on surgical training for veterinary students and veterinarians. There is little information about the impact of left-handedness on veterinary surgical training, so Bristol Veterinary School is undertaking this research to identify any such impact and to determine what changes might be beneficial.

🖐 They are looking for left-handed and/or ambidextrous veterinary students and veterinarians to complete this online survey. Additionally, they are inviting volunteers from those who complete the survey to participate in online focus groups (there is more information about the focus groups at the end of the survey - it is entirely optional).

📄 Please read the Participant Information Sheet which can be found on the first page of the survey

Link to survey:
https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/svs/what-impact-does-left-handedness-have-on-veterinary-surgical--1

Where could a career in equine practice take you? 🐴

The BEVA Vet School Tour can tell you. We're hosting two webinars to tell every vet student why they should be considering equine practice.

Vet students, don’t miss it. Make sure you’ve set your free BEVA membership up and then register at https://bit.ly/3SSf4jD

Meet your new AVS President: Charlotte Jones New President of the Association of Veterinary Students (AVS) Charlotte Jones shares her journey to vet school and her priorities for the year ahead in her new role.

‼️FREE EVENT THIS WEDNESDAY‼️

MMI Campfire Chat: Allyship and its impact on LGBTQ+ Mental Health, link here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mmi-campfire-chat-allyship-and-its-impact-on-lgbtq-mental-health-tickets-80884011154

‼️ELECTION RESULTS 2024/25‼️

Many thanks to all those who voted, the results are as follows:

Junior Vice President - Jayson Hughes

Secretary - Claire Hunter

Grants & Sponsorship officer - Evonne Lo

IVSA Vice President - Bhoomika Bhat

Treasurer - Tracey Lee

Junior JAVS Editor - Jessica Crichard

Nominations for our election close today at 11:59pm!

Email [email protected] to send in your application or ask any questions.

With RCVS - Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, British Veterinary Association - BVA and Vet Schools Council - we've written an open letter to address discrimination and abuse on EMS faced by vet students.

Read the letter here: https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/vetr.3883

It was great to meet our student members at The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) yesterday alongside The Association of Veterinary Students [AVS] (UK & Ireland) rep Jayson. Next week, we’ll be heading over to Harper & Keele for their careers fair, and joining AVS for their upcoming Congress. If you're attending these events, make sure you come say hello to the BVA team!

🚨 Did you know first-year vet students in the UK and Ireland get free BVA membership? If you haven’t already, head over to our website to join our amazing BVA community 👉 https://ow.ly/xuC050QsE41

With just under a week until nominations close, we thought we’d tell you a little bit about the roles up for election and our experience of them! More info for elections can be found on previous posts or our website under ‘News’. Please reach out to your rep if you’re not sure whether you’re an AVS member as it’s different for each uni - most are included within your vetsoc membership.

More positions also available within IVSA - so make sure to check out their socials!

The RCVS have been kind enough to sponsor a Mental Health First Aid course for our members, taking place on 10th February online (9-5).

🧠 What will learners receive as part of the course?
- A manual to refer to whenever they need it
- A workbook including a helpful toolkit to support their own mental health
- A wallet sized reference card for the Mental Health First Aid action plan

📝Upon successful completion of the course, learners will receive a formal MHFA Champion certificate, from Mental Health First Aid England.

There are still a limited number of spaces to fill, please sign up here by WEDNESDAY 17th JAN 5pm: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mmi-mental-health-first-aid-champion-online-tickets-789220508787?aff=oddtdtcreator

Please direct questions to Charlotte at [email protected]

Hope to see lots of you there 🌞

MMI: Mental Health First Aid Champion (online) This MHFA Champion online course is offered to all Veterinary teams in the UK. This course is delivered by Mental Health First Aid England.

🗣️ Happy New Year AVS members!

📅 We’re looking forward to meeting lots of you in Nottingham at Congress ‘24 at the end of the month, where our elections will be taking place.

⭐️ If you’re interested in being involved with AVS at a higher level, we’re always looking for new enthusiastic people to join our committee! We have several roles available this year as shown above.

🙋‍♂️ If you have any questions, further information is on our website (www.avsukireland.co.uk) where you can also find the current role holders if you fancy a chat with them.

Merry Christmas from all of us at AVS 🎄 we’ve had a fantastic year, here’s to an even better 2024 starting off with Congress in January at Nottingham vet school!

Have you got a creative streak? Do you want to be in with a chance of winning a ticket to AVS Congress in late January, worth £75?

JAVS is a student run journal published by the Association of Veterinary Students alongside the BVA. The journal aims to publish articles surrounding all aspects of veterinary life, giving UK veterinary students a voice.

It is a great opportunity to publish your research or have your opinions heard on topical issues within the veterinary community. This year our editor Phoebe is hoping to include pieces focusing on well-being and EMS especially in light of the recent changes to EMS requirements.

However, it is flexible, and Phoebe is very open to receiving articles on a range of topics; if there is something you are passionate about and would like to write an article, please let her know! If you already have a piece you would like to submit, please email your submission to [email protected]. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Phoebe!

Our President Jack is co-speaking at London Vet Show this year on the topic of - EMS: Making the most of the experience! We want to know - What makes a good EMS Experience?

https://forms.gle/dZDZah5a8AcfQUpj8

Are you interested in going to London Vet Show for free this November 16-17th? Vets Stay Go Diversify are offering a number of free tickets in return for doing some ambassador work at the event! It's a great opportunity to attend some talks and visit the stalls.
Please see this google form for details and respond ASAP for the best chance of getting a place, contact Charlotte at [email protected] for questions.

*STUDENT OPPORTUNITY* London Vet Show x Vets Stay Go: Diversify Vets Stay Go Diversify (VSGD) are looking for some student ambassadors to assist them at London Vet Show (LVS) on the 16th and 17th of November. In exchange for a free ticket(!) and a T-Shirt, VSGD would ask you to commit to half a day ambassador-ing if attending for one day, or two half days if att...

Calling all UK veterinary students and recent graduates!

We believe that EMS placements should be safe and accessible for all but we know that sadly that is often not the case, particularly for students from marginalised communities.

Affinity Futures want to build a green flags EMS database to help you find inclusive EMS placements. But first, we need input from you on what information you look for when vetting potential placements!

https://tinyurl.com/greenflagsurvey

"Are you involved with organising EMS placements?

Then this is a community mastermind you do not want to miss!

Affinity Futures are proud to be collaborating with BVEDS, BVCIS and BVLGBT+ at London Vet Show 2023. This fantastic two part community mastermind is happening in Gallery Suite 10 on Friday 9am-11:15am

To find out more and to save your place visit:

https://london.vetshow.com/community-masterminds"

Community Masterminds With the convenience of social networks and veterinary professionals often geographic isolated and time-poor, it’s no surprise the past five years has seen the rise of both open and closed online veterinary communities. Many vet professionals are turning to Facebook groups for peer support on ev....

Update on the EMS Harassment survey carried out in August.

BVA charity to invest £10,000 in student animal welfare research projects
The Animal Welfare Foundation 2024 student grant scheme is now open for applications

The Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF), the British Veterinary Association’s (BVA) charity, has launched its 2024 Student Grant Scheme. It will award a total of £10,000 to several student research projects addressing critical animal welfare issues relevant to managed animals in the UK.

The scheme is open to undergraduate students in veterinary medicine, veterinary nursing, animal welfare studies, agricultural sciences, zoology or social sciences who are looking to develop their research skills and have a positive impact on animal welfare.
The deadline for submissions is Thursday 29 February 2024. For more information, including application guidelines, terms and conditions, as well as FAQs, visit website:

Student Grant Scheme - The Animal Welfare Foundation The AWF student grants scheme gives students with a passion for animal welfare the opportunity to develop their research skills. Apply today!

We are pleased to announce VDS Training are offering 5 x £200 EMS Grants to 5 AVS members to support students in their clinical years. Please submit your completed application form to [email protected] by 11.59pm 31st October 2023.

Application form: https://www.avsukireland.co.uk/opportunities

Chessington zoo are running their Roar and Explore annual fundraising event this coming Friday at Chessington World of Adventures. This event helps in raising vital funds for the conservation charities they support globally and locally. Find out more here:

https://www.chessington.com/explore/events/roar-and-explore/

https://www.facebook.com/Chessington/videos/1475533316546994/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cwp50nQLXlx/

LAST CALL for responses to our anonymous EMS harassment survey:

Anonymous Survey on harassment during EMS In response to the recent TAB article concerning the harassment of students during EMS placements, AVS are collecting information to capture whether students feel safe and secure on placement, and whether they feel supported by their relevant school.

Please see our previous post for the websites and phone numbers of well-being services you may wish to use if you have been affected. The survey is still available to fill out, and your individual University’s reps will be circulating the link, alongside specific well-being services soon.

Good afternoon,

As a result of the TAB article released on the 31st July, the AVS Executive Team have created a survey to investigate the prevalence of harassment on EMS, and how supported students feel by their University. This survey is ANONYMOUS. We encourage those affected to come forward.

https://forms.gle/aWS88CyULonvDzsz7

We appreciate this is a sensitive topic, please see support services below.

Vetlife: https://www.vetlife.org.uk/ 020 7908 6385
Samaritans: www.samaritans.org 116 123

Anonymous Survey on harassment during EMS In response to the recent TAB article concerning the harassment of students during EMS placements, AVS are collecting information to capture whether students feel safe and secure on placement, and whether they feel supported by their relevant school.

Statement on the recent TAB article concerning harassment of students during EMS placements.

The Association of Veterinary Students are deeply saddened and shocked to learn of the alleged sexism and harassment faced by two students at the University of Bristol Vet School in the Easter break of 2022. We have since been contacted by others who have allegedly faced similar harassment issues, and intend to release a survey urgently to gather information on how common this is whilst on EMS. Everyone has the right to feel safe in a work environment, and in the unfortunate incident where this isn’t the case, the right to support from their Vet School or associated organisations. As these were both issues highlighted in the article, the anonymous survey will aim to capture whether students feel safe, comfortable and supported by their School. We encourage those who have been affected whilst on EMS (either preclinical or clinical) to come forward.