New European-wide Postgraduate Qualification in Orthopaedics launched

An accredited General Practitioner Advanced Certificate has been launched by Improve International aimed at veterinary professionals across Europe who wish to advance their knowledge and practical skills in a particular field.

Modules for the first GPAdvCert – in Small Animal Orthopaedics – will begin in February 2018. Improve International says that it is the first of many ‘next steps’ programmes which it plans to launch under this new postgraduate level qualification. 

The GPAdvCert in Small Animal Orthopaedics is aimed at veterinary surgeons who have completed their General Practitioner Certificate in Small Animal Surgery or Postgraduate Certificate in Small Animal Surgery. Accredited by the European School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies and validated by Harper Adams University, the programme is delivered over 15 modules in three state-of-the-art European training centres - Sheffield, UK, Cremona, Italy and Madrid, Spain. Delegates will learn from world-class clinicians and will be supervised in their practise of new surgical techniques and advanced procedures in a wet-lab environment.

Improve International is one of the UK’s leading veterinary training companies with a 20-year track record in providing structured CPD to veterinary professionals. It works closely with its assessment partner, ESVPS, and Harper Adams University, which provides the higher education body quality assurance, in running programmes covering a growing range of practice disciplines.

Mr David Babington MRCVS, Managing Director of Improve International, said: “We felt there was a gap in the current structure for a postgraduate qualification which would allow students to advance their knowledge and practical skills in their chosen area and to add to their academic credentials. The General Practitioner Advanced Certificate is our solution.”

Successful achievement of the GPAdvCert will enable delegates to progress from a Postgraduate Certificate in Small Animal Surgery (or equivalent) to the Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Practice Sciences in the UK, which is awarded by Harper Adams University. This can, in turn, be used towards the award of a Masters Degree (MSc) in Advanced Veterinary Practice Sciences.

David Babington continued: “Delegates for our first GPAdvCert in Orthopaedics for Small Animals will enhance their skills and confidence in dealing with more advanced orthopaedic procedures in-house and this will help them to reduce the number of patients which are referred, retaining a higher level of income for their practice. They will also develop skills which they can pass onto their team. We look forward to welcoming our first delegates next year.”