Survey launched on Covid-19 employment impact

Survey launched on Covid-19 employment impact

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and the Veterinary Schools Council (VSC) have launched a joint survey with veterinary surgeons who have recently graduated from UK vet schools to determine if and how the coronavirus pandemic has affected them.

The survey has been sent to 984 veterinary surgeons who graduated from one of the UK’s eight vet schools in 2020 to measure how the pandemic may have impacted a number of areas including graduates’ employment prospects, clinical and non-clinical skills, and resilience in the workplace.

The survey has a deadline date of December 16 and all responses to it will remain anonymous while helping to inform future policy on graduate support.

Dr Linda Prescott-Clements, RCVS Director of Education, says that the survey aims to gauge whether the impact of the virus on clinical placements and teaching has had a deleterious impact on young vets’ confidence with both clinical and non-clinical skills as well as their resilience, for example, in asking for help and support from colleagues, managing their time effectively, and managing complex and stressful situations.

‘Employment is another area of concern and in any typical year almost all graduate vets would find work or go on to further study after their veterinary degree had finished,’ added Dr Prescott-Clements. ‘Some anecdotal reports have suggested a perceived or real change to employment prospects this year and so we are hoping to gather some further data to see if there has been a discernible impact on this cohort.

‘We are mindful that the pandemic is having a significant impact on all students and we are keen to understand how best we can support them moving forward. I would strongly encourage those graduates who have received the survey, which should only take around 10 minutes to complete, to take part, because the results will help the RCVS and the VSC inform future policies on how we can better support veterinary graduates in 2021 and subsequent years.’

Any graduates who have not received the survey or require further information can contact the RCVS Education Department on education@rcvs.org.uk